U.S. government to shut down today unless last-minute deal reached

I think MAYBE they have a qorum now? Am not sure… It’s all clear as mud.

Reading off yes votes now, so yes? But I think that’s just to get the bill to the floor?

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I was a student senator one year a lifetime ago as an undergrad. I didn’t run again after that year because it was such a joke. Mostly just a bunch of people playing games and pretending to run things. Our current Congress reminds me a lot of that experience.

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Yes but you can complete a sentence.

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its so fucking weird; that there even is the possibility to shut down the goverment in peace-times. its insane. where the fuck is this coming from?

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Matt Goetz, MTG, Lauren Boebert, Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs, Dan Bishop, Ken Buck, Tim Burchett, Eric Burlison, Michael Cloud, Eli Crane, Wesley Hunt, Nancy Mace, Mary Miller, Cory Mills, Alex Mooney, Barry Moore, Troy Nehls, Andy Ogles, Matt Rosendale, and Keith Self. The ring leader is Matt Goetz, though.

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where is the possibility coming from? Im pretty sure the founders of the us didnt intent shit like this to happen, right?

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From outside, it looks like a really fucking dumb college game played by historical British Parliament rules, but also has serious real-life consequences.

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Well…yeah, they kinda did, actually. The current Constitution is not the first government of this country. That was the government operated under the Articles of Confederation. That government did not work. For many reasons. One of those reasons was that most legislation required a supermajority to pass, rather than a simple majority. That’s one of the things they changed with the Constitution. Hamilton wrote extensively about the problem with requiring a supermajority to pass legislation in one of the Federalist Papers that I don’t have time to go look up right now, but it’s pretty easy to Google. Anyway, he said that when a supermajority was required to pass legislation, a minority of states representing a minority of the populace could hold the nation hostage, essentially. Does that sound familiar? It should. Why? Well the filibuster rules in the Senate mean that, for all intents and purposes, a supermajority is required to pass most legislation. We are currently in the exact situation Hamilton warned of. You are correct, though, that this is not what the founders intended. But they did foresee it.

ETA: We have Aaron Burr to thank for the filibuster. Asshole.

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and certain things were never changed again to prevent such stupidity? ahhh, tradition…so cozy

(thnx, danimagoo, see post below)

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Oh, no, they were changed. Then Aaron Burr introduced the filibuster. And even then, it wasn’t too bad because there were all kinds of rules surrounding a filibuster that limited its effectiveness. But since the 1960s, the Senate has progressively been relaxing the filibuster to the point that it’s not just a technicality that results in needing 60 votes in the Senate to pass damn near anything. I think budget resolutions are exempt from that, but it still is partially responsible for a lot of the partisanship that just pervades everything Congress does now.

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… the Constitution didn’t really contemplate “parties,” and its authors seemed to think a verbal warning not to be partisan would take care of it :roll_eyes:

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So they’ll be able to work out their differences in 45 days so this won’t happen again?

Right? Right?

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Pedro Laughing GIF by Brand MKRS creative agency

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I think they’re voting now… :thinking:

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Looks like it passed.

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Nine Republican Senators voted against it. They are Marsha Blackburn, Mike Braun, Ted Cruz, Bill Hagerty, Mike Lee, Roger Marshall, Rand Paul, Eric Schmidt, and JD Vance. The usual gang of idiots.

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Awesome news!

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Now they just need to run it over to the white house for a signature!

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Tuberville voted for it? I’m surprised.

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Maybe someone pointed out how everyone is sick of his shit and he better get in line for this.

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The “no” votes were dumb, but still, pretty rare that 88 Senators vote in favor of something these days. (Two were absent, plus Feinstein.)

https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1181/vote_118_1_00247.htm

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