A Simple No Is Now a Filibuster

There sure are a lot of liberals, mainly in Congress and the news media, that need to go grab a dictionary or do a little research on what a filibuster actually is.

As I noted in a previous post, and as is increasingly well known to those who actually are capable of comprehension, Senator Jim Bunning - for the simple reason he wishes it to be paid for - is objecting to a repeated unanimous consent request by Senate Democrats to call up and pass a bill that would temporarily extend unemployment benefits, transportation funding, medicare reimbursement, COBRA subsidies and other expenditures to the tune of another $10 billion or so. Again, Democrats are requesting that each U.S. Senator agree - that is, effectively vote “yes” - to said extension without full consideration or debate on the Senate floor.

Lately Bunning is taking a lot of heat for refusing to simply give his voice to an extension of unemployment benefits, one of several other items contained in a piece of legislation that the Imperial Harry Reid wants to pass without a vote. The total bill is $10 billion, and rather then just going along with the crowd Bunning told Dingy Harry to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. Sure, it will take an extra five minutes to fire up the tote board and have everybody push the little button on their desk, but at least you've got everybody on record.

Somehow this has now turned into a filibuster, according to the press and any shrieking harpie liberal talking head or elected official who can get face time on a news show.

Just to be clear, since becoming a minority in the Senate the Republicans have held exactly zero, nada, zip, zilch, no filibusters. Sure, it's a catchy word and the lazy press throw it around like the latest kewl kid saying, trying to recapture their hippie days and deciding groovy was just too dated to use.

Senator Bunning is doing the right thing. He is not blocking anything, rather he is forcing the Democrats to abide by the rules they adopted, known as PayGo. It was a much heralded event when the Congress passed it and PrezBo signed it with much fanfare, but now that reality is staring them in the face the Democrats want to simply ignore the rules they created.

This is nothing new for them, since for decades they have governed as if the rules applied to everybody but them and with so many in the press providing cover they have been getting away with it.