GOP Obstructionists

Next time you hear some talking head chastizing the Democrats because they can't pass any legislation even though they control both houses of Congress, just refer to this handy chart and repeat after me: "It's the Republicans' fault. It's the Republicans' fault. It's the Republicans' fault."

As McClatchey reports:

Seven months into the current two-year term, the Senate has held 42
"cloture" votes aimed at shutting off extended debate — filibusters, or
sometimes only the threat of one — and moving to up-or-down votes on contested
legislation. Under Senate rules that protect a minority's right to debate, these
votes require a 60-vote supermajority in the 100-member Senate.




Nearly 1 in 6 roll-call votes in the Senate this year have been cloture
votes. If this pace of blocking legislation continues, this 110th
Congress will be on track to roughly triple the previous record number of
cloture votes — 58 each in the two Congresses from 1999-2002, according
to the Senate Historical Office.