re: #218 Walter L. Newton

Well of course that’s what they want is for the Democrats to fail. There is nothing in this bill they like/want/support. You say that like it’s a mystery. This is not a bipartisan effort. The GOP don’t want anything to do with this.

I would think that you would expect as much from the Democrats if they wanted the GOP to fail on an issue(s).

Hell, if the Democrats could reign themselves in and get on the same page, this would have slide through a long time ago.

Agree with the GOP or not, at least they are all sticking together, instead of sticking it to each other.

That’s politics.

No, it’s not politics. It’s the perversion of the American political system. Our entire form of government is based on the concept that political parties would not have enough clout over their members to impose a strict party-line “no” vote on legislation. It’s the reason why the filibuster wasn’t a major issue in U.S. politics until the late 20th century. It’s the reason why we don’t have an electoral system similar to that of the British that allows parties to nominate slates of candidates for office.

Because no political party was ever expected to have enough power to prevent every single member of their party from acting in lockstep. The founding fathers intended there to be debate, cooperation and compromise when legislation was crafted. Not parliamentary gridlock.