Baron Von PWN wrote:Question. Even with this ridiculous filibuster is this Ted fellow even able to prevent the bill passing? If he can't, why is he actively wasting the time of the legislature seeing as the bill will pass either way?
Other than gaining prestige/power within his party, he's also signalling to his constituents some fulfillment of their expectations (e.g. "stop the ACA"). If the politician is fulfilling the desires of his constituents, then it's not quite a waste of his time. Besides, there is some chance that the bill might not pass, so why not try (from their perspective)? Also, who gets re-elected for saying, "aw shucks, I quit"?
And let's recall that after we remove the rhetoric, the Democrats weren't open to compromise on this issue, so we shouldn't be surprised that the Republicans will pursue the next best alternative of delaying until they regain control. That's reasonable--as far as politics goes.
BVP wrote: If he is, what does it say if one person(or a small group of people) can hijack the legislative process ?
I enjoy the filibuster because it can prevent one party from dominating the legislative process, and this is a key, desirable feature of any democracy. I don't see how having one party dominate the legislative as being optimal.
The threat of filibuster imposes costs, thereby reducing the chances, of passing certain bills, so it's a reasonable and useful tactic--given the circumstances.