Lott, others see demise of Senate camaraderie
excerpts below...
By Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The comity once characterizing the U.S. Senate — the so-called Senate Club that helped the chamber run regardless of which party was in control — is dead, some senators say, and that has led to the need for change in underlying Senate rules.
Sen. Trent Lott, who as chairman of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee will hold the first hearing on changing filibuster rules this week, put it bluntly.
"The club is dead. I'm not sure when it died, but the club is dead," said Mr. Lott, Mississippi Republican. "When I see what the club does to its own members, and to its former members now, the club is no longer here."
Those who say the Senate Club is dead point to several recent events: concurrent filibusters of judicial nominees, the use of anonymous "holds" from both parties to prevent legislation from reaching the floor and the inability to receive consent to make minor changes to speed the legislative process.
That's why Mr. Lott, former majority leader, said he and other Republican leaders are considering pushing several rules changes.
Several senior senators also said part of the change is the democratization of the Senate — particularly because freshmen lawmakers play a much bigger role now, so the deal-making isn't just done by a couple of Senate leaders.
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I am ALL for the destruction of the “Senate club”! In the good ‘ol boys club we have seen the slow dismantling of the constitution of the United States. The good ‘ol boys club pushed the evil of slavery off for over 80 years! The Good ‘ol boys kept suffrage out of the question for even longer. The good ‘ol boys have signed us up for failed, socialist welfare programs that have practically bankrupted our treasury, created illegal income taxes and taken more and more power away from the rightful holders, the states.
I say let’s have a divisive Senate. Maybe these destructive “representatives” of the people will do LESS in office to destroy this country!