What are you afraid of, Senator Reid? Let them vote

 

I was wondering where democracy has gone? What has happened that the will of the elected representative is so thwarted/ Where is the ability that allowed issues to be discussed and voted in Congress, an ability that has vanished.  How did we get such into such a partisan dead end?

In this case I am referring to the United States Senate. Why are the Senators-particularly the Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)- afraid to permit the minority party from offering amendments? What is Mr. Reid afraid of? Why is there such an impediment? He has the votes to defeat any Republican amendment. 

There is a bill pending now in the Senate sponsored by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Senator Rob Portman (R-OH). The substance involves the low hanging fruit of energy efficiency. The legislation has bipartisan support, is loved by the business and environmental community and has been around for the last 3 or 4 years. Seems like some good policy there. It is about as noncontroversial as you can get and still do some good.

Consideration of this benign energy efficiency bill is set to fail in the Senate early next week at the hands of a filibuster by Republicans who are again livid of their inability to secure and votes on several amendments. Many will say the bill is a victim to the poisonous partisan atmosphere that pervades the Capitol.  In a way it is, but it is more than that.  It seems Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the Republican leader are unable to agree on the process to consider the bill. Senator Reid took the usual action to block consideration of any amendments through a series of procedural steps to bar Republican amendments to the bill.

Republicans want to offer and get a vote on amendments involving on KXL pipeline, liquefied natural gas exports and U.S. EPA climate regulations. These are important issues, they deserve to be debated. The voters deserve to know the positions of their representatives.

 I understand the power of the majority. I know how the process works. Republicans have used the process when in the majority, although not to this extent. Every time, time and again, the minority party and even his own Democrats are denied a chance. What is he protecting? 

The conduct by the Majority Leader is wrong, it is destructive to the institution and it cheats the country. But, as I said, why are you afraid?