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July 28 Open Thread

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Links:

* The California Republican has some very interesting twitter interests.  If you think porn stars are interesting anyway.

* Carly Fiorina got some new Latino support. Or well, maybe it’s Latino support, because just exactly where the money is coming is entirely unclear. Carla Marinucci points out that one of the headliners of the campaign was a grand marshall at the 2008 SF Pride parade … should go down perfectly with the right-wingers.

* Boaters near the San Francisco area are being warned about being careful near whales. A huge krill explosion in the area is attacting large numbers of humpback whales.  A young humpback was found dead today, killed by the propellors of a boat.

* In San Francisco, City Attorney Dennis Herrera is appealing a judge’s decision to grant an extra term to appointed supervisors. Tim Redmond of the SF Bay Guardian agrees with the decision.

* The corpse of Howard Jarvis has filed suit to get the language changed on Prop 23. Apparently the word “laws” will make everybody think that we won’t regulate air pollution at all. Huh?

3 thoughts on “July 28 Open Thread”

  2. Over at The Hill, it looks like Sen. Feinstein is lining up against reform of the filibuster.


    “It won’t happen,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who said she would “probably not” support an effort to lower the number of votes needed to cut off filibusters from 60 to 55 or lower.

    It’s not clear whether she is opposed only to a major change like 60 to 55 or whether she also opposes smaller reforms, like the proposals from Sen. Bennet or Sen. Lautenberg.  

    Even if the Democrats can’t entirely get rid of the filibuster, it would be worthwhile to tinker with it a little bit.  For example, require 41 votes to hold a filibuster instead of 60 votes to break one, something that would put the burden on the filibustering party to round up the requisite Senators.  Or reduce the number of places a bill can be filibustered, i.e. don’t allow filibustering of the beginning of debate.  Or change rules to speed up the process, getting rid of the 30 hour ripenings and so on.  Or get rid of unanimous consent in certain situations so that one Senator can’t block the body’s progress on items that will get 80 or 90 votes in support.  Some of these ideas are incorporated in Bennet’s and Lautenberg’s proposals.

    Note: The Hill link was via Citizen Cohn one of my new favorite policy blogs run by Jonathon Cohn, the health care expert who did so much excellent reporting and analysis during the health care debate

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