filibuster

(noun)

A delaying tactic, especially the use of long, often irrelevant speeches given in order to delay progress or the making of a decision, especially on the floor of the US Senate.

Related Terms

Examples of filibuster in the following topics:

  • Debate

    • In the Senate, Senators sometimes use this rule to filibuster a bill—that is, continue debating a bill endlessly so that it cannot be voted on.
    • The only way to end a filibuster is for three-fifths of all Senators to vote for a cloture resolution, which ends all debate and brings the bill up for voting.
    • Use of the filibuster tends to be controversial.

  • The Compromise of 1877

    • Unable to overturn the Commission's decisions, many Democrats instead tried to obstruct them, mostly through filibuster.
    • Some historians have argued that Democrats and Republicans reached an unwritten, "back room" agreement (the Compromise of 1877) under which the filibuster would be dropped in return for a promise to end Reconstruction.
    • This group threatened a filibuster (opposed by Republicans and Congressional Democratic leadership as well) that would prevent the agreed-upon vote from even taking place.
    • Discussions of the points in the alleged "compromise" only concerned convincing key Democrats not to acquiesce in a filibuster.
    • The very threat of a filibuster, a measure used by a minority to prevent a vote, indicates that there were already sufficient votes for accepting the commission's recommendations.

  • Advice and Consent

    • For appointments, a majority of senators are needed to pass a motion "to advise and consent", but unless the appointment has the support of three-fifths of senators, a filibuster blocking the passage of the motion is possible.
    • For appointments, a majority of senators are needed to pass a motion "to advise and consent," but unless the appointment has the support of three-fifths of senators, a filibuster blocking the passage of the motion is possible.
    • For a treaty, a two-thirds vote of the Senate is required anyway; thus, a filibuster could only delay passage.

  • Vetoes

    • Think of a veto as somewhere between a very strong objection and a filibuster.

  • The "Noisy Minority" Effect

    • It's a bit like a filibuster, except that the illusion of widespread dissent is even more powerful, because it's divided across an arbitrary number of discrete posts and most people won't bother to keep track of who said what, when.

  • Sunset Laws

    • Among other provisions, it affects Senate rules of debate during the budget reconciliation, not least by preventing the use of the filibuster against the budget resolutions.

  • Introduction to Difficult People

    • A classic example is the filibuster, in which someone (always sounding as reasonable as possible, of course) keeps claiming that the matter under discussion is not ready for resolution, and offers more and more possible solutions, or new viewpoints on old solutions, when what is really going on is that he senses that a consensus or a ballot is about to form and he doesn't like where it's headed.

  • Civil Rights and Voting Rights

    • The bill came before the full Senate for debate on March 30, 1964, and the "Southern Bloc" of 18 southern Democratic Senators and one Republican Senator led by Richard Russell launched a filibuster to prevent its passage.
    • Never in history had the Senate been able to muster enough votes to cut off a filibuster on a civil rights bill.

  • Roving Wiretaps

    • Senator Russ Feingold from the District of Washington promised to lead a filibuster to block approval of retroactive immunity.

  • Social Justice

    • In 1919, the Senate approved the Nineteenth Amendment by 56 to 25 after four hours of debate, during which Democratic Senators opposed to the amendment filibustered to prevent a roll call until their absent senators could be protected by pairs.