Effects Of Filibuster

Superior Essays
A filibuster is defined as a prologues speech given by senators to delay the chamber’s business. Therefore, it something that impairs policy making from occurring. This tactic is used normally when a senator wants to have a bill or nomination be ignored so it won’t be voted on. They do this by taking all of the available time for the bill by talking or making a prolonged speech. Which means that the filibuster is believed to impair the political process. A lot of people believe it should end while others do not see the harm. This controversial topic has even been the topic of various movies including the 1939 movie, Mr. Smith goes to Washington. Which makes people think, with such a great exposure, is it really that bad? One argument that …show more content…
This is not happening now because when senators are voted into office they are sent to make changes and the filibuster does not allow the changes to happen. The filibuster prevents the senators from doing what the voters want and makes people believe that the government does not care about its citizens. All of this occurs because the filibuster does not allow a bill to be voted on and therefore is damaging our democratic society. By eliminating the filibuster the government would be more responsive to voters. This would occur because then the government would be able to pass more policies in which the voters would be interested. These examples show why the filibuster does not work and should be eliminated …show more content…
The filibuster ignored the democratic value of rule of law. This occurs because the filibuster impairs policy making which leads the government to be less responsive towards their voters and citizens. Due to this, the voters do not care about the political competition. This happens because the voters elect a representative to make changes that will benefit them, but if a filibuster occurs, the bill can get killed and no change would be made. This makes the voters angry with the political system and can lead them to stop caring about the political process. The filibuster also brings less accountability to the voters. This takes place because representatives are not doing what their voters want them to do, as stated in the previous few sentences. All of this leads to no responsiveness from the government which interferes with all of the five democratic values. With this in mind, political science can help understand the filibuster with respect to the democratic values. This happens because they can show how people react and their views depending on what side of the argument they stand. After seeing all of the points given, depending on the side of the argument, I believe that the filibuster is doing harm in the political process. The filibuster harms the political process because the majority parties take advantage of it. The filibuster alone can be a

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The 17th Amendment democratized Congress by allowing voters to elect senators rather than state legislatures electing, however, Congress is still mainly shaped from the framers of the Constitution. Examples of this would be bicameral legislatures, equal representation of states in the Senate, Senate ruling on filibuster, and the usage of a checks and balances system. The framers used a bicameral system because it was the only way they can end the stalemate between the large and small states at constitutional conventions. Another reason a bicameral legislature was used was because of the framers’ belief that the legislative branch, which is the branch that creates the laws for the government, should be a place where the public’s businesses should…

    • 324 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Senators originally were elected by state legislatures to six-year terms to maintain their accountability to their states and to buffer them against constant political pressures faced by House members. Ratified in 1913 as a reform, the 17th Amendment reassigned the Senate election process from legislators to citizens at large. While I respect the admirable efforts of Americans of a century ago to expand the reach of democracy, the 17th Amendment unintentionally broke the link between senators and their state government that their offices were designed to…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Federalist No. 10 Analysis

    • 1424 Words
    • 6 Pages

    When James Madison outlines the dangers of faction in Federalist No. 10, he defines faction as “a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united...by some common...interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens.” 1 This wording is critical for examining both the goals and pivotal ideas of the federalist movement. At first glance, this definition seems to reflect the very real fear of mob uprising. Certainly, it’s tone insinuates an image of mob citizenry diametrically opposed to a smaller elite. However, although this image may have captured this political component of the United States in November 1787, a closer inspection yields a less controversial interpretation.…

    • 1424 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The government can make this noble act into existence if they take certain measures such as; decreasing the amount interest groups puts into campaign finance, forcing them to be transparent during all times no matter if the spend a lot or not so much on campaign finance and also where the money goes. Only through this measures can our voices be equal to that of the strong lobbyist and interest groups who have superior connections and…

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Fiorina suggests that this technique seemed to work well for parties prior to the reforms in the 1960s and 1970s and notes how the system is faltering today without it. Thus, he upholds it as the necessary vehicle of political participation in the United…

    • 1655 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    As a country founded on the ideals of freedom and liberty, the United States of America created a Constitution with democracy at its core. Although the Framers strenuously debated on how democratic the Constitution should be, the product of their efforts produced a document that has served as the basis for the democratic republic that America is today. However, some individuals, such as Robert Dahl, a political theorist and an author, illustrate the specific areas of the Constitution that have failed to promote its democratic quality. One of his most tenacious arguments lies with the dysfunctionality of the Electoral College, which he regards as a major contribution to the undemocratic character of the Constitution. He provides two distinctive…

    • 1552 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    (Beinhart, 2002) With more voters involved, Congressmen would be elected by the amount of service they offer to the citizens of America. Term limits would allow people to more accurately choose the Congressmen that would represent them the best by judging them based on their policies, not their past terms. The competitiveness of elections caused by term limits would get voters more involved in politics and help them to choose the best…

    • 1115 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Electoral College Vs. National Popular Vote The recent 2016 presidential election, has caused the population to question the electoral college, more than it ever has before. Those who disagree with the electoral college have propelled the National Popular Vote (NPV), a movement that started in 1969.…

    • 1150 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Let's now say, the executive branch felt that because of "C" it required a different method by which to enforce "C", "D2 "; but, "D2 " is a method that the Executive branch is employing that would deprive citizens of their freedom because they decided to say the word "Bang". The resultant effect of utilizing this method locks up hundreds of people because they take plea deals & after one hundred more a person(defendant) finally decides to go to trial. The defendant is found guilty, but, manages to preserve an objection over the methods utilized by the executive branch, thus, having the ability to appeal the ruling & subsequent incarceration(read denial of freedom & liberty, to say the least); the objection ought to be obvious, the executive branch's method effectively criminalizes speech, a violation of the first amendment, which…

    • 1366 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Bill Of Rights Dbq

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This shows us that citizens did not want the government to do whatever they want to do. It also shows that Americans did not want our new government to turn into the government of Great Britain. When America was under the law of England, the king would make up some very unruly and cruel punishments. The people obviously did not like this, therefore they did not want to have another government that had unlimited powers. Amendment 8 prevents the government from creating unfair punishments (U.S. Const.…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    They implemented several anti-majority rules such as the electoral college system, a bicameral legislature and the judicial review process in order to safeguard minority rights and prevent “tyranny by the majority”. By creating the electoral college system, the founders ensured that the election of the president was not directly decided by majority vote but rather by well-informed representatives elected by the people This system would prevent the selection of the president based on the whims of people, allow less populous states to have a voice, and strengthen the concept of federalism, the sharing of powers between state and national government. The creation of a bicameral national legislature, a Congress composed of two separate chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives, also eliminated future rule by the majority. In designing the republic, framers opted to have the House of Representatives elected directly by the people while senators would be elected solely by the state legislatures.…

    • 1333 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Legislators voted for senators before the citizens did because it was believed that this would approve with the Constitution and relieve pressure off of the appointed officials from the people. Before this amendment was ratified, several concerns about the amendment coming into effect, because the founders who created this piece of legislation thought it might lead to more corruption in…

    • 1879 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    This type of government can cause policy paralysis as there are so many parties with different views and can stop the making of new policies. Usually, minority governments tend to last for only a short period of time which unfortunately sometimes can lead to political parties not being able to fully pursue their desired policies and leaves some work unfinished. Another limitation to the minority government is where to put the…

    • 1865 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Role of the Citizen in a Constitutional Democracy Despite major conflicts and social changes, the American Constitution has offered a framework of governance for over two hundred years. The Framers of the American constitution sought to create a government free of tyrannical rule—where power derives from the consent of the governed. The US constitution outlines a form of national government that aims to serve the American people by protecting their rights and liberties. The US constitution is succinct and difficult to amend; congress has only passed twenty-seven amendments since the ratification of the constitution. In this essay, I will analyze the arguments Robert Dahl’s presents in his book “How Democratic is the American Constitution”…

    • 1116 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    If they could be regulated the occurrence of stalemates would most likely be reduced and subsequently the effectiveness of Congress would rise. Effectiveness is expected of a government and when it isn’t delivered it can damage the government 's ability to function. “…political instability damaged the ability of Russia to build…” (Ruffley 192). Filibustering and gerrymandering only festers the problem of ineffectiveness. Regulating these two matters would more than likely help speed up our snail’s pace and balance the majority and minority parties in favor of the citizens’ opinion.…

    • 1188 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays