Filabusters present and past

The rules of the United State Senate permit a member or even a group of members to speak as long as they wish on any topic they choose.

Other members can bring the filibuster to an end by invoking cloture. Three-fifths of the Senators must vote of cloture.

On the House side they used to have the right to filibuster, but in 1842 changed and put in a rule limiting the duration of any debate.

The Washington Post yesterday had this story of Rand Paul’s filibuster and noted some historic filibuster examples.

“Rand Paul’s old-school filibuster

By Al Kamen , Published: March 6

Washington Post

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) launched an old-fashioned filibuster on Wednesday —though after a while he handed off to Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) for some bipartisan help.

But Paul’s filibuster, which finished just shy of 13 hours, didn’t come close to the legendary filibusters —starting with Jimmy Stewar t in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” who was depicted as having spoken nearly 24 hours, though the 1939 movie only ran a bit more than two hours.

The record filibuster goes, of course, to South Carolina’s Strom Thurmond in opposing the 1957 civil rights bill. Thurmond, then a Democrat, held the Senate floor for 24 hours and 18 minutes.

But there were some others, according to the Associated Press and the Senate Web site, who came close to his record or at least rambled on endlessly.

Alfonse D’Amato (R-N.Y.) nearly matched Thurmond, speaking for 23 hours and 30 minutes as he tried to block a military spending bill in 1986. He also held forth for 15 hours and 14 minutes against a tax bill in 1992.

Wayne Morse (I-Ore.), held the floor for 22 hours and 26 minutes as he tried to block an oil bill in 1953.

Robert M. La Follette Sr. (R-Wis.), spoke for 18 hours and 23 minutes when he was trying to block a currency bill in 1908.

William Proxmire (D-Wis.) held the floor for 16 hours and 12 minutes as he tried to block an increase in the debt ceiling in 1981. (Ah, the debt ceiling.)

Huey Long (D-La.), back in the ’30s, filibustered bills that he thought favored the rich over the poor. Long, who entertained spectators by reciting Shakespeare and reading recipes for fried oysters and “pot likker” —the liquid left behind after greens are boiled —filibustered for 15 hours and 30 minutes in 1935, to require Senate confirmation for some New Deal employees.

And the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) endured for 14 hours and 13 minutes in opposition to the civil rights bill.”