Local Tie To Fillibuster
By: KLST News
Updated: March 7, 2013
"I will speak as long as it takes. Until the alarm is sounded from coast to coast, that our Constitution is important."
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul spent about 13 hours on the Senate floor filibustering. A political tactic dating back over 150 years to the Civil War era.
"Basically these pirates or freebooters would try to invade Nicuragua and Cube and they were known as filibusters. Pirates and raiders. The term got adopted by the US Senate by the 1850's."
Heineman says a filibusters main purpose is to throw sand into the gears and start a discussion. Paul's discussion sought to hold up the nomination of John Brennan as director of the C-I-A. A discussion in which Texas Senator Ted Cruz had a say in as well.
"There are times when there are issues that the American people do not fully understand or want to look at all of the implications. So it's a good think I think on balance."
The last talking filibuster took place in 2010, but neither hold the record for being the longest.
" Strom Thurmond was able to hold out for 24 hours and 18 minutes because he had a special canister device in his pants that he used when the call of nature became to loud to ignore."
Senator Paul, however, didn't learn from the filibuster record holder and stepped off of the floor after 13 hours.
"And I would go for another 12 hours, to try and break Staun Thurman's record, but I've discovered that there are some limits to filibustering and I am going to have to go take care of one of those in a minute."
In order to end a filibuster before nature calls, the Senate can close off a debate with a two-thirds vote.
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul spent about 13 hours on the Senate floor filibustering. A political tactic dating back over 150 years to the Civil War era.
"Basically these pirates or freebooters would try to invade Nicuragua and Cube and they were known as filibusters. Pirates and raiders. The term got adopted by the US Senate by the 1850's."
Heineman says a filibusters main purpose is to throw sand into the gears and start a discussion. Paul's discussion sought to hold up the nomination of John Brennan as director of the C-I-A. A discussion in which Texas Senator Ted Cruz had a say in as well.
"There are times when there are issues that the American people do not fully understand or want to look at all of the implications. So it's a good think I think on balance."
The last talking filibuster took place in 2010, but neither hold the record for being the longest.
" Strom Thurmond was able to hold out for 24 hours and 18 minutes because he had a special canister device in his pants that he used when the call of nature became to loud to ignore."
Senator Paul, however, didn't learn from the filibuster record holder and stepped off of the floor after 13 hours.
"And I would go for another 12 hours, to try and break Staun Thurman's record, but I've discovered that there are some limits to filibustering and I am going to have to go take care of one of those in a minute."
In order to end a filibuster before nature calls, the Senate can close off a debate with a two-thirds vote.
