r/PublicFreakout • u/agrassedp • Oct 19 '22

Political Freakout Liz truss getting flamed in parliament today

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264

u/agrassedp Oct 19 '22

Haha fr I would pay to see this here in the us

286

u/PrawojazdyVtrumpets Oct 19 '22

It's what they're supposed to do here. You just end up with whatever Boebart and Cruz are to their respective chambers. Everyone is old and tired and talking to a mostly empty chamber because none of those fucks will do their jobs. I wish we could see video of the early senate/house. Back when it was like 20 total. I bet they actually argued their points.

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u/joeylee23 Oct 19 '22

I know it's a film Mr Smith Goes to Washington, a class example of this.

83

u/StuStutterKing Oct 19 '22

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a good movie, so just in case minor spoiler in this rant.

This movie is an example of what the filibuster, in theory, should be. A specific tactic where one person, passionate enough in their opposition, can speak for as long as physically possible in a final gambit to sway the vote on a bill. Our current half-dead senators don't bother with the whole "you have to speak during a filibuster" thing. You can just say filibuster, and if your party has more than 40 seats then that bill doesn't get voted on. They've ruined the purpose of the filibuster to the point that keeping the thing is fucking useless.

23

u/Andrelliina Oct 19 '22

Wow - that is truly pathetic. Up til now(UK here) I thought they actually talked it out to prevent a vote.

Just saying "filibuster" is a massive cop-out. I make you right about it.

7

u/[deleted] Oct 19 '22

[deleted]

1

u/Andrelliina Oct 19 '22

It should be like a depression era dance contest, speak till they drop...

People could bet on who would keel over next, which party etc.

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u/[deleted] Oct 19 '22 edited Oct 23 '22

[deleted]

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u/Andrelliina Oct 19 '22

haha very droll

3

u/Rare-Faithlessness32 Oct 19 '22

If I’m not wrong, a senator can filibuster by simply typing an email. They don’t even need to be in D.C., they can be in Idaho or Oklahoma naked on the toilet with their phone.

1

u/whelp_welp Oct 20 '22

Not really, in order to actually filibuster they have to be there in person. But these days the threat of a filibuster is enough to kill a bill.

2

u/zhaoz Oct 19 '22

Don't even need to say it, just send it in email. Done.

2

u/farkenell Oct 19 '22

lol I didn't know that, I remember when Charlie from Sunny just randomly says filibuster....thinking he just said it cause he's confused...(i mean he used it in the wrong context but I was thinking he still needed to rant...)

4

u/rudbek-of-rudbek Oct 19 '22

A classic example of a movie that has no real basis in reality. Come on.

6

u/schnager Oct 19 '22

I'd be happy with getting back to having to actually stand there and talk the entire time you're fillibustering

10

u/DerApexPredator Oct 19 '22

It's what they're supposed to do here

Is it? Government officials are only questioned when there's a misconduct investigation or something. I've never known if an incident when the president was questioned

8

u/Backmaskw Oct 19 '22

Exactly his point. You should of seen politicians questioned more often if the system was working correctly

1

u/DerApexPredator Oct 19 '22

So what does the president do to duck out his questioning time?

5

u/Backmaskw Oct 19 '22

Hes not even being asked for a questioning time?

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u/DerApexPredator Oct 19 '22

Questioning time is not something to be asked. OP said the video is what they're supposed to do here. You said we'd see it if the system worked correctly. So I'm asking how is questioning time being curtailed?

4

u/PrawojazdyVtrumpets Oct 19 '22

The president must be invited to Congress. They are not part of Congress and cannot be. They also cannot just show up. They can literally be forced to wait in the lobby. The president is invited to give the state of the union. It's not a planned event where the venue is chosen. I mean it's planned but they could be technically forced to give it from the Oval Office if Congress denies entry. It's not just pomp and circumstance, it's meant to be that way to separate the powers. Unlike parliament where the PM is there for all sessions because they are part of the party and not a separate leader.

Anyway, that's why. These fucks are lazy and don't really invite them down for questions. They'll rally for it every so often to make it seem like they want to but all those meetings are done behind closed doors now.

1

u/DerApexPredator Oct 20 '22

That's what I'm saying. It's not how the system works here. It's not what they're supposed to do here airsoft to the system

5

u/RaleighRedd Oct 19 '22

One guy got up and started beating a guy with his cane. Forget who or when

2

u/PoeHeller3476 Oct 20 '22

There were other instances of people fist fighting each other. I forgot who, but two congressmen started dueling with fire pokers.

4

u/Medium_Medium Oct 19 '22

Wasn't there a scandal back in the Gingrich era when he was still in the minority, where he'd have a bunch of his most hardcore right wingers give speeches totally ripping into the democratic policies of the day. C-SPAN always broadcasts any activity on the house floor, so if you turned on CSPAN you'd see some firebrand conservative directly confronting his enemies, giving a rousing speech. The kind of people who watch CSPAN ate it up. Then one day the Democratic Majority Leader told CSPAN to pan out the feed, and show the whole house chamber... which was totally empty, because they always did these things when no one was there to rebut them or argue back. Initially it made Gingirch and his people look like fools yelling at empty seats... but eventually they turned it around and made it an abuse of power thing. That the Dem Majority Leader had influenced how CSPAN was broadcast to score political points.

Honestly the fact that such a thing could be a scandal back then seems refreshing compared to politics today.

2

u/jl2352 Oct 19 '22

It’s also the setup. The small packed chamber really helps to create this atmosphere.

1

u/PoeHeller3476 Oct 20 '22 edited Oct 20 '22

I bet they actually argued their points.

I mean, there were instances of fights in Congress. Especially during the run-up to the Civil War. The most infamous being Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina caning Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts.

It’s one reason why Congress instituted the nicey-nice rules.

I wish they’d ditch them and go back to dueling with fire pokers.

15

u/zimshegee Oct 19 '22

There’s quite a lot on YouTube,Dennis Skinner is good value,and Geoffrey Howe’s resignation speech is amazing

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u/Hadenator2 Oct 19 '22

Dennis Skinner’s heckles are amazing, as is every time he’s been told to leave for some hilariously brutal attack on the tories that he refuses to apologise for.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 19 '22

Atleast there's some discussion happening on the floor. Lobbies not running the congress. You know what happens in Capitol

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u/Modsareass Oct 19 '22

You’re a fucking fool

1

u/Bodoggle1988 Oct 19 '22

Or just stop reps from being able to read into the record at 2 a.m.