One way to eliminate gridlock in the Senate is to do away with the privilege that allows a single senator to hold up legislation by placing a "hold" on a bill he or she does not like. (Rule VII of the Senate's Standing Rules) Think of it as a lazy way of filibustering without making the physical effort required to hold the floor for hours or perhaps days on end. And it is a privilege that is being abused, most notably by a Republican, Senator Tom Colburn of Oklahoma. He was responsible for preventing the expansion of the Mt. Hood Wilderness, a popular bill that had the bipartisan support of both Oregon senators and would have surely passed but for Mr. Colburn's objection. He currently has holds on about 80 bills some of which would pass with bipartisan support. Because of his consistent obstruction Senate aides on both sides of the aisle now take legislation directly to Coburn’s office before moving forward to make sure he has no objections— whether he’s on the relevant committee or not according to Politico.com. Colburn has announced to his colleagues his objection to any unanimous consent request that requires more government spending as a matter of conservative principle. As the situation now stands in the Senate a single senator can hold up the progress of a nation with no accountability to his constituents or the public for his intransigence. Clearly a rule that needs changing.
Update: Faced with the depressing prospect of a Democratic super majority after the November election, desperate Republicans in the Senate are resorting to ruthless parliamentary gimmicks in order to serve their oil company masters. As if eighty-three filibusters were not enough, Republican leaders are now holding the upper chamber hostage to their demand for more offshore drilling. Minority leader McConnell (R-Ky) said that any other business can wait until after the long August recess if Democrats do not vote to remove the moratorium on offshore leasing. The White House has already done so and wants Congress to follow suit. Republicans will oppose any procedural vote to take up other business which will require sixty votes. They are counting on public ire at high gas prices to intimidate Democrats into voting with them to end the congressional moratorium on outer continental shelf drilling which has been in place since 1982 along the California coast. The moratorium was expanded by the first President Bush in 1990 to include all coastal areas except the Gulf of Mexico and a small section of Alaska's arctic coast. President Clinton extended the executive order to 2012 until the current occupant rescinded it. The Republican grandstanding comes days after Vice President Al Gore challenged the nation to produce all of its electrical energy from clean solar and wind power within 10 years. Many experts believe that the ambitious goal is technically achievable. Even oil industry experts admit that increased OCS drilling will take a least a decade to deliver production onshore [1]. The GOP has blocked six attempts this summer to address the nation's lack of a coherent, rational energy policy. Their zombie-like response to ending the nation's dependence on fossil fuels continues to be, "Drill more here". Because its good for business.
[1] Mathew Simmons of Simmons & Co. International, Houston Business Journal 1/18/04