It’s Time to End or Reduce the Cloture Clog

• By Robert Weiner and John Larmett
• Special to Roll Call
• July 31, 2007, Midnight

The Senate’s cloture rule defeats democracy. It lets public servants hide and obfuscate behind a parliamentary quirk never intended by the framers of the Constitution. It’s time to end or significantly change the cloture rule, as was last done in 1975, and move to a true democracy so that the House and Senate equally represent the American people.