Not Good For The Gander

In arguing for the end of the filibuster, many Republicans mention that it is "undemocratic" or "gives the minority power over the majority." In the aftermath of Gov. Owens setting a Colorado record with 40+ vetoes this year and President Bush threatening to veto the stem cell research bill that will get a majority of votes in the Senate (and already has in the House), one wonders where the Republicans are claiming that the veto, by requiring a supermajority to override, is undemocratic. Making matters worse, one Senator is threatening to filibuster the bill. Maybe I'm flawed for not seeing the distinction between the more common historic occurrence of filibustering bills compared to the rarer appointment filibuster. Thus I still feel any Republican filibustering is hypocrisy by itself.

Now, unlike these Republicans, I understand that the United States isn't a democracy. The majority is checked by a variety of methods including the veto, the filibuster, and the judiciary. Even though right now the veto is hurting Democratic policy, I respect the role of the veto in our political system just as I do the filibuster. Unfortunately, the Republicans seem to lack any basic respect for the United States political system, too intent on passing their policy at any cost. Now THAT is unamerican. Thankfully, it looks like the American people are slowly realizing this and the political winds are shifting.