FILIBUSTERS (open letter to Democratic Senators)

Dear Senator,

I would like an explanation for why Republicans in the United States Senate must only mention the threat of a filibuster to ensure that 60 votes are required for the passage of any bill. The filibuster was never meant as a device to ensure that every single bill required 60 votes for passage. Rather, it is a tool to be used by individual senators when they protest strongly to an individual bill and feel they have no other option to block its passage.

I REALLY would like to see the Democrats grow a collective backbone and call the bluff of the Republicans when it comes to filibusters. If they threaten to filibuster a bill, then they should be forced to get up and explain to the American public, for hours on end, why the bill is a bad idea. And, when they're done, the Democrats should just go ahead and pass the bill anyways.

This is, I feel, an extremely relevant point, as the ARRA bill was unnecessarily watered-down with tax cuts that only generate 0.95 jobs for every $1.00 of expenditure, just so taxpayers can get an extra $8 a week. We didn't elect you to give us $8 a week. We elected you to make the difficult decisions necessary to solve the big problems facing this country.

Calling the bluff of Republicans when it comes to filibusters in the United States Senate will need to become an essential strategy over the next couple of years. I would like an official response from my Senator as to why I haven't seen this strategy employed yet -- and, hopefully, a promise to employ it the very next time a Republican threatens a filibuster. CALL THEIR BLUFF.

Thanks.