[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18043]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         POLICY OF OBSTRUCTION

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I wish to salute our majority leader, 
Senator Reid, for what he said. The bottom line is, these are two very 
important pieces of legislation.
  The other side cannot come up with many substantive objections, none, 
as we have heard yesterday when they moved to block it. But they have 
had a policy of obstruct, obstruct, obstruct. Why, you might ask? How 
does it help a political party? How does it help a Senator to obstruct 
things that are motherhood and apple pie such as ethics and lobbying 
reform, the 9/11 Commission, things desperately needed, first by this 
town and second by the whole Nation and of course my State.
  The answer is very simple. When you are divided, as the other side is 
on about every issue; when you can't lead, as yesterday's immigration 
bill showed, the President's No. 1 domestic priority--fewer than a 
quarter of the Senators on that side voted for it--there is only one 
answer that can unify; that is, obstruct.
  There is one problem with that--there are two. The main problem is: 
It is wrong for America. It is wrong for America. The second is, it 
does not work politically. That is why we are seeing the fact that so 
many on the other side are so worried.
  So I wish to salute our majority leader. I will--and I know all the 
Members on our side will--stand with him side by side. If we have to 
meet at 2 in the morning, if we have to go into the August recess to 
get these things done, we will.
  The Senate gives the minority the power to lay down the gauntlet of 
cloture and filibuster. You cannot move unless you get 60 votes. Of 
course, we do not have them. But we are not powerless. The ability to 
push through those filibusters--even if it means some inconvenience for 
the Senators--is our right and I salute our majority leader for telling 
the other side, and more importantly the American people, we will use 
that right to move the Nation forward.
  So I wish to thank our majority leader for doing this. It is the 
right thing to do. Everyone is put on notice. A little inconvenience 
for the Senators to make our country safe, to clean up the unethical 
swamp in Washington, it sure is worth it. I think the majority leader 
is absolutely correct. I hope the other side will not continue to 
obstruct. But if they do, we will get these things done because our 
country and the American people demand no less.

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