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| | Defenders of the filibuster rule in the Senate point out that it has worked well for a long time, and it is important for a group of senators to be able to block legislation even if a majority want to pass it. After all, more bad laws are passed than good ones, so anything that enables slowing down or blocking legislation may be good for the Nation. The filibuster can also be used to block the confirmation of controversial judges to the federal courts. | | Defenders of the filibuster rule in the Senate point out that it has worked well for a long time, and it is important for a group of senators to be able to block legislation even if a majority want to pass it. After all, more bad laws are passed than good ones, so anything that enables slowing down or blocking legislation may be good for the Nation. The filibuster can also be used to block the confirmation of controversial judges to the federal courts. |
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| − | == What is next for the political parties? ==
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| − | Remember that politics is a team sport, and the biggest teams are the political parties: Republicans and Democrats.
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| − | The "smoke-filled room" is a term used to describe a few powerful people smoking cigars who make all the important political decisions within each political party. Then the orders go out to everyone else in the party to obey, or else lose support from the party for reelection.
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| − | At the top of the party structure is a national committee. For the Republicans, it is the Republican National Committee, which raises enormous sums of money and otherwise sets direction for the party. Its Chairman, Reince Priebus, can be seen frequently on television news programs stating the views of the Republican Party.
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| − | === RNC procedures ===
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| − | The Republican National Committee (RNC) has a set of rules that govern how it operates and picks its leadership. Each of 56 states and American territories has three representatives who are members of the RNC, and they meet twice a year. Their next meeting is in January 2013, when they will elect the Chairman for the next two years, until January 2015. Its current Chairman is likely to announce soon that he is running for reelection.
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| − | The nomination and election procedures are governed by the RNC's "bylaws", which is the name given to the rules that govern how any organization or corporation is run internally. In this case, nominations for the office of Chairman are made by the vote of a majority of the delegates from at least 3 states or territories. Several candidates for the office are typically nominated, and then the RNC members vote on whom they prefer. It often requires multiple ballots to reduce the number of candidates to two or three, whereupon one candidate finally wins the race by receiving a majority of 168 votes (85 total votes).
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| − | For example, on the first ballot there may be five candidates who win 50, 40, 25, 20 and 15 votes, with some members absent and therefore not voting. The candidates who received only 20 and 15 votes may then drop out, such that on the second ballot the other three candidates receive more votes each. This process is repeated until a candidate receives a majority of the votes.
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| | == Homework == | | == Homework == |