WORD OF THE WEEK #49 – filibuster

I bring this word up because it is timely and in the news…..a lot.  Many consider it important. I also bring it up because I didn’t understand it very well, so I thought perhaps you, my grandsons, may not understand it very well either.

It can be a bit complicated, but do not be concerned…I am here to educate you.

A filibuster is a delaying tactic that can be used to keep a bill in the Senate from coming to a vote through the process of an extended debate.

The word Filibuster can be either a noun “The filibuster delayed the voting on the bill” or a verb “They were filibustering in order to delay voting on the bill.”

The actual definition from Webster: The use of extreme dilatory tactics such as making a long speech  in an attempt to delay or prevent action especially in a legislative assembly.

Currently the Senate cloture rule allows for a debate (filibuster) to be extended an unlimited amount of time, and can only be forced to end with a vote of a super majority of Senators…..60. There are a total of 100 Senators being evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. Since the V.P. can act as a tie-breaker, this gives the Democrats a simple majority of 51 votes, however they do not have the 60 votes required to force an end to a debate.

Joe Biden’s presidency faces obstacles in the pursuit of his agenda in Congress. The current filibuster rule is perhaps the highest hurdle. Unless there are 60 votes the debates can go on….and on….perhaps until a compromise is reached.

His administration however is seriously considering several options to eliminate or weaken the current rules….changes that will require only a simple majority of 51 votes to implement. The elimination of the required 60 vote super majority is commonly referred to as “the nuclear option”.

This is not the first time past majority administrations have considered the “nuclear option”, however it has not been implemented.

Depending on which side you are on….some regard the filibuster as a tactic that preserves the rights of the minority, one of our nation’s many checks and balances. Others criticize filibusters for leaving bills grid-locked in a polarizing Senate.

The “nuclear option” if implemented will allow legislation to be more easily passed by the majority Democrats without interference from the minority Republicans.

Note: The above is a simplified explanation. Although very controversial, I have attempted to present this information factually in an unbiased manner. There are exceptions, interesting history, and details that, for simplicity, I have not included. I used Brookings as my primary reference. At their site there is also another link to an intelligent debate. Have at it.
https://www.brookings.edu/policy2020/votervital/what-is-the-senate-filibuster-and-what-would-it-take-to-eliminate-it/

You my grandsons now have a preliminary understanding of the word “filibuster” which will help you carry-on an intelligent conversation without sounding pretentious.  Perhaps you already knew all of this (I did not), but if not you are indeed smarter thanks to “Word of the Week”.

To learn more about this word and to hear it pronounced correctly go to the following link.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/filibuster

A previous “Word of the Week” revisited:
nascent – coming or having recently come into existence  “His nascent idea for a business turned into a goldmine”
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nascent

Quote of the Week:

“The Fed sharply raised their fore­casts for economic growth and in­flation, an­tic­i­pat­ing that the Covid-19 vac­ci­na­tion cam­paign and tril­lions of dol­lars of fis­cal stim­u­lus will pro­pel the U.S. econ­omy to its fastest ex­pan­sion since the early 1980s” WSJ on the Federal Reserve’s recent announcement.

This quote reminds me of one from my mother: When the war ended (WWII) the party started and it never ended.

It is one of those mornings….

Until next Saturday,

Gramps

Forty-nine weeks of great words:

1 –   exacerbate – to make worse “Your input just exacerbates an already difficult situation.”
2 –   assuage – to make a situation or feeling less intense. “I pray our Heavenly Father may assuage you of the anguish of your grief.”.
3 –   force majeure’ –  unforeseeable circumstance that prevents someone from fulfilling a contract. “The tenant will not be required to pay rent due to the force majeure’ clause.
4 –   sanguine – optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation. “I’m trying to be sanguine about this, but I see a major roadblock”
5 –   segue – (seg way) proceed to what follows without pause.  “She has the skill to easily segue from political conversations into subjects less controversial.”
6 –   bifurcate – to cause to divide into two branches or parts. “We have decided to bifurcate this large project.”
7 –   indolent –  habitually lazy – “His failure in life may stem from his indolent ways as a youth”.
8 –   ameliorate – to make better or more tolerable –  “this drug should ameliorate your pain”
9 –   truncate – to shorten by or as if by cutting off – “A truncated version of this report is on the web.”
10 – nascent – coming or having recently come into existence  “His nascent idea for a business turned into a goldmine”
11 – béchamel – a rich white sauce – “He made a lump-free béchamel for her, and, in return, she gave him her love.”
12 – anarchy –  absence of government – “The revolution began when anarchy took root in just one city”.
13 – rhetorical question – a question not intended to require an answer. “Is this a beautiful day or what?”
14 – milieu – the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops.- “His discipline is a result of growing up as part of the military milieu”
15 – nadir – the lowest point – “The stock market reached its current nadir in March”
16 – black swan event – comes as a surprise and has a major effect. “This pandemic is considered by many to be a black swan event.”
17 – myopic – narrow in perspective and without concern for broader implications.  “Your myopic view of this project is disturbing”.
18 – quixotic –  foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals – “His quixotic pursuit for her affection was quite simply foolish.”
19 – prescience – human anticipation of the course of events – foresight.  “His intuitive prescience helped to make him a success”
20 – laconic and laconic riposte – use of a minimum of words, and a short clever response to an insult or challenge.  In response to a demand to immediately surrender he sent back the following: “Nuts”.
21 – protean – ability to change, versatile.  “The coronavirus is protean in its ability to either make you sick or not.”
22 – ephemeral – lasting a very short time or perhaps only one day. “Custer was chasing an ephemeral Indian city.”
23 – catch-22 – a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions.  From the novel “Catch-22”.
24 – arrogate – to take or claim something without justification. “In order to accomplish his dream he arrogated to himself controversial powers”.
25 – obtuse – difficult to understand, lacking intellect.  “The responses to his remarks this week were even more obtuse.” 
26 – purloin – to appropriate wrongfully (steal), often pertaining to a theft that is a breach of trust.  “When she opened her new office she purloined one of my listings”.
27 – salience – the quality of being particularly noticeable or important.  “It is not clear that raising the electoral salience of the Supreme Court will work to the president’s advantage.
28 – confabulate – to talk normally or to hold a discussion.  “He likes to confabulate.”
29 – animus – a usually prejudiced and often spiteful or malevolent ill will. “I have no animus or agenda for the Affordable Care Act.”
30 – puerile – to act or communicate in a juvenile, silly or childish manner. “His puerile ways are giving a poor impression at his job interviews”.
31 – regnant – having the greatest influence – “The regnant belief”.
32 – roil – to be agitated or chaotic – “the politics of slavery was roiling the United States”.
33 – sonder – The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.
34 – inculcate – To instill or teach someone an attitude, idea, or habit by persistent instruction. “They will try to inculcate you with a respect for culture.”
35 – mendacity – untruthfulness, lying. “He blew the whistle on the mendacity of the politician.”
36 – pejorative – Expressing contempt or disapproval.  Having negative connotations.   “Permissiveness is often used a pejorative term”.
37 – dystopian – A world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized fearful lives, often associated with a totalitarian government or an environmentally degraded world. “The dystopian future of a society bereft of reason”.
38 – Occam’s razor – The simplest answer may be the preferred answer.
39 – execrate or execrable – very bad – “The execrable hotel food.”
40 – immutable – unchangeable – Do not make the mistake of assuming that public opinion is immutable.   
41 – prurient – having or encouraging an excessive or unwholesome interest in matters of sex. 
 “She’d been the subject of much prurient curiosity”.
42 – obsequious – exhibiting fawning attentiveness. Exaggerated deference of manner.  “Waiters who are obsequious in the presence of celebrities.”
43 – iconoclast –  a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions “He was a prolific writer with a reputation for iconoclasticinsight and irreverent prose.”
44 – oblique – something not parallel nor at a right angle to a specified or implied line – slanting.
“We sat on the settee oblique to the fireplace. Or something not done in a direct way such as “He issued an oblique attack on the president”.
45 – profligate – wasteful – wildly extravagant.  “He has always been a profligate spender, which is why he is broke.”
46 – raconteur – a good teller of stories.  “We always invite her to dinner because she is a fine raconteur”.
47 – taciturn – a person who is reserved or uncommunicative in speech…saying little.  It usually connotes unsociability. “Nothing bothered the taciturn Hogan more that excessive praise.”
48 – fungible – capable of mutual substitution: interchangeable/  “The court’s postulate is that male and female jurors must be regarded as fungible.”
49 – filibuster – The use of tactics in an attempt to delay or prevent action especially in a legislative assembly. This currently requires a 60 vote Senate majority. “They stopped the bill from coming to a vote by the use of a filibuster”.