Filibusters

Re “Once Used Sparingly, Filibuster Becomes a Common Obstacle,” Aug. 31:

Since your article on so-called filibusters was based almost entirely on a report by the partisan Democratic Study Group, I would like to add some Republican facts to the mix. According to the Senate Republican Policy Committee, only two bills have effectively died in the 103rd Congress because of the Senate’s failure to end debate, and one--the product liability bill--was killed by a Democrat-led filibuster, much to the delight of the American Trial Lawyers Assn. That’s right, Democrats have led filibusters to kill just as many bills as Republicans this Congress--one each.

In fact, the study reports, only 16 legislative measures could be considered to have been subject to filibuster in this Congress, and 10 of them are already law, one awaits the President’s signature, and three more are awaiting final congressional action, including campaign finance reform, which passed both houses in 1993 but has since been put in a deep freeze by the majority Democrats.

And, when Republicans raised a budget point of order in an effort to improve the crime bill, we were criticized for resorting to an extraordinary “technicality” to cut the bill’s social spending and to toughen its penalties. The fact is, according to the GOP study, Republicans have raised a budget point of order eight times in this Congress, while Democrats have used the same tactic a whopping 26 times.

The rights of the minority in the Senate are precious, not just to protect the interests of a partisan minority, but also the interests of economic and geographic minorities, including individual states. Those rights have been exercised by both parties and a combination of Republicans and Democrats over the years. I assume a lot of Democrats may have a different view of the rights of the minority party when Republicans control the Senate next year.

SEN. BOB DOLE

Senate Minority Leader

R-Kan.