Background on Filibusters

While I try to find the USB cable for the camera, let me post this email correction from my friend John Stewart, who served on Hubert Humphrey's staff and is quite the progressive political veteran:

"Todd: Actually it’s 3/5ths (60 votes) not 2/3rds (67 votes). It used to be 67 votes and it was in 1964 when we broke the Southern Democratic filibuster against the Civil Rights bill. But Rule 22, that governs the cloture process, was changed in 1976 (I believe) and now it’s 3/5ths. Your idea of a slumber party for peace is terrific. We will check it out. Cheers, JohnS

P.S. These all night sessions almost never work because the filibusterers have to keep only a couple of senators on the floor talking, but the other side has to produce 51 senators when there is a quorum call to keep the Senate from adjourning due to the absence of a quorum. That is, all the pressure is on the good guys and it is very difficult to keep them within reach on quorum calls. LBJ, as majority leader, tried all night sessions in 1960 during a civil rights debate and failed miserably. It will be interesting to see how Harry Reid does 37 years later. JGS"