Filibuster all night tonight?

by: Hopeful

Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 05:41:01 PM EST

Senator Frank Lautenberg sees that Senator Jim Bunning is not acting alone, but has the support of some other Senate Republicans, and he's not afraid to call it a filibuster:

"Construction sites are job sites," stated Lautenberg.  "The irresponsible action taken by Senate Republicans is causing critical transportation projects across the country to be shut down.  Workers are being sent home without pay and communities are being saddled with inactive projects.  With unemployment running high across the country, it is unfathomable that Senate Republicans have targeted American families to pay the price for the political games they are playing in Washington.  It is time for Senate Republicans to put people ahead of politics, end this damaging filibuster and let workers get back to work."    

According to Roll Call, we may see a real filibuster tonight (via Daily Kos):

Although no final decisions have been made, Democrats confirmed it is increasingly likely that Democrats will force Bunning into an actual filibuster of unemployment insurance extension Tuesday night by repeatedly offering up unanimous consent agreements to bring the bill to a vote.

Although Members often threaten actual filibusters, they rarely materialize. Instead, lawmakers tend to rely on "Cadillac filibusters," essentially stalling procedures that can be used to block legislation without having to actually stay put on the Senate floor.

Democrats on Tuesday signaled they have the resolve to remain in session throughout the night to force Bunning to abandon his cause. The American people "want an end to these games. And I hope that today we'll see the end. If we don't, we're going to have to have a long, long night ahead of us to make the point that it's wrong for one Senator to stop our people, our American people, from getting the help they deserve," Environment and Public Works Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said Tuesday.

Let's hope Democrats are successful.  

Update (6:19pm): TPM says Senate Dems "seem to be officially denying it for now."