Wyden's crusade: Secret holds

It's one of the most frustrating, bizarre, and anti-democratic "features" of the U.S. Senate. No, not the 60-vote rule required to end a filibuster. Rather, the "secret hold" -- whereby any one Senator can, anonymously, stall action on a bill.

Senator Ron Wyden has waged a long and lonely fight against those secret holds, and looks to be on the verge of winning his fight. Via ethics reform legislation under consideration, holds would become un-secret after six days of anonymity.

From the O:

Though senators still would be able to block legislation if the ethics bill passes, their anonymity would be gone. As evidenced by Wyden's struggle against fierce but quiet opposition, the rule change would force a legislative body that is known for backroom dealing to publicize some of its inner workings.

"It will add needed transparency to the legislative process," said Steven Aftergood, director of the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists. "The way things stand now, a single senator can derail legislation without any accountability."

Wyden acknowledges that most people don't even know what secret holds are. But he said it's a worthwhile issue that resonates with the public.

"It practically is in the soul of Oregonians that public business ought to be done in public," Wyden said. "If there is one thing that contributes to the understandable cynicism and frustration about government, it's that big decisions get made behind closed doors."

Wyden has used holds, often to block Bush administration nominations in protest of certain policies. But he has made it a policy to announce the holds and his reason for them.

By way of background, Medill Reports shares the various flavors of secret holds:

A Mae West hold, for the sultry, seductive blonde bombshell of ‘30s movies, is so-named because the senator placing it is, in essence, beckoning a bill sponsor to “come up and see me sometime” -- and compromise.

An Informational hold is intended to buy a senator time to study the nuances of a bill or the background of a presidential nominee.

A Tit-for-tat or Retaliatory hold is largely self-explanatory – one senator getting back at another for a real or perceived slight.

A Choke hold, simply, is meant to kill.

Discuss.