Obstructionism is the practice of deliberately delaying, preventing or abusing a process.

In politics

Obstructionism or policy of obstruction denotes the deliberate interference with the progress of a legislation by various means such as the

filibuster A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking ...

which consists of extending the debate upon a proposal in order to delay or completely prevent a vote on its passage. Another form of parliamentary obstruction practiced in the United States and other countries is called "slow walking". It specifically refers to the extremely slow speed with which legislators walk to the podium to cast their ballots. For example, in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

this tactic is known as a "cow walk", and in Hawaii it is known as a "Devil's Gambit". Consequently, slow walking is also used as a synonym for obstructionism itself. Obstructionism can also take the form of widespread agreement to oppose policies from the other side of a political debate or dispute.

Notable obstructionists

John O'Connor Power, Joe Biggar,Movement for Reform – 1870–1914, © M.E. Collins 2004; The Educational Company (Edco) Frank Hugh O'Donnell, and

Charles Stewart Parnell Charles Stewart Parnell (27 June 1846 – 6 October 1891) was an Irish nationalist politician who served as a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom from 1875 to 1891, Leader of the Home Rule Leag ...

Irish nationalists Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cu ...

; all were famous for making long speeches in the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...

. In a letter to Cardinal Cullen, 6 August 1877, The O'Donoghue, MP for County Kerry, denounced the obstruction policy: "It is Fenianism in a new form." The tactic deadlocked legislation and 'the autumn Session of 1882 was entirely devoted to the reform of the Rules of Procedure with a view to facilitating the despatch of business.' Sir Leslie Ward's "Spy" cartoon of John O'Connor Power appeared in ''Vanity Fair''s "Men of the Day" series, 25 December 1886, and was captioned "the brains of Obstruction".

Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell McConnell III (; born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky, a seat he has held since 1985. McConnell is in his seventh Senate term and is the long ...

, a

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

, has been described as an obstructionist for his

Filibuster in the United States Senate A filibuster is a tactic used in the United States Senate to delay or block a vote on a measure by preventing debate on it from ending. The Senate's rules place few restrictions on debate. In general, if no other senator is speaking, a senator ...

federal judge Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state/provincial/local level. United States A U.S. federal judge is appointed by the U.S. president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Arti ...

nominations. He has referred to himself as the " Grim Reaper" of the Democratic agenda.

Mass media

In September 2010,

Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, political commentator, actor, and television host. The long-running host of ''The Daily Show'' on Comedy Central from 1999 to 20 ...

of ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+ ...

'' announced the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, an event dedicated to ending political obstructionism in American

mass media Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises b ...

As workplace aggression

An obstructionist causes problems. Neuman and Baron (1998) identify obstructionism as one of the three dimensions that encompass the range of

workplace aggression Workplace aggression is a specific type of aggression which occurs in the workplace. Workplace aggression is any type of hostile behavior that occurs in the workplace. It can range from verbal insults and threats to physical violence, and it can oc ...

. In this context, obstructionism refers to "behaviors intended to hinder an employee from performing their job or the organization from accomplishing its objectives".Neuman, J.H., & Baron, R.A. (1998). Workplace violence and workplace aggression: Evidence concerning specific forms, potential causes, and preferred targets. ''Journal of Management'', 24, 391–419.

In politics

Notable obstructionists

Mass media

As workplace aggression

In rule of law

See also

References

Further reading