The death of the filibuster is one of those short-term-bad-but-long-term good things. Right now, with the Democrats in the minority, I am glad we have a filibuster to check whatever horseshit McConnell tries to shove through. But if McConnell can pull the nuclear trigger any time he wants and end the filibuster, how much of a check is it really? The people who argue we need a filibuster to protect the minority ignore the fact that whether the filibuster exists at all is always in the hands of the majority. Any "protection" is completely illusory.
If we were designing Congress today, no one would ever propose that most legislation and all confirmation votes require a 60% super-majority in the Senate. It's just a terrible idea that can only work if there was a whole lot less partisan polarization than we actually have.
So while I hope that McConnell keeps the filibuster as long as possible just to hamper the Republican's own ability to get stuff done, I will neither be sad nor surprised when it inevitably goes. And I hope whenever the Democrats get a Senate majority again they toss the filibuster overboard as quickly as possible, if the Republicans haven't already done it for them.
(via Memeorandum)
If we were designing Congress today, no one would ever propose that most legislation and all confirmation votes require a 60% super-majority in the Senate. It's just a terrible idea that can only work if there was a whole lot less partisan polarization than we actually have.
So while I hope that McConnell keeps the filibuster as long as possible just to hamper the Republican's own ability to get stuff done, I will neither be sad nor surprised when it inevitably goes. And I hope whenever the Democrats get a Senate majority again they toss the filibuster overboard as quickly as possible, if the Republicans haven't already done it for them.
(via Memeorandum)
