Only in the insane world of the Senate would something like this even be considered a possible tactic. To try to stop an effort to end filibuster on just Presidential nominees Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is threatening to end the filibuster completely. From TPM: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday starkly warned [...]

While it is unlikely to ever happen, I think the grand bargain Washington actually needs is eliminating the filibuster in exchange for an end to lifetime appointments for federal judges The filibuster is simply terrible. It is against the intent of the Constitution, it is anti-democratic, it destroys accountability, and it can cripple basic government. [...]

For most of his tenure President Obama has been remarkably derelict in his duty to appoint new federal justices, leaving many empty seats without even a nominee. Now that getting almost any legislation passed the Republican-controlled House appears impossible, Obama seems to have finally turned his attention to the issue. According to the New York [...]

Like clockwork the continued obstructionism of Senate Republicans has got Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to start vaguely threatening to fix the Senate, possibly in July. From Greg Sargent: Reid has privately consulted with President Obama on the need to revisit filibuster reform, and the President has told the Majority Leader that he will support the [...]

Since Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) took office he has been a one man force of nature. At every turn he has decided to exploit the current Senate rules any way he can to advance his agenda. He doesn’t just threaten to filibuster a big piece of legislation for public attention like some, he also uses [...]

Some gun control groups are thinking about targeting the four Democrats who voted against Toomey-Manchin background amendment. Sadly this move would just plays into the myth that is ruining democratic accountability in our country. It not only completely ignores the real problem, but makes it much worse. The simple fact is even if every Senate Democrat [...]

In the New York Times Micheal Shear and Peter Baker blame the failure of the Manchin-Toomey on President Obama’s inability to twist the arm of Democratic Senators like Mark Begich (D-AK). This is a strange interruption of the whole situation because as Greg Sargent pointed out even if Obama got every reluctant Democrat on board [...]

Yesterday we may have witnessed the single best argument against the filibuster. An effort to pass a bipartisan amendment on expanded background checks failed because it only got 54 yes votes to 46 no. Only with the insane rules that govern the Senate is such a failure possible. This is maybe the least controversial proposal [...]

After Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) said he would join a filibuster against proposed gun control legislation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) blasted Republicans for their obstructionism. Reid called it unconscionable not to allow a vote on the issue.  From ABC: “Senate Republicans seem afraid to even engage in this debate,” Reid said [...]

Now that it is clear that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) incredibly minor bipartisan rule change at the beginning of the year was a total failure, he is out threatening to reform the rules again. From Nevada Public Radio: In an interview with Nevada Public Radio, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that [...]