Editorial “How to end gridlock” opines:
“The only way to limit debate is by invoking cloture — and that requires 60 votes — or three-fifths of the Senate members. But in recent years, the filibuster has become a vehicle for the minority party in Congress to block legislation at will. What once took a simple majority of 51 votes now requires a 60-vote supermajority. And with only a four-to-six member majority at any given time, both parties have been hard-pressed to muster 60 votes on any issue that matters…
“With the general election out of the way, now is a good time to reform the process. Senators from both parties agree that something needs to be done. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said he will push for changes when the 113th Congress convenes in January. But Reid has not disclosed his exact plans for changing the rules, and so long as a 60-vote majority is needed in the Senate, gridlock is likely to prevail….”
WATCHDOG: Two wags of the tail! Perhaps a viable compromise would be for the 60 to become 55. The rule can be changed by majority Senate vote. So only a concern for Senate tradition and the future inhibits the Democrats from ramming it through.
Good point watchdog. The 60 vote rule was intended to force compromise. You need to give up something to get something. The donkeys know that may not be in power forever and they don’t want to be shot by their own gun.
This is a key source of our legislative gridlock.