The fact that Democrats had to break more filibusters last year than in the 1950s and 1960s combined is, quite literally, unprecedented. . . . Congress needs to decide how the place is going to be run and then rewrite the rulebook so that it actually works that way. Otherwise, it's just going to be one unprecedented event after another. Unprecedented use of the filibuster will trigger unprecedented reliance on reconciliation. Unprecedented gridlock in the Senate will lead to unprecedented efforts by the House to protect itself from Senate failure.
But you can't pick and choose. Either unprecedented use of the rules is a problem or it isn't. But if it is, then you have to be upset about the filibuster. And if it isn't, then you can't be upset when the rules are manipulated by both sides.
This states the obvious, but it nevertheless needs to be emphasized.
Leave a Reply