Filibuster Needed Now More than Ever

President Barack Obama has now made it clear that he's no pragmatist, and "change" wasn't just a vacuous campaign theme. He has staggering ambitions and grand designs to transform the federal government's role in American life. A newly energized Republican minority seems bent on stopping him. You know what might come in handy in this fight? The filibuster, that time-honored legislative device that allows a minority of the Senate to hold up legislation unless 60 votes can be found to bring the bill to the floor. Last week, in fact, Senate Republicans used the filibuster to force Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, to table the pork-stuffed $410 billion omnibus spending bill. Yet just a few years ago, Senate Republicans, who then fancied themselves a permanent majority, worked doggedly to undermine the filibuster. (read the entire story at Filibuster Needed Now More than Ever)