First, the positive - the filibuster gives power to the minority party in the Senate.
Negative - when the minority party can abuse the power of the filibuster for the purpose of shutting down the government and foiling the legislative agenda of the majority party , it needs to be abandoned. No single legal consideration within national law should be used to turn a loser national party into the overwhelming "winner."
When originally set into motion, the filibuster required the party using the filibuster stood and talked non-stop, at the Senate podium. No other business was done until the minority party was shut down with a 60 vote majority or the speakers simply got so tire they had to quit.
Today, all that is necessary to establish a "filibuster," is to announce that a filibuster is in progress. No one speaks for the purpose of prolonging a filibuster. No one runs out of words. There is no pressure to close the filibuster and get back to work.
In other words, the rule of the filibuster has been altered to the point that "filibuster" is only a stop on existing legislation. It is time for this strategy to go the way of the wind, thanks to the most partisan political situation in our nation's history.
Yes, I know this will [eventually] work against the GOP as well as the Dems, but that consideration does not change the above stated facts.
Don't want to suffer without the filibuster? Don't lose elections.
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