The following is a must read if you are really interested in the Senate filibuster rule and how it might be changed or done away with soon. The title doesn't indicate this but the last part of the article is about where the state of the Senate rule for filibusters is at the present time and where it might go in the immediate future.
There is a real chance that the filibuster might be abolished or at least somewhat changed.
Republicans are inadvertently setting themselves up for defeat in the Senate
Heather Digby Parton, Salon
Much of the article is about how Republicans for 30 years have not played bi-partisanship while the Democrats have.
The article goes on to explain how instead of doing away with the filibuster some Democrats are leaning to some kind of reform that allows for extensive debate, but has a way to an eventual vote preventing a minority to completely determine whether bills could or could not be passed by the majority.*
A few quotes from the article:
"Bipartisanship has been dead for nearly 30 years, at least when it comes to Democratic initiatives. Yet Republican legislation rarely suffers the same fate.
Back in 2001, when the Senate was at 50-50, as it is now, 12 Democrats crossed the aisle to vote for George W. Bush's tax cuts for the rich.
"The vote was before 9/11 so it wasn't driven by the compulsory "national unity" bipartisanship that ruled Washington for several years after the attacks."
"It appears that 48 Democratic senators are now on board with some kind of reform. ...
"While both Manchin and Sinema have said they will not vote to eliminate the filibuster altogether, ...
"Sinema indicated in a letter to a constituent that she may be open to reviving the talking filibuster because today's "virtual" version makes it just too easy. ...
"And this weekend Manchin seemed to indicate the same."
Many may wonder including me if the filibuster as presently written in Senate rules can be used for votes to change the rules of the Senate.
It is my recollection that rule changes are basically a vote yea nor nay with very limited debate as in each senator gets five minutes and that is it.
If my memory is correct, which sometimes it isn't, this would mean that fifty Republican five minute slots of debate time would equal 4 hours and ten minutes. There might be a need for a Democratic senator to refute some comments by Republican senators.
I suspect any Democratic comments intended audience would be the press and the American people, not Republican senators.
If I am correct, then within five hours after the filibuster bill is brought up for passage, any debate would be over and the vote taken. The filibuster would be abolished or at least major changes would be made in the filibuster rule.
That would be two major victories for the Democrats who only have a majority when Harris is there to break the tie. And the president is a centrist!
I now have real hope now that Biden, the Senate and the House will really be able to enact what the American people want to be enacted and turn this nation to a path that the Founders of the Republic intended when they wrote the US Constitution!
*One change I would want to put in the bill to modify the filibuster is that when a bill is being filibustered, only half a Senate day can be devoted to the filibuster being done so that the Senate can continue on with other business of the Senate.
It is foolish to let a filibuster shut down all committee meetings and the Senate to stop considering all other needed bills.
In the past, filibustering was being done continuously 24 hours a day to keep the filibuster alive for days, sometimes weeks before a closure bill, which can be voted on at any time, was past to limit the debate or the filibustered bill was withdrawn. This also needs tweaking.
