This has gone beyond obstructionism -- it's n attempt to bring down the government put in place by the last election.

You're right; the public doesn't know about filibusters or care. That's why the GOP tactics work brilliantly for regaining power. It's bad enough to force even a liberal to think of voting R, just so that something--anything--resembling governing can be done.

There is a perfect response to someone who says "government is the problem".

It's "Yes, but Republicans aren't running things anymore".

The Democrats need to borrow a page from Keith Olbermann and have a "Worst Person of the Week". They could announce their worst person early Friday mornings with great fanfare. That would get it out in time to make the weekly news roundup programs.

Obviously Richard Shelby is in the lead to be this week's worst person. But it's still early and there's plenty of time for someone to do something even more loathsome.

how about really fixing this? Teach civics for real, again. We haven't bothered to do that for 40 years, and it shows.

You cannot build electoral incentives to act like grown ups until enough voters know enough to make it stick.

Putting Republicans in charge of government is like putting pacifists in charge of the military.

I like "THE SHELBY SHAKEDOWN".

Second choice: "CRIMSON TITHE".

If Americans can't be bothered to do their due diligence and learn about the processes of politics and government and their civic duty, they will get what they deserve, war, economic recession, unemployment, and apathy regarding their needs.

that whole voters must pass a civics test to vote is sounding better and better

I am getting really tired of the Democrats throwing up there hands and crying "filibuster", we can't do anything boo-hoo because of the filibuster business. Its bullshit.

All the Democrats have to do if they they want to show America that the GOP is obstructing is make the GOP sit there and actually filibuster every time they say they are going to filibuster. Let everyone see and let the media report on a bunch of old white guys blabbering on while not trying to Pee. But for some "mysterious" reason they don't do that - why?

The point is that this 60 votes thing is crap, the majority can win without 60 votes if there was discipline. The real issue is that the Dem's are complicit in the not wanting to get any real reform done. Health care, wall street, budget, jobs etc etc etc.

The Dem's are gold bricking corporate whores who are who playing games and making excuses for not doing anything.

- Nick B

The point of hammering Shelby is not simply to blame republicans for the impasse. It's to lay the groundwork to change the senate rules.

Unless the dems do that, this is another pointless exercise.

Think of how far we've come in a year:

One year ago Obama had 58 votes in the senate, yet no one said "too bad he won't be able to get anything passed.

A year later he's got 59 votes, and we see headlines like this:

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2010/01/scott_brown_win.php

http://www.dailykos.com/tv/w/002490/

Early on in the healthcare reform debate, I sent an email to the White House suggesting that it would be wise to educate the American people about how the government works, how bills become law.

The sausage making of the healthcare bill would turn anybody off. There were three committees in the house and two in the senate. Each committee had separate hearings. Then the three house bills were merged and the two senate bills were merged.
Now the house and senate bills need to be agreed to and voted on so that a final bill can be sent to the president.

How many Americans understand this process. My guess is not many. There are too many Americans who are ignorant about how the government works. This facilitates the obstruction by the Republican party.

The American people see nothing getting done in Washington, but they really don't understand why. Educating the American people and exposing the Republicans should be the focus of the White House and the Democrats. Ignorance in this case is not bliss.

Finally, I think you're getting it Steve.

Republicans lie, obstruct and dramatize because IT WORKS! For them, of course.

Progressive's inability to communicate to average Americans is at the heart of the problem. Obama is good, but he's all by his lonesome. We need more outside the Beltway communication that is vivid and clear, not more policy wonkery.

Not sure the vote for Johnson was unanimous. I think it was a vote of 92-4, or something like that.

"...the public only recognizes the broader dysfunction, grows more cynical about government, concludes that politicians "can't deliver" on their promises, and concludes that the whole system has been corrupted...."-Benen

I don't know people like this so it always comes as an 'unbelievable' surprise to me when I hear such statements. I also ask myself why this only works when repubs are in the minority...but then the answer is usually because they are republicans and are craven to hold power at any cost.

To me it all comes down to one thing...change the senate rules, which seem to be more aligned with a plutocracy than a democracy. As Sessions has just demonstrated, any senator may hold up an administration's appointees and use them as blackmail to get something for themselves or their states without regard for the nominee's qualifications at all and without regard for the purpose of this senate rule.

It should be disallowed anytime a nominee has the support and votes to pass if a vote were allowed to be taken. Republicans have done to the senate what they have done to the nation at every level...abusing the rules to make it dysfunctional.

What bigger metaphorical 2x4 can Reid be hit upside the head with than a "blanket hold on all nominees" for him to demand a change in the senate rules. Outside the beltway bubble the public would support ending the obstructionism which has made the senate dysfunctional.

We never voted for bipartisanship but for a very partisan platform which is being blocked by the senate minority. Change the senate rules to allow for nominees and legislation to be voted on...that is democracy. Pass or don't pass but allow for a vote.

correction: That was supposed to be "Shelby" not "Sessions" with the blanket hold in the above comment...sorry.

The very small Repugnant minority in California has been playing the same obstruction game. Of course, the average voter feels that the Democrats are unable to govern. Now we're seeing the Californization of the U.S.

At least we aren't Mississippi.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.
In order to break a filibuster, don't the Democrats have to maintain 50 members in the Capitol so that they can respond to a quorum call 24/7. As there will be no Republican help, and a handful of democrats are to frail or unhelpful to participate, it would require a tremendous commitment on the part of the Democratic caucus, plus no other business gets done?

This is why it would be very onerous to actually try to break a filibuster.

I think that we need to start realizing that republicans are likely trying to repeat what newt and and the rest did back in 1995. Shut things down and piss everyone off with the noise. That blew up in their faces back then. How will it turn out today?

What thinking can justify voting for those who are against everything we previously voted for just to punish those who didn't quite get it done.

Apathy, cynicism, not voting will all ensure we lose everything we wanted.

I pray partisanship will be meant with partisanship because we are at the point of this being our last chance to effect real change.

We've been screaming for more communications by Democrats to the American people for years. Get our well-meaning agenda out to the people and they will make the right choice?

I think they made the right choice in this last election, but those of us who voted for Obama have been made to suffer for it. 65 million of us were wrong, according to whom? The all-knowing, all-seeing conservatives.

Why aren't we getting our side of the story out, in this age of "Liberal bias" media?

Because liberal journalists have to get their paychecks from their conservative corporate employers and their stories through editors from either catagory?

Because ad funds by those same corporations go to support conservative leaning shows, not liberal ones. Ask Air America about that. Oh wait, we can't anymore...

Because the right's propoganda machine is making such victims out God-fearing mainstreet Republicans they are clinging like survivors to anyone who invokes the word God repeatedly, like Rush and Dobson?

Because the people who need to hear both sides of the issues refuse to listen to anything they don't agree with?

Because liberal corruption is showcased in headlines, indignation, and calls for retribution by conservatives who do the same darn things, as all humans do.

Because conservatives like running other people's lives, like gays and women's choices, and minorities, far more than taking personal accountability, which is what the liberal agenda is asking these days for the sake of climate change, using less oil, social programs, conservation of natural resources, etc.

Liberals are trying to set the tone for a better future, and conservatives don't care about tomorrow, they have their heaven sown up. They care about today, their financial security, their F-150's, and the biggest TV they can afford.

For a hundred reasons, half this nation refuses to hear liberals, whether we are on the airwaves or not. And the more we talk, the more the conservatives stick their fingers in their ears and say lalallalalalallala.

How do I know this? Because I tried to present an alternate view to Fox's blatant expose on the Arab student's T-shirt controversy to my co-workers down here in AL. They wouldn't hear it.

Right, Dems haven't been holding up appointments when they had an opportunity.

No wonder the people are cynical when they hear libs blaming conservatives for practices Dems invented.

@Johnny Canuck

That was the rules change made in the early 70s that effectively made it possible to filibuster without actually filibustering. It shifted cost the burden of the filibuster from the minority party to the majoirty party. It was also at that time that use of the filibuster went from 1-3 per session to 10+ per session to the ridiculous 30-40 per session we see today.

We don't need to kill the filibuster, just change the rules back to what they were in 1969. Change the rules so the political cost of the filibuster is on the minority party that uses it.

The only ones obstructing your previous 60 vote "Super Majority" was fellow democrats and exactly how do you plan to punish them?

"That congressional rules give the minority the power to decide the success of the majority's agenda is so unintuitive that it's pretty much impossible to run elections based off the concept."

The onus to set the rules of the senate are on the majority's leadership, so they can effectively lead the senate.

The only ones obstructing your previous 60 vote "Super Majority" was fellow democrats and exactly how do you plan to punish them?

Republicans actually enforce party discipline. Democrats don't. It's one thing to vote against a bill and against your party. It's another thing to allow the minority party to strangle your party's agenda. Nelson, Bayh, Lieberman et al should have had their committee seats stripped from them at this point.

How difficult is it to pare the list of executive branch positions that require Senate approval? The Senate has to be cut out of the action.

Obama said at the GOP Caucus meeting that "every day can't be a campaign." Well, unfortunately, that's how things are and Dems better start acting like it.

Dems need to run ads showing the traitorous GOP strategy and how it hurts everyone. Congressmen shouldn't wait to be invited onto shows, they should hold their own press conferences and challenge the opposition to debates on the issues.

EVERYONE should challenge the pervasive media slant, demand equal time for liberal/progressive views and boycott sponsors of shows that don't meet traditional standards of journalism.

Finally, sometime this spring/summer, a massive demonstration needs to be held in SUPPORT of OUR government and in opposition of those who seek its emasculation (the GOP). All the blogging in the world will not convey the power of the movement more than a million+ gathering in the DC mall.

I'm tired of all the press the teabaggers have received for assembling less than 100,000 at their event. We need to show the MSM how small that movement really is.