The fate of the filibuster is fluid

[Nevilledog]

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Greg Sargent
@ThePlumLineGS
Those proclaiming that filibuster reform or even elimination is hopeless are getting way ahead of themselves. @JRubinBlogger gets it right: Keep an eye on the long game: Via @PostOpinions:

Opinion | The fate of the filibuster is fluid
Don't assume that filibuster reform won't happen just because a few Senate Democrats have opposed it.
washingtonpost.com
3:15 PM · Mar 22, 2021

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/03/22/fate-filibuster-is-fluid/

The media, I suspect, has erroneously taken Democrats’ proclamations on protecting the filibuster as the final word on the topic. In painting an unduly dire picture for those who want to reform or do away with it entirely, the media ignores how much opinion has already shifted and how events can change lawmakers’ minds.

President Biden not too long ago said his “preference” was to leave the filibuster alone. That was hardly cast in stone, despite the coverage suggesting the filibuster was here to stay. In recent weeks, Biden has made clear he would like to reform the filibuster, forcing senators to conduct an actual talking filibuster.

Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) at one point said he would “never” give up on the filibuster. While he issued a batch of vague and somewhat confusing statements (wanting to preserve “debate” that can be accomplished without a filibuster does not seem to be a reason to preserve a mechanism that allows the minority to thwart the majority), he seems at least amenable to restoring the talking filibuster.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has also defended the filibuster. However, last week she issued a statement saying that while “ideally” the Senate should find bipartisan consensus on that and other issues, she will not let Republicans “continue to abuse the filibuster by requiring cloture votes.” In that event, she said she is “open to changing the way the Senate filibuster rules are used.”

All of this has occurred before a single vote on a key issue such as gun safety, voting rights or immigration reached the floor, let alone drawn a cloture vote. Why the shift in sentiment among Democrats?

*snip*