Sen. Graham Threatens To Delay Obama's Nominees For Defense, CIA Because Of Libya Attack

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76. Sure I'm frustrated

but filibuster reform is not an easy question. While the repubs are abusing the filibuster process, Democrats have used it in the past to block odious legislation and nominees and since the odds that the Democrats will hold the Senate forever are slim and none, I'm worried what will happen if its eliminated. Sure, the repubs, if and when they regain control of the senate could attempt to get rid of the filibuster, but they've had that opportunity in the past and they've blinked for much the same reason that many senior Democrats have blinked -- they take the long view.

Plus, getting rid of the filibuster isn't going to have a significant impact in terms of getting legislation passed. The House will remain a bottleneck. As an example, just consider the Violence Against Women Act. Its gotten through the Senate, but if it gets through the House at all its going to be with a bunch of killing amendments (just like last Congress).

That's not to say that there aren't changes that can and should be made to the Senate's procedural rules. Its just that the issue is more nuanced than some realize, which is why so many of the most senior Democrats didn't sign on to the recent proposal.