Democratic filibuster reformers got a boost Wednesday from President Obama, who told senators that they still have
work to do in reforming the Senate.
So my main message is one of hope. We’ve got all the ingredients to make this the American Century, just like the last one. To achieve it, though, we’ve got to make sure our political system works better. And, yes, there are all kinds of reforms that we need to do, from campaign finance to how a filibuster works, to going after Republicans hard when their main political agenda when it comes to—or main election strategy is preventing people from voting—we’ve got to push back on all that stuff. But ultimately, there are enough voters out there to deliver if we can turn them out.
There are still far too many obstacles Republicans can throw in the path of the Senate doing much of anything. Whether it's "blue slips" that give the Republicans veto power on judicial nominees before they even get a hearing, to the 60-vote margin that prevents all but the most innocuous pieces of legislation from moving forward. Even the innocuous legislation, like this bill to
help provide bulletproof vests to police departments doesn't move forward because of Republican obstruction. Even
bills that have bipartisan sponsorship are filibustered, sometimes by their cosponsors!
Yes, the Senate still needs filibuster reform. Thanks, President Obama, for reminding them that the job isn't done yet.