Our country faces major challenges — budget deficits, high unemployment and two wars, to name just a few — and needs a functioning legislative branch to address these pressing issues. Certainly some significant legislation passed in the last two years, but too much else fell by the wayside. The Senate never even considered some appropriations and authorization bills, and failed to settle on a federal budget for all of next year. Votes on this sort of legislation used to be routine, but with the new frequency of the filibuster, a supermajority is needed to pass almost anything. As a result the Senate is arguably more dysfunctional than at any time in recent history.-Former Vice-President Walter Mondale, explaining why it is of the upmost importance that the new Senate reform the rules of the filibuster when it is seated this week.
If Harry Reid doesn't take this up the minute this new session starts, then he'll have proved once and for all that he is not up to the leadership role his party has given him.
