A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

Gosh, I don't recall there being all that much attention paid to filibusters that occurred back when Republicans controlled the United States Senate. Back then, of course, it was seen as a matter of course that "controversial" votes--and my, weren't there many judicial nominations that were deemed "controversial"?--should have to clear a 60 vote threshold in order for cloture to be invoked. Now, all of the sudden, the filibuster is considered an "obstructionist" tactic. The mind reels.

Of course, Senator Specter--who is quoted in the story--is precisely correct when he points out that Harry Reid schedules cloture votes that he knows he cannot win just so that he can claim that Republicans tried yet again to obstruct the business of the Senate. That was the reason behind the all-night session that occurred earlier this week. The Democrats knew that they didn't have to votes to overcome a filibuster and the session was utterly and completely useless. Senators did not lose sleep to achieve something. Rather, they lost sleep so that Senator Reid and his allies could go out and make spurious claims about the Senate and the work associated with it.

In any event, we all know that if the Senate sputters to a halt, it will be the Democrats, as the majority party, who get the blame from the voters for not being able to govern. Democrats knew this and used this knowledge to achieve a majority in the 110th Congress. You live by the sword . . . well, you know the rest.