Many Democrats - myself included - have been terribly frustrated by the opposition's use of the filibuster to prevent an up or down majority vote on almost every piece of legislation coming out of the Senate. The filibuster was once a tool that was invoked only when absolutely necessary; now it is used simply to stop the majority from being able to do anything at all. It will be interesting to hear the way these short-sighted Republicans describe the filibuster when the shoe is on the other foot. For example, although he now is a big fan of the strategy, GOP senator Jim Bunning once complained during the Bush Administration that "It seems as though there are Members in this body who want to filibuster just about everything we try to do". And so it goes. And it will only get worse. But I'll save that for another rant.
What I can't for the life of me figure out is why some on the left think that they can shame Republicans into knocking it off and allowing legislation to come to a vote. Why on Earth would they do such a thing?
Republicans are availing themselves of a legitimate parliamentary procedure in order to stop a legislative agenda that, rightly or wrongly, they believe would destroy the country (never mind that eight years of their legislative agenda almost did). Whether they are terribly wrong and terribly destructive - and I certainly believe they are both - is irrelevant. The bottom line is, it's working. If they were being punished for their obstructionism politically, plummeting in the polls and poised to lose elections, they would be forced to cave. But quite the contrary; not only is this tactic preventing policies they despise from becoming the law of the land, but it actually seems to be a pathway back to political popularity and relevance. For them to stop now would be insanity.
Appealing to fair play, bipartisanship or the democratic principle of majority rule is not going to change GOP hearts and minds. As long as the voters aren't angry with them, the filibusters will continue. The absolute only thing that could get it to stop would be an electoral blood bath for the GOP in 2010. Such a blood bath does not seem to be on the horizon; in fact, voters may very well reward the GOP for its obstructionism - intentionally or not - if the anti-incumbent mood continues. After all, the majority of incumbents in both houses of Congress are Democrats.
President Obama, Senate Democrats and those of us on the left can cry foul all we want, but the Republican Party knows where its bread is buttered. Render Obama completely ineffective and get rewarded for it at the ballot box? It's an absolute no-brainer.
This is why Obama needs to stop appealing to those on the other side of the aisle to work with him - it's not going to happen - and instead start a public campaign to change public opinion about the political stone walling. He needs to connect the dots for voters and get supporters downright riled up. If the prevailing winds change, and a fickle public once again turns on Republicans, then Obama might be able to effect the kind of change he was elected to implement. The opposition would then have no choice but to go along or get steamrolled.
If the American public truly wants change and is tired of waiting for it - if they want Obama to deliver what he promised on the campaign trail - then what they by all rights should do is give Dems a fucking 70 seat majority and render the forces of obstruction completely moot. They should smack down the GOP for standing in the way of progress. But this isn't happening.
I'm not convinced that it's because most Americans now suddenly oppose the Obama agenda; and I definitely don't believe that the Republicans are speaking for anything even close to a majority of Americans. Sadly, I'm afraid it's that most Americans don't even have a basic grasp of how Congress works or get why the system is as dysfunctional as it is and therefore know only how to throw the bastards out instead of giving the bastards the tools they need to be effective. (And yes, I'm an obnoxiously elitist intellectual snob, I stipulate to that, we can move on).
Regardless, if the current trend continues, Obama and the Democratic majority will get the blame for the standstill, even though it's actually short sighted, under educated voters who are at fault. Voters are the only ones who can change GOP behavior. It's entirely in our hands.
So if you really want president Obama to be an effective leader, if you truly want the opposition to stop playing politics, if you want the filibusters to stop and the country to move forward... the time has come to stop wasting your time yelling at Republicans in Congress - they've stuck their wet fingers in the wind and are acting smartly - and start yelling at your friends and neighbors.
Wind direction is notoriously capricious; wind direction can change.
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