The Senate just agreed, by a 78-16 vote, to the filibuster tinkering plan Harry Reid negotiated with Mitch McConnell. The bottom line is what Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) declared: It preserves the filibuster, and from the reformers' standpoint, doesn't make it much harder or much more painful.
Preserving the rights of an extremist minority is a complete rejection of the last election's outcome. The filibuster has been used to delay civil rights and preserve the privilege of the elites. The filibuster was an accident of rulemaking and never intended for daily use by our representatives. The filibuster has been used to abuse our democracy by both sides.
All Americans have the right to know what their senators think and how they are representing their constituents. The filibuster allows them to hide from democracy with the most anti-democratic tool available.
