It's my understanding that the opportunity for filibuster reform during the current session of Congress has passed.
However, an e-mail from daily kos contained a petition requesting Harry Reid to re-open filibuster reform in light of recent Republican obstructionism of federal judges. Here's a link to the e-mail:
http://us-mg6.mail.yahoo.com/....
Can Harry Reid and the Democratic majority revisit filibuster reform and change the rules now that the session has already begun? If so, why haven't the Democrats done this in the past when Republicans have tied the Senate up in knots? If the majority can tell Republicans...where they can go...with their blatant misuse of Senate rules...why hasn't it and why doesn't it?
Previously on this site, the question's been asked by me as to whether Harry Reid can revisit filibuster reform this session if Republicans demonstrate (as most of us believed they would) that they plan to continue to misuse Senate filibuster rules by shamelessly obstructing progress, on nominees and the rest of this country's business.
The answer that people keep telling me is that he can't.
Now...here's a dailykos e-mail with a petition asking Reid to do just that.
This begs several other questions, as well:
a) If Harry Reid can revisit filibuster reform, where are leading proponents of filibuster reform from before, like Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley? Can he/should he restart his campaign to reform the filibuster rules in the current session?
b) If the majority can revisit filibuster reform any time, why have Democrats not used the threat of that, let alone taken action, when Republicans have blatantly and shamelessly misused their filibuster powers, as they have done so often in the past?
(Or did Harry Reid take specific action this year that he hasn't previously to keep the option open? If so, exactly what was that action?)
c) How is it and why is it that Senate Democrats continue to play themselves for fools with Republicans? Just like Charlie Brown with Lucy and the football, they know that Republicans will be pulling the metaphorical football away at the last minute, just like Republicans (and Lucy) have done every time previously. And yet...they continue to go about...doing the exact same thing over and over again...letting Republicans run roughshod over them, the Senate and the American public.