With Sen. Ben Nelson's (D-NE) announced retirement, it is looking increasingly possible that the GOP will retake the Senate. If that were to happen, will Mitch McConnell tolerate Democrats using the unanimous consent rules to tie up the Senate the same way he did while he was in the minority?
I suspect that a newly empowered GOP Senate majority will seek to use the opportunity to change the filibuster rules to prevent the sort of nonsense we've been seeing from the likes of them. And you know what? Good.
I, for one, would very much like to see Republicans do what Democrats didn't have the courage to do in 2007, 2009 and 2011: Turn the Senate into a functioning body of government where the majority rules. Simply put, you cannot have a functioning government where it takes a super-majority to do even the most mundane, routine tasks. Where you can't even get something as basic as an up or down vote. Where you have to constantly concoct these ridiculous "gangs" and "super-committees" because regular order is broken.
Politicians should have to account for their votes. It is time to accept the obvious fact that "gentlemanly comity" is a joke and a relic of a bygone era. Let the majority rule and let the voters take account. Almost certainly this is going to result in legislation I and most Democrats would not prefer.
In fact, I think most of the country will hate what the Republicans do with an empowered majority as much as they hate what is being done in the House. That is an even more compelling reason to support the end of the filibuster for good. It is pretty clear the current Democratic majority just wont do it, excepting a few noticeable occasions when they have illustrated that it can be done. If it takes Republicans winning the Senate to bring it about, then so be it.
This ridiculous 60 votes crap must come to an end and let the chips fall where they may.