Filibuster

     ​If the United States Senate remains Republican after the 2018 midterm elections and the House manages to hold on to their Republican majority, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell better dispense with the filibuster rule which requires 60 votes to pass legislation.  The Democrats are holding the Senate hostage because the Republicans do not have the 60 votes needed to overcome the Democrats’ objections and to move legislation forward.  The Republicans have had their hands tied because of this Democratic resistance in the Senate and this absurd filibuster rule.  Our Republic was founded on majority rule, which means 50% plus one. Anything else defeats majority rule for the citizens of this country, who gave the two chambers their current majorities to Republicans.  If Republicans maintain majorities in both chambers after the 2018 elections, they better take advantage of easy legislative victories.  They will have control of the Executive and Legislative branches, but because of the filibuster in the Senate, they cannot achieve any legislative victories at present.  McConnell doesn’t want to forgo the filibuster because he is afraid of what the Democrats will do if they ever regain control of the Senate.  Senate control does not determine enactment of legislation however. He doesn’t seem to understand, that at this point in history, Republicans have a unique opportunity.  The Democrats may never regain control of the House, Senate and the Presidency at the same time as the Republicans currently retain.  Only a Democratic, complete sweep of the two chambers and the Presidency can undo what the Republicans can accomplish in the next two years if they retain the House and Senate this election cycle.  A year ago at President Trump’s election would have been the perfect time for McConnell to have acted.  2018 will be wasted too.   Now it may be too late if the Republicans lose the Senate in November.  McConnell needs to abandon the filibuster rule in the Senate for any and all legislation and pass the Republican agenda.  This agenda should include term limits (six terms for representatives and two terms for senators), a balanced budget amendment, a wall, immigration reform, Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid reform and repeal and replace of Obamacare, just to mention a few of the necessary reforms.