Filibuster Revisited

     Current control of the House and Senate gains nothing for the Republican Party because of the filibuster rule in the Senate.  A form of the filibuster rule has been used in Congress since the founding of our country but its current practical use, which stops votes on legislation in the Senate, began in the 1970s. The original rule required actual speeches on the floor of the Senate.  The rule has now morphed into a 60 vote requirement to end debate and proceed to a vote.  In 2013, the Democrats used the nuclear option to eliminate the use of the filibuster on executive appointments and appointments to district courts and courts of appeal.  In 2017 the Republicans eliminated the use of the filibuster for Supreme Court justices. There exists no such rule in the House of Representatives.  With their current majority, the Republicans get things done in the House.  The House only needs 50% of the vote plus one to get bills passed.  The House under Republican control approved all 12 appropriations bills for the federal government before the beginning of the 2017-2018 fiscal budget year began.  The appropriations bills were sent to the Senate and have basically died there because the Democrats, led by Schumer, have filibustered the bills.  The Republicans only have 52 votes in the Senate out of a total of 100 votes, eight shy of the 60 votes needed to end debate because of the filibuster rule.  So the Republicans have 50% of votes plus one, but still cannot move forward with legislation because the Democrats use the filibuster rule to stall, delay and interrupt legislation.  The public gets discontent, giving Congress an approval rating around 20% because they think Congress will not act.  The truth is that the Democrats are using this rule to create this negative viewpoint by a gullible public.  The rule is a constant obstacle which prevents the Peoples work in the Senate from getting done day after day.  Why is that?  Either the public is ill informed or they just do not wish to become informed. Voting citizen have given the Republicans a current majority in the Senate.  That should mean that legislation should be passed.  But nothing happens in the Senate.  Within this current two-year session of Congress since President Trump has been elected, the Republicans could have balanced the budget, ended Obamacare and fixed immigration.  Instead we get obstruction from the Democrats.  If the Republicans lose either the House, the Senate or both in the 2018 elections, a great opportunity will have been squandered. Trump will become a lame duck and will have to legislate through executive order.  These inactions do not represent a true democracy.  We must stand up and demand McConnell discard the filibuster rule or we should revolt and install a parliamentary system of governance.