Two Views on the Senate Filibuster

Comity and courtesy in the US congress

The New York Times writes about two senators, democratic Tom Udall (NM) and republican Lamar Alexander (TN), who are retiring from the senate at the end of this year. They have opposite views about keeping or getting rid of the filibuster as a means to fix the broken US senate. The NYT writes on their different rationales:

“It would basically destroy the Senate,” Mr. Alexander, a three-term senator, said in an interview, crediting the procedural weapon with forcing compromise. “It would be a second House of Representatives. The freight train of the people would run through every two years depending on whatever the fever was.” 

Mr. Alexander said he found it particularly odd that Democrats wanted to abolish a tactic that has served them so well as the minority party. 

“They have used it to their enormous advantage over the last six years,” he said. “They have been protected.” 

“Our founders would have been outraged at the idea that the Senate should be run as a supermajority institution,” said Mr. Udall, who is departing after two Senate terms. “Let’s focus on rules that allow the majority to move forward. At the end of the day, 51 votes. That is what works for the American people. And it has accountability built into it.” 

He said he feared for the next four years as he sees Republicans digging in against the incoming administration as they did against President Barack Obama beginning in 2009. 

“I am already worried about what I see, and us not coming together around this new president and his team and not giving him a chance to succeed,” said Mr. Udall, who has been mentioned as a contender to be interior secretary or to fill another post in the Biden administration, a prospect he said he would welcome.

So, what should be done? Should the filibuster stay, should it go or should something else be done?
My guess is that nothing will be done about it because the GOP will retain a majority in the senate. If that happens, there will be at least another two more years, probably four, of broken congress, GOP obstructionism and legislative gridlock. 

The GOP will be no more in any mood to compromise with any democratic president or congressperson  in 2021 than it was under essentially all eight years of Obama's time in office and has been since the dems won the House in the 2018 elections.

Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya
Oh, Lord, kumbaya

Good people on both sides calmly discussing the filibuster