Eliminating the filibuster when Democrats are in control, however barely, is very tempting, but what happens when Republicans control Congress and the White House? With gerrymandering and the electoral college, Republicans could control Washington against the preferences of a national majority. Proceed cautiously.
I have thought for a long time that the filibuster is damaging the fundamental tenets of our democracy. If you want to have a government that can be responsive to the needs of the people, you have to empower majorities to act. Our Constitution does plenty to decentralize power between three branches of government, a bicameral legislature, and a federal structure - making radical nationwide change difficult if not impossible. But the filibuster is paralyzing. This is especially bad for the party that believes that government is necessary and can be a positive force for change. If you believe in democracy, and you believe that the agenda Republicans would propose would be bad for the country and therefore unpopular - we shouldn't need to rely on the filibuster to oppose those concepts; better to let them take effect and reap the benefits in the next election as has taken place in 2006 and 2018 to Republicans (and in 1994 and 2010) to
Eliminating the filibuster when Democrats are in control, however barely, is very tempting, but what happens when Republicans control Congress and the White House? With gerrymandering and the electoral college, Republicans could control Washington against the preferences of a national majority. Proceed cautiously.
I have thought for a long time that the filibuster is damaging the fundamental tenets of our democracy. If you want to have a government that can be responsive to the needs of the people, you have to empower majorities to act. Our Constitution does plenty to decentralize power between three branches of government, a bicameral legislature, and a federal structure - making radical nationwide change difficult if not impossible. But the filibuster is paralyzing. This is especially bad for the party that believes that government is necessary and can be a positive force for change. If you believe in democracy, and you believe that the agenda Republicans would propose would be bad for the country and therefore unpopular - we shouldn't need to rely on the filibuster to oppose those concepts; better to let them take effect and reap the benefits in the next election as has taken place in 2006 and 2018 to Republicans (and in 1994 and 2010) to
Democrats (despite plenty of gerrymandering).