Promoter postpones big annual hunting, fishing and outdoors show in Pennsylvania after the outcry over its decision to ban the exhibition of assault weapons at this year’s show.
The big news today is that Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell have agreed to a very modest set of Senate rules reforms (I can’t call them filibuster reforms, because they don’t reform the modern filibuster at all). It should come as no surprise to anyone who’s been following the story for the past few weeks. When the majority’s big stick is threatening to use the nuclear option to impose very modest reforms because the party can’t reach internal consensus on anything meaningful — well, it mean things aren’t going very well.
But the filibuster remains a huge impediment to the majority doing what it wants to do, and thus distorts the public’s sense of who’s at fault for governing failures. It’s been a huge, and historically unprecedented problem for Democrats for four years. So why didn’t they take unilateral action for stronger reforms? Read More
More thoughtful reader reactions to the filibuster rule change and the email we posted earlier from a Senate staffer defending the modest reforms: Read More
“If you want to keep people away in an earthquake, buy some shotgun shells.“
Senate Democrats emerged a short time ago from a caucus meeting on the Hill and, for the most part, rallied around the filibuster reform deal Harry Reid struck with Mitch McConnell.
Readers respond to the Senate staffer email I published earlier: Read More
A Senate staffer emails with his take on the filibuster rules change agreed to by Reid and McConnell:
I think that your posture on rules reform — culminating in “Oh, that’s not good” — has not shown the other side of the argument for progressives.
All Senate Democrats agree that rules reform is essential. Now we appear to be on the brink of that, and the “fix the Senate crowd” is dismayed. Unlike last time Reid isn’t proposing just a “gentleman’s agreement,” these are real changes to Rule 22. And these appear to have minority support. This is a big deal.
You don’t agree (and it’s fine) but there is a strong, progressive case against pursuing rules reforms via the nuclear/constitutional option.
Got questions about the big filibuster reform debacle? Our reporter on the story, Sahil Kapur, will be answering your questions in a TPMPrime Live Chat at 4 PM eastern tomorrow afternoon. Get your questions in now and join us then.