Our civilian political institutions are failing. That's I surmise we are in danger of a military takeover.
What I don't understand is when and how 60 votes became required to pass something in the US Senate?
I remember when 51 votes, or 50 votes with the Vice President tie breaker, was enough to pass legislation and budgets. A filibuster was when a Senator would hold the floor to prevent closure of debate. 60 votes was required to end the filibuster.
After writing that, it occurred to me that the US Senate is in a perpetual filibuster if it requires 60 votes to pass anything.
The filibuster was a ploy to buy time and get addition Senators to vote for or against something.
Now, it's an institutionalized obstruction to debate, votes, and progress. Seems highly undemocratic.
Is the current Senate filibuster an artifact of Pelosi's and Harry Reid's statecraft to ram the Afforadable Care Act down our throats at any cost? If so, their act of legislative expediency broke the instiution.
