Yeah, I don't think you would be singing this tune if Republicans ever get full power again.
I am comfortable with the democratic process, as envisioned by the founders of the country. Advent of the filibuster came later, through Senate rule changes, and its modern usage to throttle damn near everything is also new. I have said this many times over the past several years but to say it even more clearly:
I am comfortable with a majority rule Senate, even if Republicans take the Senate and House and White House. I want this country to function as intended. I won't like the policies, but if elected they should be able to enact them because they will have been elected by the people to do just that, for better or worse.
The filibuster is a mechanism that was retained to ensure full deliberation. The House was designed to function as a majoritarian institution. With the exceptions of proposed constitutional amendments and overriding a presidential veto, only a simple majority is required in the House. The Senate was designed to be more deliberative. That is why they were designated the responsibility of ratifying treaties and other functions. Thus, the filibuster was retained, after its accidental conception, to ensure the majority did not silence the minority. But the filibuster has become routinely exploited to impede legislation. If the filibuster were utilized only in this manner, I'd support its retention. But it's not functioned in this manner for a while. Presently, it's an instrument to undermine the democratic process. And its imperative we either reform or eliminate it. And you wouldn't sing this
tune if Republicans gained unified power.
The Senate was intended to be more deliberative, but also to function with majority rule. The filibuster came later.
We can have a deliberative Senate that also functions. I do not believe this can be accomplished without a major reform (and removal) of the filibuster.
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I have this hypothesis that part of the reason Obama is playing the "what is he hiding?" line with Romney's tax returns is that they actually know what he's hiding. They had the oppo research dump from the McCain campaign, I suspect someone gave them the tax returns, or at least a heads up on the goodies they contain, long ago. Specifically, I think Romney may have paid little or no taxes for some years.
From this morning's
Plum Line round up:
* New Obama ad asks if Romney paid no taxes at all: The offensive continues: The Obama campaign is going up with a new ad in Pennsylvania today that hits Romney on every tax front: It notes he paid only 15 percent on millions in income; wonders aloud whether Romney paid no taxes at all in some years; raises the “tax havens” and “offshore accounts”; asks why he won’t release more returns; and intones: “Mitt Romney has used every trick in the book...what is Mitt Romney hiding?”
The new spot, which is timed to a Romney visit to Pennsylvania, suggests that the Obama camp will be raising the possibility that Romney paid nothing in taxes to increase pressure on him to release them — and will be making this case in forthcoming ads in multiple swing states.
Separately:
Meanwhile, Mark Halperin notes that the Obama team’s attacks on Romney over the tax returns is only beginning, and that Republicans are getting very nervous. And note this:
For now, without a doubt, Romney is losing on two fronts: the politico-media dialogue is not focused on the Obama economic record and Romney is being defined by the opposition....most of those nervous Republicans would be even more nervous if they knew what Chicago was still, patiently, sitting on.
That's where Obama seems to be heading. Imagine if at the end of the summer, when the final sprint begins, that it comes out that Romney dodged all or nearly all taxes for years, and that's what he's hiding by not releasing his tax returns. Either he releases them to disprove this, unearthing everything he's quite clearly trying to shield from public view, or he lets the claims go unanswered. Very damaging either way, especially after he's been defined as the Obama team is defining him.
