The filibuster rule has to be changed. It's outdated. It works against the will of the people, and has become a destructive device in the hands of an unscrupulous dishonorable slug like Mitch McConnell.
It should be restored to its original intent - to be used as a delaying tactic in order to give senators a little extra time to make deals and whip votes and push for public support. It was not supposed to be a tool for establishing and maintaining minority rule.
It can't be allowed to go on being a way for a minority faction to kill legislation favored by a majority in both houses and among the general population.
Two relatively simple changes:
1) Reduce the cloture requirement to 55 votes.2) Re-establish it as a delay - not a permanent hold
If I choose to filibuster, I can do that, but an immediate vote is called, and my filibuster is sustained only if there aren't 55 votes to end the debate (cloture).
But even if I sustain my filibuster, there's a limit to the delay. I can't just use it to kill a bill outright. The measure comes up for a vote automatically at the end of a set period of time.
eg: 10 days - 2 weeks - pick something that's workable, and with as few loopholes as possible, and at least more or less asshole-proof.
They have to work out what happens in Lame Duck sessions and the transition from one session to the next, but the rules have to be clearer and more enforceable.
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