Hooray For The Internet!

There is a Thomas Friedman op-ed generator. (And no, I don't mean Thomas Friedman.) 

All Current Filibuster Reform Proposals Are Small

We've got two Senate procedural reform proposals under heavy discussion these days -- the "talking filibuster" proposal from younger reformers like Merkley and Udall, and something else from McCain and Levin. As far as I can tell, neither proposal would've broken Dixiecrat filibusters of civil rights legislation, Republican filibusters of health care reform, or future Republican filibusters of climate change. Merkley's people think their proposal will help with smaller stuff here and there, and maybe it will. But it looks like Republicans can still block anything with an unending talking filibuster manned by Senators from conservative states who fear primaries more than general elections, and therefore are controlled by Fox News (there are at least 15 of these guys). Jonathan Bernstein has convincingly argued that that is the most likely outcome.

Because of this, I'm more focused on the long-term consequences for the Senate. Whatever happens this time around, I hope it eases the path to some kind of massive filibuster reform in the years to come. 

Friday Obama Caption Contest & Kitsch Cover

Original caption: "First Lady Michelle Obama reacts while talking on the phone to children across the country as part of the annual NORAD Tracks Santa program. Mrs. Obama answered the phone calls from Kailua, Hawaii, Christmas Eve".

Since "Gangnam Style" is undoubtedly the youtube video & song of the year, here's the Pentatonix a capella version.

Some Senate Republicans Offer Invisible Filibuster Reform

Via Jonathan Bernstein, a collection of actual Moderate Democrats, Chickenshit Mainstream Democrats, and Republicans of various stripes are trying to put together a counterproposal of filibuster reforms, which will presumably do less to move the Senate in a majoritarian direction than the Merkley et al. talking filibuster proposals. But the people involved seem unwilling to talk about what they're doing at all. I realize the need for some level of secrecy in negotiations, but it's therefore impossible to gauge the impact of whatever reforms are being discussed. Considering the fact that the Senate is largely a norms-driven institution, the real question is if the bipartisan talks would produce a group of Republican Senators who simply refuse to go along with Mitch McConnell's delaying tactics, particularly when it comes to Presidential appointments.

I would also note that, with the exception of Mark Pryor and Lindsay Graham, the people involved with the bipartisan talks have a lot of seniority, while the more avid reformers have significantly less. Being a seniority driven institution, and given other instances of petty backbiting among Senators,  it wouldn't surprise me if one function of is to steal the thunder from whippersnappers like Merkley.

In related news, I fully expect House Impeachment manager Lindsay Graham to retire rather than run for re-election, since apparently he's too moderate for the South Carolina primary electorate. WTF, world.

The Reason For Brian Schatz

I was initially perplexed when Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie nominated Lt. Gov Brian Schatz to fill Daniel Inouye's Senate seat, but after talking to some Hawaiians it seems to be a reasonable move. The other major option was Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, who was Inouye's choice. If Abercrombie had appointed her, though, there would've been a special election to fill her House seat. Until then, the seat would've been open, leaving House Democrats below full strength for important votes early in the next session, most likely including the fiscal cliff.

Also, there's some possibility that a Republican would've won the special election, since those special elections don't have primaries in Hawaii. In 2010, Neil Abercrombie vacated his House seat to become Governor. Republican Charles Djou then won a three-way race against Democrats Colleen Hanabusa and Ed Case. The vote total was 39.4-30.8-27.6.  It's a perfect illustration of why two-party systems make sense. Nearly 60% of Hawaiian voters wanted a Democrat, but they were split evenly between two candidates, so the Democratic majority didn't get its way and a unified Republican minority won.

If Hanabusa wants to be in the Senate, though, she'll have an opportunity to run in 2014. I imagine that she'll be a formidable candidate, especially with Inouye's blessing upon her.