As noted earlier today, Senate rules requiring a super-majority of 60 votes to limit debate (cloture) made the health insurance reform process nearly fail. With Rethugs blindly determined to stop any legislation that would help President Obama and the Democrats politically, this represents what Paul Krugman in today's New York Times calls "a dangerous disfunction."
Attempts were made in the past to change the rule and allow the Senate to pass legislation by simple majority, as in the House of Representatives. The ferocious partisan war being waged by the Rethugs will ensure very difficult battles on energy, financial reform, and climate change legislation, and they won't give up the filibuster weapon, regardless of the harm they're doing to the country.
