Filibustering America

You know, Dave Pell is right.

Too often, voters don't realize that the endless and wanton attacks are part of the game. And in this environment, we always come out the losers. Why? Because as long as we are determined to hate each other because of political affiliation, we can't come together to fight for the things that are in our common interest (the very notion that we even have a common interest has been all but obliterated). And that's just where the lobbyists want us.

Take a look at two recent pieces of legislation: The bankruptcy bill and the rejection of a minimum wage hike. Both of these bills were strongly backed by big business. And the masses of people came nowhere close to making enough noise to have an impact. As always, we were too busy shouting at each other instead of shouting in unison. We're more interested in the game than we are in our own interests.

Think the credit card companies wasted time hating one politician or another?

As I posted a couple of hypocritical takes on the filibuster by Republicans, I reminded myself that Republicans were posting their own hypocritical takes on Democrats views on the filibuster. Nothing is sacred.

I oppose the overturning of the filibuster because our current governmental system is one where the winner takes all, except in the Senate. In the Senate, the minority's view still has weight. The 45 Senators that are not Republicans can make their constituent's voices heard and they do so through the filibuster. It is, perhaps, the most Democratic (not partywise, but definition-wise) institution in our country.

And that's why I support it. Not because it aids my party now, but because I like what it represents.

The blog age will make the future of political debate interesting. No one except the hardest of conservatives believes that the GOP will be in power forever in Washington, and these debates will take place in the future with sides reversed. And I can go to Blogs for Bush and listen to them decry the loss of the filibuster and the "activist judges" that democratic President "X" wants to appoint. At the same time, liberals blogs will no doubt toss out Republican blog quotes on why the filibuster is bad. Matt Yglesias will be above it all.

The biggest challenge for political blogs is consistancy. Maintaining the same view as the party's shift from majority to minority and vice-versa.

I realize this post is a bit spotty, but I finally went out to celebrate my birthday with some friends, so I'm a bit off myself. The thing to realize is that until Democratic and Republican voters come together and figure out things they can support together, business and lobbyists who give to both sides will continue to champion their interests and win. The rest of us are stuck watching and blogging.