End Washington Gridlock Through Senate Rules Reform

It's going to be a new day in the Senate.

even Democratic senators elect — Tammy Baldwin (WI), Martin Heinrich (NM), Heidi Heitkamp (ND), Mazie Hirono (HI), Tim Kaine (VA), Chris Murphy (CT) and Elizabeth Warren (MA) — have all committed to "fix the broken Senate by reforming the filibuster."

Independent Angus King, who replaces Maine's moderate Republican Olympia Snowe, ran on a platform of reforming the filibuster. Washington's Maria Cantwell pledged to work to change filibuster rules in her third term.

In his first post-election press conference, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) pledged to crack down on the rules facilitating the obstruction of legislative business. "I think the rules have been abused, and we are going to work to change them," he said. "We will not do away with the filibuster, but we will make the senate a more meaningful place. We are going to make it so we can get things done."

Majority Whip Dick Durbin (IL) agreed.

"Consider in the last six years, we have had 380 Republican filibusters," he said on MSNBC on election night. "When LBJ was leader, there was one filibuster. They abused it to the point where the Senate is a shell of its former self. We need reform that makes a filibuster count. Stick around. Don't go out to dinner and tell us you'll be back in 30 hours."

Durbin added, "The tea party dominance in the House — marching back and forth between government closures and closing down the economy. They threatened to default on America's debt for the first time in our history. Responsible Republicans should have stood up with the business community and said this is totally irresponsible. But they didn't. They were collared into believing this was a strategy to defeat Barack Obama. They were going to do it at any cost. Tonight I hope they will get their message back that it didn't work."

When the new senators are sworn in next January, there will be a small window of opportunity for a simple majority of senators to vote to overhaul the Senate rules. Will there finally be more compromise and less filibuster?

"The American people want their elected officials to debate and address the major issues of our time and to move past obstruction for obstruction's sake," said Shane Larson, CWA's legislative director. "Momentum is squarely on the side of substantial reforms, as seen in Senate Majority Leader Reid's remarks and the continued leadership of rules reform champions like Senators Harkin, Merkley, and Udall. Now with newly elected senators pledging to overhaul the chamber's filibuster rules, it's time to act."

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