Senate Republicans and Democrats have done an admirable job showing that now may be the time for the filibuster to do away with Congress once and for all. As the nation shakily tries to regain its footing on precarious economic recovery – one that is very likely to turn back into an economic crisis at any minute – it may be time for both parties to use the filibuster non-stop until Congress itself is permanently shelved.

While the Republicans are the ones using a threat of a filibusters (actual filibusters almost never occur, a party need only threaten to use it for it to stop the legislative process in its tracks) on nearly everything that comes before them, the Democrats mealy-mouthed inability to do anything about it deserves at least a minority share of the blame.

Ryan Grimm of The Huffington Post recently reported on how the filibuster has more or less shut down of the nation’s three equal powers:

Senate Republicans made a persuasive case for abolishing or reforming the filibuster on Tuesday night when they blocked a routine nomination to the National Labor Relations Board that had been held up since April.

The GOP was joined by Democrats Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas in defeating President Obama’s nominee, Craig Becker, by a vote of 52-33. The 52 votes were in favor of Becker, while the 33 were in opposition. In today’s Senate, that’s enough to block a nominee.

“I’m in my thirty-sixth year. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), noting that no previous Republican Senate leader would have allowed his party to filibuster such a routine nomination.

Leahy said that the overuse of filibusters by the GOP was leading Democrats to consider ways to modify it.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), another long-serving member, said that abuse of the filibuster is unsustainable. “I think it will either fall of its own weight — it should fall of its own weight — or it will fall after some massive conflict on the floor, which has happened in the past where there have been rulings from the chair that have led to reform,” Levin told the Huffington Post, adding that the filibuster should be restricted to major issues.

While Democrats may make noises about fixing or eliminating the filibuster, the fact is that they won’t. It would constitute an aggressive type of governance, which Democrats have proved time and time again they are unwilling to do. It’s an election year, after all. And the Democrats are very likely much happier being filibustered than governing.

And the Republicans will go to their media blitz center and declare any action against the filibuster to be communist-inspired, fascist baby-killing. And then, they will filibuster every last bill that comes down the aisle. Basically, Barack Obama’s Presidency is going to be defined by Congressional gridlock, whether he serves four or eight years.

There will be no bi-partisanship. When one party unanimously says “No” to every last proposal the majority party, it shouldn’t be hard to figure that out, and everyone but Obama seems to be aware of that fact. There will only be filibusters. And at this rate, maybe it’s just best for both parties to filibuster everything, so that we can turn CSPAN into a place to record audio books. At least then we’d be getting something of value from our Congress.

–WKW

Crossposted at William K. Wolfrum Chronicles