The New Yorker has the article Senatus Decadens. It is a nicely written description of how the Senate has declined over the last 40 or so years.

The Senate is in a prolonged, self-induced coma. It does not produce creative legislation. It does not inspire important debate. It is not responsive to key national problems. Its pretense of institutional dignity is so battered that junior senators openly mock it. I’m amazed that so many talented people—Elizabeth Warren among the most recent—still fight like hell to get into it.

This article trots out the usual explanation for why the Democratic leadership is hesitant to embrace reform.

…among Democrats, most of the leadership oppose anything that will upset the status quo, perhaps out of a fear that the same tactic could be used on them.

And I respond again.

What a silly concern.  If it takes only 51 votes to change the rule, then the Republicans can change it the next time they get a majority irrespective of what the Democrats do now.  You can bet that the Republicans won’t be so squeamish.

In fact the mere threat of doing away with the filibuster the last time the Republicans were in control was enough to cower the Democrats.  I don’t see any signs of this level of tactical thinking by the Democrats.

Truth Out has the article The Case Against Billionaires. The article is good, but the simplest way to get the idea is to listen to the talk by Nick Hanauer, a venture capitalist from Seattle, that the article references.

The Truth Out article summarizes the argument as follows:

So if it were true that the world’s economies rely on their super-rich to do well, as today’s oligarch-inspired, right-wing economics argues, then why are world’s “austerity” economies doing so poorly?

It’s because billionaires are not job creators, they are somewhere between symbiotes and parasites. That’s not meant as a personal insult against billionaires, many of whom are decent people. But it’s meant as a statement of common sense. If vast fortunes are being hoarded in the hands of very few people who can’t possibly spend that much money in their lifetime or their kid’s lifetime or even their kid’s, kid’s, kid’s, kid’s, lifetime, then it’s essentially being wasted.

This is the point billionaire Nick Hanauer was making in his recent TED talk explaining why rich people aren’t job creators (He also said the same thing on The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann). As he said, “There can never be enough super-rich Americans to power a great economy. The annual earnings of people like me are hundreds, if not thousands, of times greater than those of the median American, but we don’t buy hundreds or thousands of times more stuff.”

Mother Jones has the article America’s Real Criminal Element: Lead by Kevin Drum.

New research finds Pb is the hidden villain behind violent crime, lower IQs, and even the ADHD epidemic. And fixing the problem is a lot cheaper than doing nothing.

After seeing this article posted on the Facebook pages of two friends, I thought it might be a good thing to read.  It is a rather amazing story.

I would have invented a quantum theory of general relativity by now if I hadn’t enjoyed melting lead fishing sinkers on the kitchen stove when i was younger.  Maybe the lead helps account for my tumultuous career.  Always did have a problem with authority figures.  Then there were all those years of soldering electronics and the occasional plumbing fix with 60/40 tin/lead solder..

Politico has the story and video Barney Frank: I want to be senator.

Governor Deval Patrick has said he would only appoint an interim Senator who would agree not to run for the Senate in the election. He said that nobody could perform the duties of a Senator and run for election at the same time. Ironically, the person most likely to run for the position is Representative Ed Markey. Markey will perform his job as a U.S. Representative at the same time he is running for Senator.

Well, if we must accept Governor Patrick’s nonsensical reasoning, the least he could do is appoint Barney Frank.

Thanks to RichardH who forwarded this cartoon that was forwarded to him. Things Nobody Ever Said: U.S. History Edition by Drew Sheneman.

On Left Action there is a petition Tell Harry Reid: Fix the Filibuster!

For too long, the work of the Senate has been held hostage by the filibuster. It is time to fix it. Don’t back down. Fix the filibuster!

I was going to add a note about how to refute one objection to fixing the filibuster, but then I found it as part of the petition already.

Some have argued against fixing the filibuster, asserting that it will be needed if the Democrats are again in the minority. However, keeping this rule in place now provides no protection for the future. There is nothing preventing the Republicans from eliminating it themselves if they gain the majority, regardless of what happens this term.

If there is one issue to raise your voice about, then this is it.  Other good things can derive from fixing this problem.

Now that we know that good things can pass the House if Boner will only allow them to be voted on, we have another point of pressure where a hopeless roadblock seemed to be.

The Daily Kos has given the headline What Harry Reid did today at 5:03pm will make your day to this segment of the Lawrence O’Donnell show on MSNBC.

OK, so the headline is way overblown, and the presentation by O’Donnell is over the top, but I suppose it is worth giving Harry Reid his due every now and then.

WBZ-TV broadcast an interview with Elizabeth Warren on the eve of her swearing in as Senator for Massachusetts.

I just hope that she can help get filibuster reform passed on her first day.

Talking Points Memo has the article Filibuster Reform Uncertainty Worries Proponents.

Filibuster reform is in trouble, proponents warn, at the hands of a scaled-back proposal they say would enhance rather than diminish the Senate minority’s power to obstruct.
.
.
.
Here’s the good news for reformers: they have time to build support for the plan, under which they could push through a rules change with 51 votes on the first day of the new Congress. But the “first day” will technically continue through Jan. 22 because the Senate intends to recess rather than adjourn until then. And Merkley is confident of winning the support of incoming Democratic senators, particularly Elizabeth Warren.

If Reid decides to pursue McCain-Levin instead of the talking filibuster plan, “Senator Merkley will encourage others to vote against the bill,” his aide said. It’s not yet clear that proposal has the super-majority of votes required to pass, but multiple Democratic senators have said there are at least 51 votes for reform.

It is stupid to worry about the Republicans taking advantage of this if they gain the majority in the Senate. If the Democrats can take this power with 51 votes, then even if they don’t take the chance, you know the Republicans will if they ever get a 51 vote majority.

Giving up the chance to reform the filibuster is a guaranteed loser for the Democrats no matter who may win a majority in the future.

If Harry Reid screws this one up, you really have to wonder whose side he is on.  This is our chance to contact every Senator we can think of and put pressure on them to pass real filibuster reform.  If they fail to do so, we know what the next 4 years is going to look like.  This could even seal the fate of the U.S. in the rest of the world.  We will be powerless to act on almost everything.

McClatchy has the story House votes country back from fiscal cliff.

America’s not going over the fiscal cliff, as the House of Representatives Tuesday approved the last-minute deal to pull the nation away from the brink of economic chaos.

The vote came quick and without much controversy, a calm and collegial finish to a turbulent day. The House approved the measure by a vote of 257-167 and sent it to President Barack Obama for his signature.

I am really disappointed in the House vote.  I though that I could depend on the recalcitrance of the House.

Mark my words, in the ensuing debate over fixing the filibuster rules in the new Senate after January 3, people will be able to refer back to this fiscal bump incident.  They will say, “See, it isn’t so bad.  We can agree on something when we have to.”

But let us not forget how much time is wasted in getting the Congress to act on even the most simple matters.  If more were required of a Senator to block something that the vast majority of the Senate wants to do, then there would be much less obstruction and much more time to consider priorities that now get left behind.