Making Government Work by Changing the Rules

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON shows up on great movies lists, largely because it embodies the eternally appealing David and Goliath theme. Never mind the fact that David was no underdog; Goliath never had a chance. There is just something more dramatic and inspirational about Jimmy Stewart's filibuster than Ted Cruz's filibuster. Every filibuster ever filibustered in the United States Senate has ended hopelessly as a last ditch effort to a long lost cause, correct? Has any filibuster ever had any real impact, other than temporary delay? Any filibuster can be seen as gallant, and any filibuster can be seen as just plain old silly. There has to be a better way. Couldn't something sensible be arranged? For instance, simply declare a "state of filibuster", without making some poor bozo stand up and talk for twenty four hours, or until he passes out from exhaustion, and the rest of us pass out from sheer boredom. And sure enough, Senate democrats, tired of republican filibustering Obama's judicial appointments, have voted to end the practice, by requiring only fifty one votes to end a filibuster, rather than the traditional sixty, on judicial confirmation votes. This might seem a good idea. Tempting, at least. The question is, how will the minority have any voice in judicial appointments in the future? If you keep changing the rules to make government more efficient, you might end up with a very simple, efficient government; a dicatatorship.