War Over Filibuster Stops the Senate From the Start

“For months, as Democrats contemplated capturing control of the White House and the Senate and finally being in a position to push through their agenda, centrists like Senator Jon Tester of Montana warned that they would not join the party in jettisoning the filibuster, the ultimate weapon of mass obstruction, to clear the way,” the New York Times reports.

“But now that President Biden is in office and Democrats have taken hold of the Senate, even Mr. Tester, who sees the filibuster as a crucial mechanism to force the sort of bipartisan compromise that is sorely needed, says his determination to preserve it is not unconditional.”

Said Tester: “I feel pretty damn strongly, but I will also tell you this: I am here to get things done. If all that happens is filibuster after filibuster, roadblock after roadblock, then my opinion may change.”

However, a spokeswoman for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) told the Washington Post the senator is “against eliminating the filibuster, and she is not open to changing her mind about eliminating the filibuster.”