American voters responded to President Obama's failed recovery and government overreach by giving Republicans control of the White House, Senate and House. Yet despite this rejection of the Obama agenda, there is a growing fear that efforts to repeal it could be thwarted by the Senate's filibuster. Democrats hold 48 seats in the upper chamber, and to block legislation with a filibuster takes only 41.
The Republican majority could eliminate the Senate filibuster on legislation using the same procedure Democrats did in 2013 to end filibusters for all nominees except Supreme Court justices. But before remaking the Senate in the image of the House of Representatives, Republicans might revisit why our Founding Fathers designed the chamber as they did.
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