The world's greatest deliberative body has become the world's greatest constipated body, chained to a rule that no longer makes any sense: the Byrd Rule, which requires 60 Senate votes to end a filibuster on budgetary legislation when that legislation would significantly increase the deficit beyond a ten-year horizon.  (Otherwise, the reconciliation process allows for a mere majority for passage.) The so-called "Schumer shutdown" and an endless series of continuing resolutions cry out for ending the legislative filibuster in general on budget matters, where the risk of government shutdown is now ever present.  The Democrats claim that the Republicans are to blame because they control the White House, the House of Representatives, and the Senate, but in this case, they don't control the Senate.  You need 60 votes to do that. These are no longer the days when Bill Clinton could work things out with Newt Gingrich and...(Read Full Article)