BROKEN SENATE

Reid Moves on Filibuster

Plans to force fight over new rules to a head.

Let’s hope he didn’t think it would be easy: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pushed forward on Thursday with a series of votes on Obama administration nominees that will lead to a fight with Republicans over new limits on the filibuster. Abuse of the filibuster has introduced enormous dysfunction into U.S. politics, leaving many key federal positions empty for months and even years. Reid said he had exhausted all his options. “The place doesn’t work,” he said, “The American people can see the dysfunction here.” Reid’s move led to a testy exchange with Republicans, who have been the primary recent abusers of the filibuster. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Reid would go down as the “worst leader of the Senate ever” if he went through with the new rules.