Why Nothing Happens in the Senate

These days, nothing is easy in the Senate. And, as George Packer explains in his New Yorker magnum opus, that seems to be by design. The tools of Senate politics are no longer about voting deals and creative legislation, he writes, but rather arcane rules, elaborate techniques of obstructionism, and minute points of senatorial procedure as senators fall back behind party lines. The struggle to pass this spring’s health-care bill was a perfect example. “Sit and watch us for seven days—just watch the floor,” said Michael Bennet, a freshman Democrat from Colorado. “You know what you’ll see happening? Nothing. When I’m in the chair, I sit there thinking, I wonder what they’re doing in China right now?” Making matters worse—and more stagnant—is the ubiquitous catering to lobbyists. “People know it in their heart—they know this place is dominated by special interests,” said Tom Udall, a freshman Democrat from New Mexico. “The over-all bills are not nearly as bold because of the influence of money.”