Tim Fernholz writes that a number of Republicans appear to be in a bit of a political bind:
[W]ith public opinion polls showing that voters across the country support quick action on Obama's economic-stimulus legislation -- and that the approval ratings of both the president and congressional Democrats are much higher than those of the congressional GOP -- it's a delicate balance for Republicans who want to stay true to their conservative base while acknowledging that a majority of their constituents support the president.
And Ezra Klein argues for the end of the filibuster once and for all:
The filibuster does, as The New York Times said, "fend off actions supported by a bare majority of the Senate, but deeply offensive to the minority." But those "actions" amount to successful governance. What offends the minority is losing more seats. Generations before us have recognized this, and so long as the filibuster has been in existence, so too have wise politicians tried to constrain its capacity for mischief. But the experience of recent years suggests that the filibuster can no longer be contained. Foiling the majority is too tempting, it makes too much electoral sense. And so it may be time to finish the job that Henry Clay started. It may be time to abolish the filibuster.
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