Filibusters

Considering all of the above, your discussion topic for the week:
What should be done about the filibuster? Should the filibuster be eliminated, or should it be maintained by the Senate? In your post, you should consider much of the following:
To what extent should the minority be protected by filibuster? Should a simple majority determine outcomes in the Senate? Why or why not?
Instead of eliminating the filibuster, should a compromise modification be made? Some have proposed lowering the number of votes needed to end debate (currently 60) to 55 or lower. Others have suggested this number should decrease to 50 over the course of a couple weeks to allow for debate but also to avoid gridlock. Still others have suggested forcing a live, talking filibuster. What do you think?
Imagine if the Republicans currently controlled Congress and the White House, rather than Democrats. In the scenario, would you prefer the filibuster to remain in place or not? Does your answer change? If so, consider what the best overall long-term solution to this problem is. Does one party benefit from the filibuster, long-term, more than the other?
How likely is it that the filibuster will be ended in the next year? Five years? Ever? Why?
Writing a good Discussion Post
Your post should be 6 sentences minimum. You are welcome (and encouraged) to write as much as you would like.
Your post should practice persuasive writing. Imagine you are trying to convince others to adopt your position. Try to write in a way that will win over people on the fence, or maybe even on the other side, rather than speaking in a way that pleases those who already agree with you. At minimum, you should write in a way that does not distract from the content of what you are trying to say.
If you don’t have a strong position, that’s OK! Ultimately, you should try to pick a clear position (maintain the filibuster or modify/eliminate it), even if you are on the fence. On balance, which is the best solution? Taking a clear position, even if you are unsure, will make for better writing and more interesting thinking.
You are not required to list sources, but you are strongly encouraged to spend some time reading the news about this topic, and seeing what others have to say. Even biased sources can be valuable, but avoid using or linking to highly inaccurate/unreliable sources. For examples in media and a greater discussion of this, see the AdFontes Media Bias Chart
(Links to an external site.)
. Using that chart, you’ll want to try to stick to the “green zone”, and stay out of the “orange/red” zones altogether.
Try to avoid grammar/mechanical mistakes, and do your best do write in a way that flows nicely. In politics and elsewhere, people will ignore even a smart message if it is delivered in a sloppy manner.

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