It turns out that some Senate Democrats are a lot smarter than the base of their party who were largely calling for a gutting of the filibuster in order for Democrats to shove their agenda down our throats. Apparently, there were just enough Democratic Senators who realized that they will be in the minority some day and would dearly love to have a viable filibuster to use when necessary. New York Times: Senate negotiators continued to work out the final parameters of a compromise Wednesday, but members of both parties said the general framework of a deal was close to being finished. Remaining sticking points included how the filibuster could be applied to the president's judicial nominations. Some Senators expressed relief that they finally appeared headed toward a resolution on one of the main issues that helped make the last Congress, the 112th, unproductive and inefficient. "I think this would be a real boost towards ending the gridlock which has bedeviled us," said...(Read Full Post)