Udall Talks Senate Reform

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Right now is no time to come up short. It's time to fight like hell for a democracy where minority rule cannot impose an extreme and cruel agenda, where facts matter, and where accountability at the polls and in the press has a fighting chance. We have our work cut out for us, and we still need to raise upwards of 400,000 by June 30 to give it everything we can. Please help:

Flickr/<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/midgetbusdriver/3662945409/" target="_blank">Erica Reid</a> (Creative Commons)

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Sen. Tom Udall, a freshman Democrat from New Mexico, has raised some eyebrows with a resolution (pdf) to adopt a new set of rules (and possibly scrap the filibuster) at the start of the 112th Congress. I spoke with the Senator yesterday about the prospects for reform and what specifically he hoped to accomplish. Among the main points:

History repeating? Udall, whose “constitutional option” bears the same name as the failed Republican reform in 2005, doesn’t believe the Democratic efforts have much in common with GOP’s failed attempt to abolish the filibuster.
Will it catch on? Despite low recognition among the general public, Udall believes the reforms will be a winner with his constituents.
Don’t expect much bombthrowing: Udall expects procedural reform to be a bi-partisan issue, but did not want to get “stuck in the weeds” discussing specific changes.

You can read the full piece here.