Thursday, February 5, 2009

Simple answers to simple questions

Seth asks,

I still don't understand why the minority party is allowed to stop legislation through the threat of a filibuster... An actual filibuster (against a popular piece of legislation) requires a great deal of work to pull off and risks making the Republicans look even more outside the mainstream than they currently look. Yet the Democrats are trying to accommodate Republicans without forcing the GOP to embarrass itself. I do not get this.

The Republicans have a pair of threes and they're playing like they have a straight flush. The Democrats are doing the exact opposite.

It's a legitimate question and one that has frustrated many political observers on the left. I think the answer though is quite simple. I'll use an illustration to answer Seth's question:

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