Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) writes, “Contrary to most commentary, it actually is not hard to pass any and all legislation in the Senate. Rather, it’s hard to pass one-sided or ideologically aggressive legislation. And so, unlike in the majoritarian House of Representatives, where members of the speaker’s party can generally pass whatever they collectively want, legislating in the Senate requires partisan, ideological, socioeconomic, and often regional compromise. This is no more and no less true than it was decades ago, when the Senate processed legislation all the time…

“When in control of the Senate, members of both parties blame their lack of success on what they inevitably characterize as ‘obstruction’ by their minority opponents. But in truth, it has been Republican and Democratic majorities’ own choice, on issue after issue, to pass nothing rather than to compromise or — heaven forbid — to put unfinished bills on the floor and allow all 100 senators to organically work out the will of the Senate through an open debate and amendment process…

“The true purpose of nuking the filibuster, then, is not to ‘finally get things done’ or to ‘break through the gridlock’ or any other hackish trope parroted by the political press. Rather, it is to allow a Senate majority to pass partisan bills that aren’t politically compelling enough to attract bipartisan support.”
Mike Lee, National Review

“Democrats used the filibuster to block funding for construction of Trump’s border wall in 2019… Just the threat of a Democratic filibuster stopped Republicans from moving forward on a host of priorities, including entitlement reforms, immigration reforms, lawsuit reforms, health-care reforms, budget cuts, expanded gun rights and the defunding of Planned Parenthood…

“Democrats should take stock of everything they delayed and derailed under Trump because of the filibuster — and then imagine all that and more being enacted by simple majority vote when Republicans regain control of Congress and the presidency, which they eventually will. The filibuster allowed Democrats to constrain Republicans from enacting what the Democrats consider a radical agenda under a populist right-wing president. If they eliminate that tool to enact their own radical agenda, they would rue that decision when they return to the minority.”
Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post

“The funniest thing on social media over the past 48 hours has been liberals complaining that McConnell may love the filibuster now but if he were back in charge of the Senate he’d nuke it ruthlessly to clear a path for Republican policies. As if we didn’t just spend six years watching Cocaine Mitch steadfastly refusing to nuke the filibuster as majority leader, even when Republicans had total control of government in 2017 and 2018, even when the leader of his party was barking at him to do it.”
Allahpundit, Hot Air

“Manchin eked out a re-election victory in 2018, but only by three points and without getting to 50% against AG Patrick Morrisey (no relation). The last thing Manchin needs in terms of political viability is to enable Chuck Schumer’s radical progressive agenda, especially in terms of coal operations and energy resources…

“And by voting out the filibuster, Manchin would essentially give away most of his leverage, too. Not all of it, to be certain, but right now Manchin has leverage against both sides with his institutional stance. Thanks to that, Manchin’s going to get all the pork he needs to satisfy West Virginians without selling out to Bernie Sanders’ northeastern progressives to get it, too.”
Ed Morrissey, Hot Air

“Even as the two senators vow never to bust the filibuster, their Democratic colleagues are plotting instead to bust the Byrd rule [which allows the Senate Parliamentarian to exclude non-budgetary matters from reconciliation bills]. Progressive groups are ramping up pressure on Democrats to load the Biden agenda into reconciliation bills, then simply overrule the parliamentarian when she finds them in violation of the Byrd rule…

“Democrats are debating using reconciliation to pass another round of Covid relief. Many of their spending or tax provisions likely qualify under reconciliation rules. But progressives are pushing Democrats also to jam through items that in no conceivable way pass the Byrd test… Should Democrats overrule the parliamentarian, the filibuster becomes meaningless as the floodgates open… If bipartisanship is the goal, the two senators’ most effective means of achieving it is reassuring their GOP colleagues that they won’t support any maneuver that destroys the Senate’s ‘deliberative process.’”
Kimberley A. Strassel, Wall Street Journal