The Senate Republicans have made it clear since the beginning of 2009 they had no desire to reach bipartisan compromise with the Democrats. Instead they choose the surprisingly successful strategy pure obstructionism using a set of broken and arcane Senate rules. By effectively preventing the Democrats from governing (or preventing the Dems from governing effectively, take your pick), the Republicans have been able to tarnish their opponents in the eye’s of many voters, and therefore improve the GOP’s own election prospects.

Democrats have failed to govern despite occupying large majorities in Congress and the Presidency, while placing the blame for their failure on Republican Senate obstructionism. Yet “ignorant” average voters who are uninformed about the filibuster fantasy have correctly put the blame for failure squarely on the majority party.

One Senator — freshman Tom Udall of New Mexico — is trying to change Senate Republican’s obstructionism by putting the focus back on governing rather than the crippling rules which have led, in a pretty direct way, to American decline.