The filibuster is finally getting a reputation as the progenitor of Senate dysfunction, in a way we hadn’t seen before. Republicans in the minority have used the filibuster more and more since 2007, but this year, with a Democrat in the White House and no backstop of a Presidential veto, the number has just skyrocketed

This is the final entry in a four-part series covering Rhode Island’s Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s keynote address at the recent Brennan Center for Justice’s Second Annual “Living Constitution” event.

This is the third of a four-part series covering Rhode Island’s Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s keynote address at the recent Brennan Center for Justice’s Second Annual “Living Constitution” event.

This is the second of a four-part series covering Rhode Island’s Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s keynote address at the recent Brennan Center for Justice’s Second Annual “Living Constitution” event.

Rhode Island’s Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse was the keynote speaker at the recent Brennan Center for Justice’s Second Annual “Living Constitution” event. This is the first of a four-part series covering Sen. Whitehouse’s lecture.

Not like it’ll matter to Republicans who are attacking Eric Holder’s decision, but Sheldon Whitehouse slammed Republicans for beating up on federal prosecutors. And then he got really steamed, accusing the Republicans of politicizing prosecutorial opinions. From my perspective, popular opinion is a very dangerous bellweather to hold prosecutors to. … I think it gets [...]

James Inhofe (R-OK) appeared briefly today at a climate bill markup in the Senate Environment and Public Works committee, simply to drop off a letter with a series of Republican demands on how to move forward on the bill. The letter basically asks the EPA for a “full assessment” of the Senate bill, including modeling that they are probably not even equipped to do. It’s just a stall tactic, and Democrats treated it as such: “Thanks for stopping by,” Boxer told Inhofe.

Karen Tumulty and Michael Scherer wrote a very depressing story about how the pharmaceutical industry got its way in the health care debate. While the public has focused on the insurance industry’s fight against reform, the drugmakers have actually spent more (about $600,000 a day), and gotten more for their money. Their deal with the White House and the Senate Finance Committee will give them extended patent protection on the most expensive drugs (12 years for biologics, rather than 5), while ensuring that past deals not to have the government bargain for lower drug prices or import cheaper drugs from foreign countries remained intact.

The discussion in Thursday’s hearing on the PATRIOT Act pertaining to ongoing investigations.

What’s the scope of the SSCI investigation and where does that lead us?