Comment: Oregon Senator Has Plan to Make Senate Work Better

Barabak: The Senate is a mess. Jeff Merkley wants to fix it, from the inside.

To say the U.S. Senate has grown dysfunctional is like suggesting water is wet or the nighttime sky is dark. The institution that fancies itself “the world’s greatest deliberative body” is supposed to serve as a cooling saucer that tempers the more hotheaded House, applying weight and wisdom as it addresses the Great Issues of Our Time. Instead, it’s devolved into an unsightly mess of gridlock and partisan hackery. Part of that is owing to the f…

Comment: Oregon senator has plan to make Senate work better

HeraldNet.com HeraldNet.com - Everett and Snohomish County news from The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington Sen. Jeff Merkey doesn’t want to end the filibuster; he just wants to return it to its ‘Mr. Smith’ roots. Comment: Oregon senator has plan to make Senate work better Wire Service

Commentary: The U.S. Senate is a mess. He wants to fix it, from the inside

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkeley is waging a largely one-man crusade to reform the Senate filibuster. He sees it as a way to help end obstructionism and address the Senate's increasing dysfunction.