Reforming the filibuster without abolishing it

[Hope For A New Era]

The US political system requires a lot more cooperation between parties than those of many other Western democracies, which makes the impact of polarization particularly damaging here. Polarization was artificially low in the US for much of the 20th century because the Cold War created an ongoing small "rally around the flag" effect. When that pressure was removed in the 1990s, polarization dramatically increased, to a level that was more "normal" around the world. Then, the media and politicians encouraged it and emphasized it further, because at the time it benefited them, resulting in the sky-high polarization of today. Now, during a crisis, we are paying the price.

The only way to continue to have a functioning government, at least until we can get polarization back under control, is to abolish the filibuster.

Hopefully the impeachment was polarization's high point for a generation. I don't think the country can survive much more strain than that.