In the current Congress, Senate Republicans are using the filibuster “at a record-setting pace.” Last year, “there were a record 112 cloture votes. In the first two months of 2010, the number already exceeds 40,” and “with 10 months left to run in the 111th Congress, Republicans have turned to the filibuster or threatened its use at a pace that willmore than triple the old record.”  Since Democrats mostly represent larger states, and Republicans mostly represent smaller states, population-wise, even a 50-50 vote in the Senate is already heavily skewed to give disproportionate power to small-state Republicans.  But that's not enough - they want the representatives of about a quarter of Americans to have the power to advance or kill any legislation.  And to do it purely and simply to politically destroy President Obama by thwarting any of his legislative goals.  This is raw, naked, gutter Republican power politics, and it's not good for America.

In Strange News...As cyber bullying against climate scientists  increases, climate change denier Marc Morano adds, “Kick them while they’re down.” “They deserve to be publicly flogged.”  Apparently, Morano's call for cyberbulling of climate scientists is working.  Kevin Trenberth, head of the Climate Analysis Section of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, has a 19-page document of "extremely foul, nasty, abusive" e-mails he's received just since November.