In his time as leader, Reid shattered the record for filling the tree, using the tool far more than any other leader. The change executed by Reid and Senate Democrats that day meant that from then on, it would take only a majority to invoke cloture and end debate on most presidential nominations, excluding, for the time being, Supreme Court nominees.

Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling

At the Con-Con, proposals by southern delegates for supermajority votes for regular legislation were defeated. The deal looks even worse zoomed out: all of Bush’s far-right nominees were confirmed, but the filibuster was left intact for Republicans to use against President Obama—which they did to devastating effect.

The system the founders created for a much smaller, more homogenous nation is being stress-tested in ways they never could have imagined. But as I look, I see him continue down the hallway, open the door straight ahead, and pause for a moment as if seeing someone. I turn right and wind around the trees, following the path and losing my way as the entrance to the maze gets farther away from me the deeper I go. But at least the parties are only twice a year—after summer recitals in June and following the premiere of the annual Nutcracker performance in December. I knew much of this history in the abstract, but the author does an excellent job of connecting the philosophy and leadership of historical figures (Madison, Calhoun, Russell, Reid, and McConnell, among others) to changes in the institution and ultimately how our country is governed.

Book review of Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and Book review of Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and

And in recent years, Mitch McConnell paired those tools of control with the filibuster to give a reactionary, WWAC [wealthy, white, anti-choice conservatives] minority veto power over everything the majority attempts to accomplish.

A similar device is featured on most lawnmowers: a lever on the handle either disables the ignition system and applies a brake to the flywheel (on a gasoline lawnmower), or cuts the power to the motor (on an electric lawnmower), as long as it is not held down.

Kill Switch by Penelope Douglas: 9780593642023

Jackson reportedly said: “John Calhoun, if you secede from my nation, I will secede your head from the rest of your body.

Chatter surrounds me, people laugh, drink, and eat, while a flute player in a light blue gown shares a corner with a string quartet far off to my right.

Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling

Based on fact, this crime thriller will intrigue, scare and shock you and you'll pray this story doesn’t ever come true!

Given that today's Republicans would rather overturn US democracy rather than lose an election, it seems unlikely that much will change with the Senate or the electoral college, but perhaps some of todays' Senate Democrats will read this and learn something. And in your bed tonight, when it’s late and dark, and the rest of the house is quiet, except for my wife’s moans down the hall and you’re pissed and angry, because you think you hate me, but you slip a hand under the covers anyway, because no one will be the wiser if you indulge yourself in the memory of me, I just want you to also know…” I lowered my voice to a whisper, “that’s what red feels like. It can also refer to kill switches for the stopping of malware such as in the WannaCry ransomware attack. Jentleson draws a line from Calhoun to McConnell via Richard Russell, a segregationist Georgia senator and Democrat who served from 1933 to 1971. But now leading Democrats, including Reid and former president Barack Obama, are pressing for a sweeping rehab of the “home” Biden has found so comfortable.