Is Congress Fundamentally Broken?

From the filibuster to special interest money to today's story about Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama, who has placed all of the President's nominations on hold until he gets federal funding for two projects in his home state, here are articles that raise the question of whether Congress is fundamentally broken and needs radical reform.

Update: The White House has blasted Senator Shelby's blanket hold on nominations:

"Roberts Gibbs, the White House press secretary, sharply criticized Mr. Shelby’s actions, calling it the best instance yet for how Washington is broken. 'I guess if you needed one example of what’s wrong with this town, it might be that one senator can hold up 70 qualified individuals to make government work better because he didn’t get his earmarks,' Mr. Gibbs told reporters today. 'If that’s not the poster child for how this town needs to change the way it works, I fear there won’t be a greater example of silliness throughout the entire year of 2010.'"

However, TalkingPointsMemo reports that several years ago, Sen. Harry Reid did something similar.

Update # 2: The AtlanticWire has a roundup of criticism of Shelby's conduct.

Supreme Court Vacancies on the Horizon?

ABC News has posted an intriguing story on whether one or two Justices are likely to announce their retirements this year. The story also speculates about who might be on President Obama's short list to replace them, and discusses the increasingly partisan and ideological character of the judicial confirmation process.

Do the Democrats Have a Plan B for Passing Health Care Reform?

Ever since the special election in Massachusetts two weeks ago, which deprived them of their filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, congressional Democrats have been exploring whether some way still exists to pass the health care reform bill. A report today says that House and Senate leaders have agreed to use the process known as reconciliation for this purpose. But the path is strewn with procedural pitfalls.

Update: The Plum Line reports that the White House is also privately expressing support for the reconciliation approach.

Giannoulias to Face Kirk for US Senate

Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulis beat former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman 39 to 34 percent to win the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Barack Obama. In November Giannoulias will face 5-term North Shore Congressman Mark Kirk, who dominated the Republican field with 56 percent of the vote. The primaries for Governor finished in virtual dead heats, with incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn holding a razor-thin lead over State Comptroller Dan Hynes on the Democratic side, and State Sen. Bill Brady holding an even smaller lead over his colleague Kirk Dillard on the Republican side. Settling these races may require recounts. Full primary results can be found here.

Top Pentagon Officials Call for End to "Don't Ask Don't Tell"

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen testified today at a Senate hearing and called for an end to the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, which prevents gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the armed forces. Their testimony followed President Obama's call for an end to the policy in his State of the Union address. However, the two officials said that a long review would be necessary to determine how best to bring about the change. Ending DADT will require action by Congress, which enacted the policy in 1993, rejecting President Clinton's efforts to end the ban on gays in the military.

What a Proportionate Senate Would Look Like

Under the Constitution, each state is entitled to two senators regardless of its population. As a result, there are wild disparities in the number of people that each senator represents. For example, California has about 70 times the population of Wyoming but the same number of senators. For a map that imagines what the states might look like if they were redrawn to be equal in population, see here.

The Perils of Legislative Dealmaking

TalkingPointsMemo reports that Democrats in Congress "are privately admitting the deal they made with Sen. Ben Nelson on Medicaid funding for Nebraska was a major factor in souring the America people on the health care reform bill" -- a statement which suggests that interest-group politics and dealmaking have their limits.