Inspired by recent news today, I decided to create a new timeline idea. The divergence is what if Harry Reid suddenly realized that the filibuster needed to be fixed at the beginning of the 111th Congress in 2009, instead of ignoring the problem until now. It shouldn't be too hard for him to have a sudden moment of foresight out of the blue, or have a colleague such as Tom Harkin discuss the matter with him. In the first day of the session, the number of votes required to end a filibuster is lowered to 55 and a requirement stating that a filibustering Senator must speak on the floor during the duration of the filibuster is passed. How would this affect legislation introduced IOTL? What would the effect be on both parties, as well as the general populace? Would it lead to the introduction of proposals that didn't get that far IOTL? Would the political climate be better or worse?
Ready, Set, DISCUSS!