In Frank Capra's 1939 patriotic classic, "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington," James Stewart's Sen. Jefferson Smith makes a brave stand to prove he was framed by a ruthless tycoon. The image of Stewart, exhausted and raspy-voiced after standing and talking for 24 hours, is indelible.
The filibuster today is very different: There is no dramatic appeal to voters being made: It simply allows a 41-vote minority to block a 59-vote majority from voting on bills. It is un-democratic and un-American.
We propose that Majority Leader Harry Reid submit to the newly-elected Senate on its first day, the Jimmy Stewart Filibuster Rule: Any Senator speaking on a bill must stay in the chamber and keep speaking. When he falls silent or leaves - or faints - the filibuster is over.