The filibuster is an attempt to block or delay Senate action, a power given to the minority party in the Senate, originally intended to keep members from controlling the floor for too long, now used to effectively block legislation. This is a problem because the minority party can use it against any piece of legislation and it takes 60 votes to have a cloture - which ends the filibuster. This is an issue because 60 votes is a large majority in the Senate that neither party can usually come up with, so it effectively blocks legislation. Since the political divide between parties has grown so large, the minority party constantly utilizes this to make the opposing party look bad. This is why things aren't getting done about serious issues, one that comes to mind was the fiscal cliff.



