Let The Baby Have Their Bottle?

Farhad Manjoo of Salon seems to think we should when it comes to the issue of the Filibuster, and here's why:

"...the filibuster is no friend to Democrats, whose policies, if not politicians, appeal to a majority of the American public. They may be in the minority now, but Democrats can win again. They can take the Senate and they can take the White House, possibly both, possibly soon. When that day comes, you can be sure Republicans will use the filibuster in the same way that Democrats are using it today. Wouldn't it make sense to take that option away from the GOP now, when they're agitating for the change -- and then, in the future, to hoist them with their own petard?"

I've never been fond of too-clever-by-half strategems of government where we continue to let the opposition have what they want on the assumption that future victories will allow us to make them eat their policy. The "possibly both, possibly soon" element seems especially problematic to me. I don't see much hope that we'll pick up six senate seats in 2006, and less still that we'll get the Presidency in 2008. Given the way politics is structured in this country, we may have to put up with a very long period in opposition at the federal level. If that's the case, we'll want the filibuster, for a couple of reasons. First, because the Republicans have removed a number of other tactics that the minority used to use to stymie nominees and bills. (Anonymous holds are a prime example.) Second, because unlike Republicans of previous eras, whose theory of governance was to do as little governing as possible, these guys want to do things--terrible things, monstrous things, things that will do long-term damage to our country. Why on Earth should we take one of the few weapons at our disposal for dealing with this right-wing activisim and hand it over on the off chance that our popular policies will propel us into the majority again in the next two or three years? That's not really too-clever-by-half. That's not clever enough by three-quarters. It's that kind of thinking that helped land us here. Do you know who wins by losing? Nobody.