Democrats’ only hope left after 2016 results: the filibuster? maybe not

In the midst of a Republican sweep of the Presidency, House of Representatives and the Senate, Democrats have turned to the filibuster as their final barrier against what they see as regressive Republican policies. As John Rackey of the University of Oklahoma argues, however, the Democrats’ turn to the obstructionist tool could backfire and lead to further diminished minority party powers in Congress, leading to an unchecked Republican party passing the very laws the Democrats seek to obstruct.