Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) is threatening to block all bills that have not been cleared by his office, potentially freezing pending legislation until after the November midterms. The Senate is scheduled to adjourn Thursday until after the elections, so DeMint could disrupt Democrats' plans to pass stopgap spending bills needed to keep the government running after Sept. 30. But he could also stall even noncontroversial bills Republicans and Democrats alike were hoping to pass before Election Day. Can one senator really bring Congress to a halt?
Yes, but this makes a mockery of democracy: This petulant, "undemocratic" nonsense accomplishes nothing, says Paul Thornton in the Los Angeles Times, other than turning "Congress into a sort of legislative dictatorship," with DeMint in charge. By potentially even denying his own party leaders "the ability to negotiate with Democrats," DeMint has become the "poster child" for changing the Senate's absurd rule structure.
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