Politics ain't beanbag, but it isn't football either. These guys are not elected to sell beer. They are elected to govern.

FWIW, Mitch did not use the five-down rule; he added a nine-point touchdown rule. Not that it matters. The filibuster SHOULD be as I described it, and any patriotic leader should work to make it so. Your defense of Mitch is "Payback's a bitch"?

Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon is doing exactly what you suggest. He has been promoting a return to the "talking" filibuster for some time now. But that option has been open to McConnell since he took over.

Make all the excuses you want, but if you think it would be good for the parties to be talking to each other, you might want to consider why they weren't talking after 2010. Why is it more important to you that the Democrats restore good government than that good government be restored by whoever has the power to restore it? I have no problem criticizing Harry Reid's decision not to take Merkley's advice. Apparently, your partisan loyalty allows you no such freedom. Do you really think that Mitch's behaving like any self-respecting five-year-old is a good thing?