Return of the Maverick

In recent days the Obama administration has gained an unexpected ally in the push for immigration reform: his 2008 electoral opponent John McCain. The senator, along with his new political ally Democrat Chuck Schumer, returned from a meeting at the White House with a apparent sense of optimism, something rarely seen in Washington these days. Commenting on the meeting, McCain made it clear that a path to citizenship was a key component to solving the country's inescapable immigration challenge.

This act of bipartisanship comes at a time when Senate Republican leadership is becoming factionalized. While Senator Mitch McConnell still holds sway over many of the chamber's Republicans, McCain and his group of supporters, which includes Sens. Lindsay Graham and Lamar Alexander, are seeking an alternative to the Minority Leader's opposition based way of legislating. McConnell, wary of his looming reelection campaign in 2014, is unlikely to follow McCain's lead and adopt a more bipartisan position.

As McCain inches closer to his former position as Upper Chamber magnate, it is very possible that an increased number of bipartisan deals will be reached on the Senate floor in the coming months. The Senator has the optimum number of colleagues behind him to block filibusters that would prevent him from building his immigration legacy and is showing no signs of putting a stop to the brand of deal making that he become known for.

Senatus ad Opus

The Senate's recent burst of activity as a functioning body of government has come as a shock to those who have come to know the upper chamber as a legislative minefield, where few bills get passed and those that do are rather mangled upon exit. A recent Politico article highlights the seemingly overnight 180 that the Senate has undergone in regards to passing new legislature, specifically with immigration reform.

While it is nice to see this group of one hundred elected officials finally doing their job, the amount of praise they should be rewarded for such action should be minute at the most. Election politics are obviously an important factor in deciding whether or not to vote for a bill, but when it is the primary force behind such a decision, it is detrimental to the process and the people.

The fact that super-majorities are almost ubiquitously needed to pass any new laws is a clear signal that the chamber's rules need changing. There is something quasi noble, albeit annoying, about a legislator standing and speaking for hours on end to prevent a vote, but when the mere threat of this action requires sixty senators just to render their threat void, the chamber finds itself at the mercy of the minority. That is not how democracy works.

Elected officials should have one priority: serving the people who elected them. Political squabble should take a backseat when important issues such as student loans and immigration are being debated and voted on, and the Senate seems like it is just beginning to understand this. If only the House can follow suit...