it's my pleasure to yet again work with scott lilly and the center for american progress.his is the 30th anniversary of our center. it happens to be the 30th anniversary at c-span, and we've had over 200 forums in 30 years, and c-span has covered many of them, but they usually cover, scott, the ones that we do together, and we've had five of them, and on issues related to the presidency, but also issues that are of importance to congress, and that's what we're doing today. we're going to have, as you know, a forum on the filibuster. but to put the filibuster in context, it is a problem people think, i think it's a problem. it is, and there are efforts by senator udall who will be introduced later and others to change the rule, rule 22 on the cloture vote. but let's put it in the context of the perception of the american people of the institution of congress. and many other problems that are facing the institution. this is one problem, in my opinion, facing the institution, but we also have holds that clog the legislative work, delays in confirming executive branch official

let's go to scott lilly. >> i was only on the senate payroll for about four years. i read a book is a teenager that got me interested in politics and public service generally. in college, a red "u.s. senators and their world." i still think it is one of the great books on government. i do not come at this as an embittered house staffer. i have great regard. the senate should not be the house. it should be the force for more measured consideration of the events and policies. i have been in situations more than a few times during my career in congress where i saw the senate make a valuable contribution by slowing down the pace we were moving on issues that have not been as carefully thought through as they should have been. having said that, i think there are some serious issues with respect to the way the senate works today. anybody that is governed by a set of rules has to review them as the workload on the institution changes, as the nature of the culture and problems facing the country change, as the type of individuals who are members of the institution change. i

and scott lilly has taken our eyes away from the trauma and melodrama away from health reform and these other part is an ideological baubles and appointed to the problem -- problematics and functioning of one of our legislative chambers that get too little attention but go to the of root of problems today. let me just say i'm delighted with all of the attention being given to this. you know, there is this sense of feeling that all of government is dysfunctional. in fact, once upon vince got a hold of it i knew it had to be wrong. beware of conventional wisdom almost all of this, but the element that's true is that much of the problem of government today is associated with the senate. we have seen over recent decades an extraordinary increase in the percentage of legislation and nominations that had been subject to delay related problems from less than 10% to more than 80%. that is a change. this isn't just like the old days. it's a profound change. we've seen the organization of the filibuster such that there is a basic acceptance that there is a 60 vote threshold for passing anything o

let go to scott lilly. >> thank you. for only about four of the 31 years and worked on the hill was i on the senate payroll. it was the depiction of the senate that i read as a teenager that really got me interested in politics and public service for them in college, i read about centers in the world. i thought it was a great book on american government. that raised my esteem for the body. i do not come at this as a bitter house staffer who is angry at the guys on the other side of the hill. i have great regard for due the senate should not be the house. it should be the leavening force. it should be a force for more measured consideration of the events and policies. i have been in situations more than a few times during my career where i saw the senate make it valuable contribution by slowing down the pace of which we were moving on issues that have not been as tough having said that, i think there are some very issues with respect to the way the senate works today. i think that anybody that is governed by a set of rule