The conservatism built into our Congressional structure “means that initiatives such as an increase in the minimum wage, background checks for gun purchases, expanded pre-kindergarten programs and the extension of unemployment insurance can be foiled even when they enjoy broad national support….

It’s natural to contrast Obama’s soaring legislative ambitions of a year ago with this week’s less adventurous ‘I’ll do it myself’ speech. But he has to deal with the Congress he has, not the Congress he wishes he had. The path forward is a lot more crooked than Obama once imagined it would be, and realism in pursuit of a degree of social justice is no vice.”

"the upper chamber [the Senate] over-represents conservative and rural interests. Thus do Idaho and Wyoming have the same number of senators as New York and California.

The Senate’s filibuster rules further empower a willful minority, while House rules confer enormous sway over the legislative agenda to the party that holds the speakership.”