Virginia U.S. Senator Mark Warner announced this week the circulation of a petition calling for reforming the filibuster rules in the Senate. In a statement, he said, “Fixing the gridlock in Congress is not an easy task – I’ve learned that the hard way over the past four years – and there is no single solution that will suddenly make the partisan atmosphere in Washington go away. But there is one step that we can take right now that will help make the Senate a lot more functional, and that’s why I’m asking for the public’s help to reform the filibuster. Historically, the filibuster was a tactic that guaranteed the minority party in Congress a stronger voice in our political process. Today, it’s become a partisan weapon that’s intentionally used to bring the Senate to standstill.”