Former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias talked frequently about the importance of reforming the rules of the U.S. Senate to rein in the increasing and ahistorical use of the filibuster threat. It's too bad he's not serving in the world's most deliberative body this month.

The Hill is reporting that some Democrats are planning to make a push in the coming days to alter procedures in the upper chamber that would effectively lower the 60-vote bar necessary to end debate on legislation. They are being buoyed by a coalition of progressive groups (including SEIU, whose Illinois State Council sponsors this website), which outlined eight principles that would "[put] an end to the needless obstruction that threatens the vibrancy of our democracy."

The odds of reform are still long. The best (and perhaps only) shot advocates have is to invoke what's known as the "Constitutional Option" on the first day of the new Congress. (This would only require 51 votes for passage.) U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is on board. Newly-elected U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk? Not so much.