History warns that changes to the Senate filibuster rules may prove counterproductive The Senate’s real problems go far beyond the construction of its rules. Rev. Jim Winkler, president and general secretary of the National Council of Churches, speaks outside National City Christian Church in Washington, April 5, 2021. A coalition of interfaith leaders and activists met in Washington and online to demand an end to the filibuster, calling it an arcane and racist tactic that blocks the passing of moral policies. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)(Susan Walsh) To many Americans, the rules that permit the Senate’s majority to be held hostage by its minority represent the worst of all worlds, making an inherently undemocratic legislative body even more so.