The January 6th commission and the two main weaknesses of America’s democracy

IT WAS THE distilled essence of legislative dysfunction. On May 28th the Senate rejected a painstakingly negotiated bipartisan bill that would have set up a commission to study the storming of the Capitol building by incensed Donald Trump supporters on January 6th. Though the vote was 54 in favour and 35 opposed (all of them Republicans), the measure technically failed, because a filibuster—ostensibly the threat of debating a bill to death—requires 60 votes to avoid it. This flop puts two serious problems with American democracy in relief. One is that Congress can be hamstrung by a minority. The other is that the Republican Party is unwilling to escape the shackles of Trumpism.