Go Enter ZIP code or state abbreviation. Democrats, waiting in the weeds, prepare to launch amendments on gun control or other issues that GOP senators do not want to vote on. Republicans make a preemptive strike by moving immediately to cut off all such amendments. Democrats cry foul, demand their rights and block further action.
Republicans bring up another bill, and the whole process starts over again.
It does seem pretty terrible. The Senate's current plight arises from a paradox stemming from its unusual traditions and rules and the tension that inevitably arises in a democratic institution that puts a premium on preserving the rights of political minorities. The Senate is generally less fractious than the House because, without the House's more rigid rules that enforce majority rule, senators must rely more on consensus across party lines to keep functioning. Lights went off all over the Senate side of the Capitol. Among the sessions that were scrubbed was an appearance of the Joint Chiefs of Staff before the Armed Services Committee.