It's been quite miraculous how the evil nasty filibuster has been transformed into a simple vote threshold, from something evil obstructionist Democrats do to simply The Way Things Work in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body.
So I decided to check one phrase - "60 votes needed for passage" and see how often it appears.
It showed up 5 times in the Washington Post. Twice in 2002. Three times in 2007. All when Democrats controlled the Senate.
It showed up 3 times in the NYT, all during periods when Democrats controlled the Senate.
Associated Press, only when Democrats controlled the Senate.
It's just one phrase and there are certainly other ways to express the same point. Still, funny how things work.
