re: #55 Hecuba’s daughter

One MSNBC program yesterday (don’t recall which) mentioned that 30+ years ago Senate legislation routinely passed based on majority vote. What changed so that all legislation now requires filibuster-proof majorities?

Partisanship. Republicans started extending the middle finger to Democrats during the Clinton administration. Democrats responded in kind - mostly in situations when it was called for - but Republicans called them partisan hacks and escalated.