Senator Joe Manchin (D., W. Va.) doesn’t want to abolish the filibuster, but he does want to “make it a little bit more painful.” It’s a recurring idea that bringing back the old-timey talking filibuster would impose some discipline on the practice, thus respecting minority rights while facilitating majority rule. But I think Jonathan Bernstein gets this right: “The truth is simple: The Senate switched from talking filibusters to the current silent version because it’s better for the majority party. Bringing back talking filibusters to punish the minority gets it backward.”