Reid Optimistic for Filibuster Deal in Senate

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, said Tuesday that Democrats and Republicans were making progress toward resolving their differences over the filibuster, but he left the door open for an explosive backup plan that even some in his own party are resisting.

Speaking after a meeting with Senate Democrats, Mr. Reid said that he was hopeful a deal could be reached within the next day and a half. But if that does not happen, he said he would move forward with what has been called the “nuclear option,” which would allow changes to filibuster rules with only a bare majority of 51, instead of the usual two-thirds that is required.

“I’ve had some positive meetings with Senator McConnell,” Mr. Reid said, referring to his Republican counterpart, the minority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. “During the recess our staffs worked on this. We had another meeting today. And I hope that within the next 24 to 36 hours we can get something to agree on.”

If not, he said luntly, “We’re going to move forward on what I think needs to be done.”

And he indicated that despite some objections within his own conference to changing the rules with a simple majority, he had enough votes to do so.

“The caucus supports me on that,” he said.

The nuclear option has troubled Democrats like Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, who are sensitive to the notion that the rules of the Senate are something of a sacred text and should not be tampered with by exploiting a loophole.

“I have problems with the nuclear option,” Mr. Levin said Tuesday, acknowledging that his opposition may not matter in the end. “I may be one of a very few.”

The option Mr. Reid has said he would support would take advantage of a rules quirk that allows the Senate to remain indefinitely in its first day of session, the only day on which rules changes can be made.

Mr. Reid has not adjourned the Senate since it first met on Jan. 2, ! meaning that it is technically still in its first day. His hope is to make the filibuster, which senators can use to block legislation from moving forward, far less common in the Senate.

Republicans have used the filibuster to block many Democratic measures, as Democrats did themselves when they were in the minority. But Republicans have used the filibuster far more frequently in recent years, leading frustrated Democrats to conclude that the only way to break the Senate’s gridlock is to change the rules.

Mr. Reid’s proposal would not eliminate the filibuster. Rather, he wants to prevent it from being used to thwart debates on bills and require that senators actually be present on the floor when they filibuster a bill, something that has not been necessary for years despite the mythology created by movies like “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”