In perhaps one of the most iconic films featuring the United States Senate, naive Washington outsider Jefferson Smith finds himself dealing with political corruption and special interests since his first day as a United States senator. Out of options and completely opposed, Mr. Smith is forced to use the filibuster to complete exhaustion to convince unsympathetic senators of his principles, as well as the standards by which the Senate should operate. This classic film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, highlights many aspects of the Senate, particularly the merit of the filibuster in helping to protect the little guy, the minority. However, the filibuster throughout American history has evolved from this initial notion of minority protection into a political move used by senators to actually oppose debate. “The practice has gotten out of hand, leaving bills stalled in an often-conflicted Senate and blocking important votes for purely partisan gain” (TimeRe). The need for a reform, a constitutional reform, is evident by evaluating the very essence of the problem. The problem, best understood in the context of the historical development of the filibuster and the structural differences between the two houses of Congress, accentuates the need for reform, not abolition, of this extra-constitutional development. The filibuster has merits, but by introducing a constitutional amendment to make this senatorial policy more efficient and respectful of democracy, the consequences are extremely positive. As will be articulated below, a changing cloture rule, as well as the limitations of debate, will provide the ideal solution to what has become a growing and debilitating problem. Before venturing into the specifics of the filibus issue... half of paper... a small group of states, representing a fraction of the population of the United States, could not counteract the interests of the majority of the nation. Adding a clause to this amendment that clarifies the filibuster rules in terms of reconciliation and judicial appointments, regardless of what is logically decided, will contribute to efficiency and clarity. Overall, the ultimate goal is to make the Senate more efficient and democratic. Currently, the filibuster makes “the majority leader's role in coalition building extraordinarily challenging” (O'Connor 239). Undoubtedly this added to the negative stigma accumulated by Congress. Nonetheless, with a constitutional amendment that reforms the filibuster by adding a declining cloture rule and making rules and proceedings more explicit, the Senate can be transformed into a more efficient, bipartisan body focused on lively debate, not gridlock..