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TIME Politics White House Samuel CorumAnadolu Agency/Getty Images President Barack Obama speaks during a press conference at the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 2, 2015.

President Barack Obama argued in a new interview that the Senate should all-but eliminate the use of the filibuster, just as Democrats in the upper chamber have begun to make use of it.

In an interview with the online policy site Vox, Obama argued that the now-routine requirement that a measure get 60 votes to pass the Senate is causing legislative gridlock and leading to polarization.

Probably the one thing that we could change without a constitutional amendment that would make a difference here would be the elimination of the routine use of the filibuster in the Senate, he said. Because I think that does, in an era in which the parties are more polarized, it almost ensures greater gridlock and less clarity in terms of the positions of the parties.

The interview was published just one week after Democrats used the filibuster to block a bill that would attempt to undo Obamas recent executive actions on immigration. The bill failed on a 51-48 vote, gathering a simple majority but falling far short of the 60-vote threshold. (Of course, even if the bill had gotten through Congress, Obama would have vetoed it.)

Obama couched his criticism of the filibuster in sweeping constitutional terms.

Theres nothing in the Constitution that requires it, he said. The framers were pretty good about designing a House, a Senate, two years versus six-year terms, every state getting two senators. There were a whole bunch of things in there to assure that a majority didnt just run rampant.

The President has flip-flopped not just on the filibuster but on how it relates to gridlock. As a senator in 2005, Obama argued that changing the Senate rules to reduce the use of the filibuster would only lead to more bitterness and gridlock.

But as President he supported a move by then-Majority Leader Harry Reid to eliminate the filibuster on most nominations, which allowed him to get key judges and officials confirmed while his party still controlled the Senate.

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Obama Criticizes the Filibuster, Just as Democrats Start Using It

Eleven Democrats vote against extending Speaker #39;s power
No more term limits for the powerful House Speaker seat. 22News explains why the final vote was so surprising.

By: WWLP-22News

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Eleven Democrats vote against extending Speaker's power - Video

GSU Young Democrats: Herman Cain #39;s 999 Plan
http://adf.ly/70849/mcnwithfullapprove The Georgia Southern Young Democrats would like to bring you Herman Cain #39;s 999 tax plan.

By: soelaksono kalih

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GSU Young Democrats: Herman Cain's 999 Plan - Video

Facing the biggest crisis of his decades-long political career, Gov. John Kitzhaber finds himself increasingly isolated.

Few of Kitzhaber's fellow Democrats are sticking up for him as he confronts a barrage of criticism, calls for his resignation and, potentially, a recall petition.

After simmering for months, influence-peddling allegations boiled over on Kitzhaber last week, when an editorial by the Oregonian newspaper calling for his resignation shined a national spotlight on the controversy. On Friday, another newspaper, the Yamhill Valley News-Register in McMinnville, followed suit, saying Kitzhaber has "ardently resisted coming straight."

"While you have enjoyed many successes, your once-admirable legacy has become soiled by your refusal to recognize and rectify wrong turns," the newspaper's editorial team wrote in a letter to Kitzhaber.

Unlike the Oregonian, which endorsed Kitzhaber's re-election bid last year, the McMinnville paper had endorsed Kitzhaber's Republican rival, Dennis Richardson.

A series of newspaper reports since October have revealed that Kitzhaber's fiance, Cylvia Hayes, did paid consulting work for organizations with an interest in Oregon public policy. During the same period, she worked as an unpaid adviser in the governor's office on some of the same issues. Kitzhaber has said repeatedly that he and Hayes took care to avoid conflicts, and a state ethics commission will decide whether conflict-of-interest laws were broken.

Kitzhaber's troubles overshadowed the first week of the legislative session as Democrats moved aggressively to advance some of their top priorities, including a measure to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions that Kitzhaber and Hayes strongly support.

In response to questions about the growing controversy surrounding Kitzhaber, legislative leaders demurred.

"This session is off to a productive start," House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, said in a statement. "As the Oregon Government Ethics Commission does its job, we must remain focused on our job as legislators, which is to serve Oregonians by advancing policies that improve people's lives and strengthen our state."

Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, offered his compassion, but he also said he's focused on his own job. Spokespeople for Courtney and Kotek declined to say whether the leaders believed Kitzhaber could effectively govern after the Oregonian editorial said he could not do so.

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Democrats Leave Oregon Governor Isolated in Controversy

PHOENIX In the face of a continued swing toward independent voter registration, the states Republican party has a message for the faithful: Were not as big a bunch of losers as the Democrats.

In a newsletter Friday to party members, Chairman Robert Graham boasted the GOP voter registration lead over Democrats has grown in the last year. He said the advantage now stands at 5.5 percent, and were not letting up.

What Graham didnt mention is that his party actually lost 17,272 adherents. Meanwhile the number of Arizonans who dont want to be associated with any of the political parties increased by more than 43,000, and now stands at nearly 1.17 million almost 36 percent of all registered voters with there now being 53,000 more independents than Republicans.

So why are Republicans crowing?

Were not last, said GOP spokesman Tim Sifert, emphasizing the fact Democratic registrations are down 29,000 over the same period.

But Barbara Lubin, Siferts Democratic counterpart, insisted shes not concerned.

Well be fine, she said.

The numbers arent there, Lubin conceded. But what wins elections is how people vote, not how they register.

If thats the yardstick, last years election suggests Democrats are in trouble.

Every single statewide (office) went to the Republican candidate as opposed to the Democrat candidate, Sifert said.

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Democrats and Republicans lose more ground