I understand that the Senate rules allows a Senator to speak for as long as they can and that it takes  3/5 of the members to close the filibuster. I guess what wasn’t clear is that just the threat of filibuster is good enough to keep an item off the floor for discussion. This is as so not to impede the other flow of Senatorial business. In regard to the Health Care Reform debate, why not let the Republicans actually filibuster? Let them impede the flow of other Senatorial business. It will help keep the issue at the forefront of the news cycle and may actually cause the press to better present the issues being discussed. Not likely, but possible.

And if they want to keep the filibuster running all summer up to the mid-term elections, so much the better. After all that time I would hope the electorate would have a better realization of what they are voting into office.

I even have a Campaign Slogan < Just Say No! – Vote Republican >

I would also suggest that the Democrats put together the best health care package they can that will get 51 votes in the Senate  and not worry about currying favor with the Democratic outliers.