road to the capitol, originally uploaded by s0crates82 (oldskool).

This week’s blog-driven debate over the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act has left me thinking about the conflict between good-intentioned bloggers and long-standing Senate traditions.

Over the past two days I’ve reached out to friends who work in the Senate, many of whom are supporters of the so-called “hold.” I’ve long shared those sentiments, as I believe all conservatives should. As conservative Sen. Jeff Sessions said last year, taking away this legislative procedure would provide “a new advantage for those who want bigger and more expensive government.”

While I’ve said from the beginning that I support the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act (here and here), I have taken some exception to the tactics employed by bloggers. This stems from my deep respect for the Senate as an institution with long-standing traditions. Unlike the House of Representatives, where the speaker can ram through legislation, the same isn’t true in the Senate — and for good reason. Without the tactics used by Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R.-Ky.) this year, imagine the atrocious legislation that would have proceeded to President Bush’s desk.

Although I’ve failed to convince many of my friends on the left and right that they have some basic facts incorrect about Senate procedure, a few bloggers (particularly Liz Mair) have courageously stood up for accuracy.

Up until now, I’ve avoided bringing partisan politics into this debate. But it’s important to understand the Democrats’ agenda here: they’re in this to embarrass Republicans regardless of the bill’s outcome. Although the Democrats’ own leader is now just as responsible for the bill’s fate as the Republican who objected to it, we’ve seen little pressure put on Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.). Sunlight’s Paul Blumenthal continued to hammer away at the “remaining 12 Republican Senators” today without ever mentioning Reid. (In fairness to Sunlight, Bill Allison did mention it, but only in passing.)

Here’s my friendly advice to the Sunlight Foundation: Stop playing phone tag with Republican offices and demand that bloggers exert pressure on Reid to bring the bill to the floor immediately. Such a move might restore Republicans’ faith in your organization. But more importantly, it would accomplish what we all want — passage of the bill.