The Senate, the filibuster, and gerrymandering
One of the reasons why there is a Democratic majority in the Senate is that Senators are elected at-large from each of their states, and thus the Senate is immune to gerrymandering. That is one of the reasons why you will occasionally hear R's state they want to repeal the Constitutional Amendment which established direct election of Senators, and go back to having Senators elected by the respective state legislatures.
Should the Senate Republicans continue to obstruct to the degree they have so far, then in the absence of filibuster reform, they have to own their obstruction, and answer to their at-large state electorates. With filibuster reform, their obstruction is blunted, but so are the electoral consequences of obstructing popular legislation.
Which Senate seats are up for election in 2012?
Put another way, which R senators need to have a sign saying "obstructionist" hung around their necks as the next two years proceed?
At present, it looks like this:
Alabama Jeff Sessions Republican Running
Alaska Mark Begich Democratic Running
Arkansas Mark Pryor Democratic Running
Colorado Mark Udall Democratic Running
Delaware Chris Coons Democratic Running
Georgia Saxby Chambliss Republican Retiring
Hawaii Brian Schatz Democratic Running
Idaho Jim Risch Republican Running
Illinois Richard Durbin Democratic Undecided
Iowa Tom Harkin Democratic Undecided
Kansas Pat Roberts Republican Running
Kentucky Mitch McConnell Republican Running
Louisiana Mary Landrieu Democratic Running
Maine Susan Collins Republican Running
Massachusetts (John Kerry) Democratic
Michigan Carl Levin Democratic Undecided
Minnesota Al Franken Democratic Running
Mississippi Thad Cochran Republican Undecided
Montana Max Baucus Democratic Running
Nebraska Mike Johanns Republican Running
New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen Democratic Running
New Jersey Frank Lautenberg Democratic Undecided
New Mexico Tom Udall Democratic Running
North Carolina Kay Hagan Democratic Running
Oklahoma Jim Inhofe Republican Running
Oregon Jeff Merkley Democratic Running
Rhode Island Jack Reed Democratic Running
South Carolina Lindsey Graham Republican Running
South Carolina Tim Scott Republican Running
South Dakota Tim Johnson Democratic Undecided
Tennessee Lamar Alexander Republican Running
Texas John Cornyn Republican Running
Virginia Mark Warner Democratic Running
West Virginia Jay Rockefeller Democratic Retiring
Wyoming Mike Enzi Republican Running
-------------
I note that McTurtle is up in 2014. Is it better, for him, to have been perceived as having continued to make deals with Harry Reid under which Republican ability to obstruct is marginally weakened, or to have something imposed upon him?
