Recently, baseball returned to Washington, DC for the first time in 34 years. And when the Washington Nationals took the field at RFK Stadium, they played by the same basic rules that have always governed baseball -- three strikes and you’re out, four balls and you walk, three outs in an inning, nine innings in a game.
Over the years, the basic rules in baseball have stayed the same, and even the sport's youngest fans know that you can't change the rules just to get your way.

Unfortunately, the Republicans in Washington don't seem to understand this fundamental principle. In recent weeks, we have seen many examples of Republicans abusing their power and trying to change the rules.
In the House of Representatives, a Republican leader was admonished by the ethics committee three times. And what was the Republican reaction? They changed the rules to protect themselves.

Now Republicans want to change the rules in the Senate too. Senate Republicans are trying to eliminate the filibuster so that they can force the Senate to give lifetime appointments to unfit judges. The filibuster is the prolongation of a debate, designed to stop a nomination or a law, and is a tool that the U.S. Senate rules allow to use as a last resource for whichever party is in the minority.

Hispanics in the United States understand the historical role the courts and government have played in the lives of minorities in extending equal protections and rights. They know that judges and the courts are often the last resort for minorities seeking redress from inadequate or unfair laws. Furthermore, Hispanics, like other minorities, have a great appreciation for rules, like the filibuster, that have guaranteed them a voice in their government.

An authoritarian regime in which one party has control over all decisions and leaves no space for debating presidential decisions is not what Hispanics expect from their government. In fact, that sort of tyranny of the majority and the arbitrary and abusive changing or ignoring of rules is what many Hispanic families left behind when they became American citizens generations ago.

We cannot allow the democratic principles that make America a stronger nation to be undermined by arrogance and an outright abuse of power.

This country works better when we cooperate and work towards compromises that benefit the greater good and not one political party over another. That is what the filibuster is about. It has been used by Republicans and Democrats in the Senate for more than 200 years, and it has worked as part of the checks and balances system of our government. We should not get rid of the filibuster now just because one political party is intent on getting its way on every issue.

Democrats in Washington are the last remaining check on the Republican-controlled government. If the Republicans succeed in changing the rules of the Senate, they will not only be silencing Democratic voices, they will also be silencing the voices of the millions of Latinos represented by Democratic Senators.

This President has a better record of having his judicial nominees approved than any President in the past twenty-five years. Only ten of 218 nominations have been turned down -- and those ten had views that seriously placed into question their ability or willingness to make fair and impartial rulings.

That is why we hope that responsible Republicans in this country and in the Senate will tell their leaders to stop wasting time trying to change Senate rules that have worked for over 200 years, and get back to the work of the American people.

It is time for Republican leaders to focus on solutions to skyrocketing gas prices, the 45 million people without health care in America, and on creating American jobs so that everyone can afford to pursue the American dream.

Sen. Harry Reid is the Senate Democratic Leader and represents the state of Nevada; Rep. Charles A Gonzalez represents the 20th Congressional District of Texas and is the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ Civil Rights Task Force.