What fetus said is incorrect. Mainly because fillibusters are used informally all the time and this Congress has done it to the president more than any other Congress in history. The thing about it is one no longer has to talk for the entire period of a filibuster, the entire Congress doesn't even have to be session. In the old school you had to be up there. Those segregationists would sit there and just start reading the bible. Literally. They would hit you with poetry too.
These days, it's not done officially because only one person has to be there and really just the threat of it is enough. So even then, that isn't necessary. Once the other party threatens to filibuster something, its almost pointless to pursue it aside from getting the public to see their bullshyt. So the majority just moves onto another topic. Imagination if Obama sat there on his judicial appointments for like 3 months.
In other words, a filibuster is a means to hold up a final majority vote on a piece of legislation, an appointment, change to Senate bylaws, etc. It can be overturned by instituting cloture to end all debate, but that requires 60 votes.
Essentially, the Republican party has made it so that every bill the president passes that they agree with to whatever degree requires a supermajority. That is why shyt doesn't get done.
We gotta a lot of Leyet's in California on some f*ck the government steeze, that don't vote, yet get upset when MJ isn't legalized state wide. 
