I'm not real clear on why there aren't real filibusters. I know one time it was discussed during the last Congress: we had fewer votes anyway and a couple of our guys were more or less out of commission -- recent surgery, etc. and wouldn't have been able to take the long hours.
Could the Republicans force a real filibuster if they wanted to?
Certainly we could force a filibuster. They are just lazy, IMHO. And they are afraid of the publicity. They still remember the backlash when Gingrich shut down the government. They've sat on the fence so long they are suffering from crotch rot -- in the words of a Texas lady I once knew!