Senate Democrats are going to be working over the Christmas break to deliver a lump of coal to the American people in the form of a radical changing of the Senate’s rules. This is a naked power grab by liberals in the Senate pure and simple.
The National Journal reports that Senate Democrats are laying the groundwork to chip away at the filibuster on January 5, 2011. They are going to push the idea that a simple majority of the Senate can abolish the filibuster rules, or radically change the rules, in a new Congress.
All Democratic senators returning next year have signed a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., urging him to consider action to change long-sacrosanct filibuster rules. The letter, delivered this week, expresses general frustration with what Democrats consider unprecedented obstruction and asks Reid to take steps to end those abuses. While it does not urge a specific solution, Democrats said it demonstrates increased backing in the majority for a proposal, championed by Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., and others, to weaken the minority’s ability to tie the Senate calendar into parliamentary knots.
They are angry that they could not railroad through the Senate legislation imposing Card Check, a Public Option for ObamaCare and Climate Change. Now it is pay back time.
These liberals intend on making it harder for Republicans to participate in the legislative process. They are also setting the table to make it easier to sieze control of the Supreme Court if any of the conservative leaning members decide to retire.
Republicans would be smart to fire back with a proposed rule to abolish the Senate Majority Leader’s power to block amendments to bills, create at 2/3rds supermajority before 2nd Amendment rights can be infringed and a 2/3rds supermajority before increasing the debt limit. If Democrats want to change the rules with a simple majority, conservatives have the power to fire back with a series of new Senate rules to make it harder for liberals to expand government. It is clear that many liberals have not gamed out the consequences of this radical idea.