Posted on 12/08/2016 8:30:10 AM PST by rktman
Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, writing in Thursday's New York Times [1], says he has "a few things to say," now that he's leaving the Senate for good.
Reid devoted half of his op-ed to a defense of the Senate rule change he instituted in 2013. The so-called "nuclear option" will allow confirmation of Donald Trump's nominees (except for the Supreme Court) by a simple 51-vote majority. It eliminates the filibuster.
"One thing we fought for that’s worth defending is a fairer, more open and more productive Senate," Reid wrote. "We changed the Senate rules to guarantee a president’s nominees a fair, simple-majority vote, and declared that a president’s nominees should not be stymied with procedural hurdles and a requirement for supermajority votes.
"We declared that the changes should apply regardless of which party was in the White House, because fair votes are what democracy is all about. I doubt any of us envisioned Donald J. Trump’s becoming the first president to take office under the new rules. But what was fair for President Obama is fair for President Trump."
Reid called the rule change a "victory" for a "functioning, open and transparent Senate."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
Problem is McCain and Linda (SC) and Collins. What is the count in the Senate right now? I think even if we lose those votes we should be able to take Manchuin (sp). He has an election in a very red state and then Pence should break any time. Correct me if I’m wrong
Doesn't need to be. The Senate has tradtionally always given SCOTUS nominees a vote.
The 60 vote thing is a "vote to vote" process, and when fewer than 60 "vote to vote," that is supposed to signal "debate more, vote later," not "vote never."
The US Senate is a dysfunctional and dishonest deliberative body.
Let that be a warning to liberals everywhere. Your garbage regulations may sound good when you think you are only taking someone else's rights. But, don't forget the pendulum swings both ways.
There are a lot of things that Senators can do to extend debates, delay votes, put a hold on votes, and generally gum up the works short of a filibuster. You can expect the Democrats to use every one of them.
With hairy, you KNOW there must be something fishy going on any time he utters anything.
And Angus King, and the little witch from Alaska, Murkowski. Check the membership list at Republican Main Street.
True and Trump should give Rats "more of the same" as they always advocate. Trump should prevail on Republicans to Nuke the rest of the Filibuster including SCOTUS appointments, and Pack the court to 17 or 19 justices with 8 or 10 new hard line Conservative Justices, then renumber Federal District Courts appointing hard line Conservative judges. Finally bringing back the HUAC and creating a corresponding Senate committee, and permanently go after vote fraud and illegal aliens.
Merrick Garland did not receive a vote. No nomination for Associate Justice has ever been filibustered. However, President Lyndon Johnson's nomination of sitting Associate Justice Abe Fortas to succeed Earl Warren as Chief Justice was successfully filibustered in 1968.
I think you hit on the main point of everything involved with this election and its aftermath. Trump had intelligence on everyone. That is why Hillary couldn’t fight him in her usual manner. She was not lax in her campaign. She was afraid to go many places she would normally have gone. Her only hope was to ride it out and let the Media fight for her. I would bet Trump has something on every Dem Player including Obama.
I agree with your observations, but still, senate treatment of SCOTUS nominees is remarkably different from its historical mistreatment of other judicial nominees.
After reading this, I asked my wife to pinch me to see if I was still asleep and dreaming.
Ouch, I was awake and for once Reid and I agreed:
“One thing we fought for that’s worth defending is a fairer, more open and more productive Senate,” Reid wrote. “We changed the Senate rules to guarantee a president’s nominees a fair, simple-majority vote, and declared that a president’s nominees should not be stymied with procedural hurdles and a requirement for supermajority votes.”
“We declared that the changes should apply regardless of which party was in the White House, because fair votes are what democracy is all about. I doubt any of us envisioned Donald J. Trump’s becoming the first president to take office under the new rules. But what was fair for President Obama is fair for President Trump.”
Did Harry have another fitness accident?/s
What’s he gonna say - “We were as corrupt as can be when we did it”?
And she and her campaign staff were probably too stupid to realize that back in early 2016, when they were were pushing Trump as the "easiest Republican to beat."
I wonder how many ashtrays she threw at her staff when she first realized that Trump already knew everything about the Clinton Foundation's criminal enterprises? :)
Every news report or interview of Harry Reid should have the question “how did you become a multi-multi-millionaire with your 34 years in ‘public service’”?
>>Trump had intelligence on everyone. That is why Hillary couldn’t fight him in her usual manner. She was not lax in her campaign. She was afraid to go many places she would normally have gone.
>And she and her campaign staff were probably too stupid to realize that back in early 2016, when they were were pushing Trump as the “easiest Republican to beat.”
>I wonder how many ashtrays she threw at her staff when she first realized that Trump already knew everything about the Clinton Foundation’s criminal enterprises? :)
I bet it went something like this:
https://youtu.be/D026asX0oMo
Sounds like Dingy Harry might be concerned about investigations into his actions as a Senator.
Harry Reid is a mormon.
Isn’t this despicable little turd gone yet?
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