Posted on 12/29/2010 1:13:21 PM PST by La Lydia
The Democrats are trying to change the Senate rules so that they can ram through their agenda when their majority shrinks next week from 59 to 53 seats. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has been scheming behind closed doors to use his slim majority to vote on January 5 for the most drastic rules changes since 1975.
"Democrats lost the election. Their power has been weakened significantly. So they are trying to do a Washington-insider tactic to try to grab power, even though the voters told them very clearly in the election that they didn't like them, and didn't like their policies," said a Republican Senate aide.
In a closed-door meeting last week, Reid told the Democrats that he may outright break the rules on the first day of the 112th Congress in order to pass his audacious changes without bipartisan support.
"If Reid endorses the rules change, it would be the first time in history that a Majority Leader has opted to cut off debate on a Senate rules change by a majority vote," said Marty Gold, a long-time Senate leadership aide and now an attorney at Covington and Burling.
Currently, the Senate needs 67 votes to end debate on a rule, then 51 votes for the rule itself. Since Reid's rules do not have Republican support, he will need to do a historic end-run around the 67-vote bar (two-thirds of the Senate) to pass them.
Reid’s plan is backed by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y), the ambitious operator who is Chairman of the Rules Committee. Schumer held six hearings in 2010 alone on the filibuster and Senate rules changes. Backed by Schumer and Reid, Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) drafted three major rules changes, which he will bring up for a vote on January 5.
First, the Democrats would make the unprecedented move to change the Senate rules each time a new Congress is elected. Throughout its history, the Senate rules have carried over in a new Congress. The Senate is a "continuing body" because its members are elected every six years, on a staggered basis. So for each new Congress, two-thirds of the Senators are continuing their terms, thus the rules stayed intact.
"The Senate has always changed its rules by regular order," said Gold, referring to getting the 67-vote threshold. "So for Udall to do this now would be take that history and turn it on its head. This would be an extraordinary step that makes the Senate like the House of Representatives, with respect to how it treats its own rules."...
Second, the Senate Democrats are trying to change the filibuster process so that bills can get voted on with only 51 votes, rather than 60 votes (three-fifths of the Senate). A filibuster on a bill involves debate without a time limit. The filibuster is a stalling tactic used by the minority so it can affect debate and votes.
Under the current rule adopted in 1975, the Senate can end a filibuster by getting 60 votes for cloture, which would end the debate. After the 60-vote cloture hurdle, the legislation goes to the floor for a vote. Udall wants to change the process so only 51 votes are needed to vote on legislation, which would take away the power of the minority party to prevent passage of a bill.
“Dems thought 60 was too big a lift when they had 59 votes,” said a GOP aide of votes needed to end cloture. “Now that their ranks are reduced we fully expect them to try and turn the Senate into a version of the House so they can continue to ram through their partisan, unpopular agenda.”...
“EASIER FOR THE COMING 2012 REPUBLICAN SENATE MAJORITY TO GET ALL KINDS OF THINGS REPEALED”
Not true. They will change the rules back to 2/3 majority before the new majority takes office if it looks like they are going to lose. Dingy Harry has all the bases covered.
I agree with you. Some of these agencies are out of control and I think taking a meat-axe to their budgets is the most direct way to get their attention. EPA and FCC come to mind as egregious offenders. A sharply reduced budget is the only thing that is going to stop an agency that suddenly fancies itself a king. Or maybe better yet, simply leave them out of the budget entirely until they formulate new regs that indicate a newly found respect for the constitutional order.
January 3rd, 2011 is a Monday.
“...Or maybe better yet, simply leave them out of the budget entirely until they formulate new regs that indicate a newly found respect for the constitutional order.”
There ya go. Right on the mark.
That would mean the game is over. This country would be finished by then. Think about it. All you have to do is put in a few judges with an agenda, game over. Hell, makes me wonder if a judges interpretation of the House to be unconstitutional. This is more significant then some might think.Hell, he could pass a treaty with the UN allowing them to come in to our country and collect taxes. The list goes on.
Jan 3 is a Monday and is not a federal holiday!
* January 1, 2011 (the legal public holiday for New Year’s Day), falls on a Saturday. For most Federal employees, Friday, December 31, 2010, will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See 5 U.S.C. 6103(b).)
Republicans didn’t do it when they had an opportunity because those rules would have come back to bite them....these rule changes will ensure dems defeat in 2012.
Why would Jan 3 be a Federal holiday?
I’m missing something here...
Exactly correct!
That is what I am thinking. We can jam our own program through down thier throats. since we have the House we can keep the donks fromdoing anything to outrageous until then. I just hope when our people take over they the heart to get it done like the donks do.
All sounds great to me. I love gridlock/divided government.
I just wish our players would run the same type of defensive playbook the other team uses when they are in the minority....
I think you meant to write”THIS is Pelosi and Reid’s “MOST UNETHICAL CONGRESS EVER...”
January 3, 2011 is a Monday. New Year’s Eve is Friday, December 31, and New Year’s Day, January 1, 2011 is Saturday, Sunday is the 2nd so the 3rd is Monday.
Oh yeah, federal workers must get the following Monday off when a holiday, they usually get off, falls on the weekend.
Reid, at least, should have been excommunicated long ago. You cannot support baby murder and approve of homosexuality and be a Mormon any more than you can as a Catholic.
Udall also supports baby murder and not only approves homosexuality, but hires them for prominent positions on his staff.
Jan. 3 is a Monday.
I hear you. It’s time for the democratic agenda to stop and the republican investigations to begin.
Wrong. Appointments are never filibustered and treaties require a 2/3 vote of the Senate per the Constitution.
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