Posted on 10/06/2011 4:42:43 PM PDT by jazusamo
In a shock development Thursday evening, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) triggered a rarely-used procedural option informally called the “nuclear option” to change the Senate rules.
The surprise move stunned Republicans, who did not expect Reid to bring heavy artillery to what had appeared to have been a hum-drum legislative knife fight.
Reid appealed a ruling from the chair that Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) does not need consent to force a vote on a motion to suspend the rules to consider an amendment after cloture has already been approved.
The maneuver is highly arcane but momentous. If a simple majority of the Senate votes to uphold Reid’s appeal, the Senate’s rules will have been changed by the unilateral action of one party.
Republicans had considered using this maneuver, dubbed the “nuclear option” in 2005, to change Senate rules to prohibit the filibuster of judicial nominees. Democrats decried the plan and the crisis was resolved by a bipartisan agreement forged by 14 rank-and-file senators known as the Gang of 14.
“According to my copy of the Constitution, Congress (both houses) decides their own rules.It my be hypocritical on the part of the dems, but it’s within bounds.”
It’s my understanding from reading the story that the 60 votes required to break a filibuster has not changed. What changes was the ability to perform “multiple filibusters” after cloture has been obtained by repetitive introduction of amendments causing other (potentially inordinate) delays to the final vote on the bill.
It would seem to be an even handed approach overall. That’s not to say that the DimCraps did it for that reason, of course. They’re slimes.
In any event, this is another example of the GOP congresscritters asleep at the switch, clueless, inane, incompetent, and all the other similar adjectives you can throw at them. Was McConnell drinking Old Crow in his office while all the antics were being prepared?
An early trick or treat for Mitch. Harry @$$holes payback for Mitch trying to embarrass him earlier this week with an attempt to vote on the emperor’s jobs killing bill.
4 million? I don’t think so.
Agreed. Reid is both clueless and living in an alternate reality. I’m guessing after the Republican pick io 8 seat Reid will still think he’s the Majority Leader of the Senate.
marked
Just now learning of this, Reid and the demorats do nothing without a plan and purpose, and it never is directly related to the work at hand 'alone' but always from the perspective of their larger agenda ...is this just a step in them eventually creating situations or crisis which would derail the election down the road? Either way it's nasty business and clear indication the road is going to be very nasty ahead and democrates will be pulling all the levers no matter the fallout or "surprise" it might insue.
We not only have a divided congress, but a congress at war and the Repulicans just aren't seeing it!...or they are playing both sides....or they simply aren't armed and ready...which might be all of the afore mentioned. Unfortunately they don't seem to be to swift on the uptake either!
Bastards all, and we have scores to settle.
This has to be it to some degree. Reid is crafty enough to know that Bobo's lone re-election strategy -- to run against the House on a tax-hike bill -- is a total loser, when the 2010 Red Tide still has the Big Mo. Bobo is out in 2012, in is a GOP Senate & whoever the GOP nom is. But Reid will be able to say, 'we [I] did all we could', as he retains the Minority Leader role, however substantially weakened he may have made it.
But what Reid has done is handed the GOP the next 4 Supremes on a plate. Fiddy votes in the Senate? Goodbye Roe v Wade...and good riddance...
Agree.
Yep....Reids got something up his sleeve and he's just revealed, by taking this risk, it's coming out in due time. It has to be something earthshaking or he would not have played this card.
Big problem for the Republicans is they can't see what's going on right in front of them let alone what's coming down the pike. Makes you wonder if they'll ever play hardball and get out of the little leagues.
I remember someone, Billyboy I think, suggesting that there was a silver lining to Reid winning reelection.
This is it, the man is not intelligent or in any way an effective leader.
They are going to blow up the Senate in order to preserve that steaming pile known as the “American Jobs Bill”, which will never pass because not one single member of either the House or Senate thinks it is a good idea..
Cynical does not even begin to describe it.
What the Repubicans in the House need to do is take up this stinking bill, but add in every tax increase necessary to fully fund it and fully fund the rest of the Federal budget for FY-12. Let the Democrats vote on their Porkulus III, but make sure they also have to vote on a 50% tax increase for every American in order to make it happen.
The bill would go down 435 to Zero. Then let Obama explain that he wanted the American Jobs Bill passed separately, and the taxes to be imposed automatically two months later.
You aren’t being hypocritical, you are simply pointing out the inability of Republicans in the past to display the willingness to fight for their “principles” that democrats display.
It’s a perfectly legal maneuver within the rules of the Senate. Let’s just hope that the Republicans remember this after next year and finally drop their nads enough to do something similar. I’m not optimistic, though, these *are* Senate Republicans we’re talking about.
}:-)4
Which Rinos? Who are they? They not only have betrayed conservatism they have betrayed the country.
Reid will change the rules back after the election.
If the election is valid.
Now you are expecting Boehner NOT to Cave?...ha ha! It would be a tit-for-tat in both houses.
Yep. Just before they swear in the new Senate.
“Gee, where are McCain and Graham? Weren’t they the instigators for the “gang of 14”?”
They only speak up when it’s to trash other Republicans or the party in general.
All the hand wringing back in 2005 over the Republicans “threatening” to do this and now Hairy does the same thing in the dead of night and not a whimper out of the GOP.
There *might* be a lesson here.
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