Good explanation of events here:
First of all, thanks for the link Crawdad.
Here is where I am confused...look at this line from the article:
So, the end result is that by a simple majority vote, Reid was able to effectively rewrite Senate rules making it even harder than it already is for the minority party to force votes on any amendments. Should Republicans retake the Senate next year, it's something that could come back to haunt Democrats in a major way.
So tell me: what happens when we win big in November 2012? Reid and his morons still hold the Senate, and use the same 51-vote rule to just CHANGE IT BACK?
Then in January 2013, the Republicans will either have to vote again to change the rules or just let these bastards off easy.
Am I wrong?
My disdain for Democrats is palpable. I despise them.
Here's the money quote for those who are hyperventilating about the filibuster and the "nuclear option."
And just to clear up some confusion, what happened tonight was different than the so-called "nuclear option" to end filibusters. While triggering the "nuclear option" requires a Majority Leader to use the same sort of strategic maneuvers as Reid just did, tonight's move had to do with the amendment process, not filibusters.
I guess what I don't get is how this 2/3 vote was a "proxy" vote at all. The 2/3-requirement vote was for the motion to go forward, not for passage of the bill, right? So couldn't a Democrat Senator vote against the motion even if he was still in favor of Obama's "jobs bill"? They were already embarrassed on Tuesday by Reid's blocking of the vote on the bill that he supposedly has the votes for, so what would it matter?