Posted on 11/21/2013 6:13:21 AM PST by sickoflibs
The Senate is on the verge of striking down the long-standing filibuster rules for most presidential nominations, potentially doing so on a party-line vote that would alter nearly 225 years of precedent.
Democrats, infuriated by what they see as a pattern of obstruction and delay over President Obama’s nominees, expect to trigger the showdown by bringing up one of the recent judicial nominees whom Republicans blocked by a filibuster. According to senior Democratic aides, Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) will set in motion a complicated parliamentary process that ends with a simple-majority vote setting a new rule that will allow for swift confirmation of executive branch nominees and most selections for the federal judiciary without having to clear a 60-vote hurdle.
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The impact of the move is more far-reaching, however. The means for executing this rules change — a simple-majority vote, rather than the long-standing two-thirds majority required to change the chamber’s standing rules — is more controversial than the actual move itself.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Somebody has to stop the abuse of power by Harry Reid.
They’ll change it back before next November.
You can’t unring the bell.
Once they’ve done it, so can the other side.
! Sure hope so. Republicans don’t know how to fight for their nominees.
You all are missing the DAMAGE that will be done to the country and can NOT be undone if this passes........CALL YOUR DEMOCRAT SENATORS NOW to said NO to this...they are scared enough and might (long shot) listen
It will come back to bite them when they want to do a filibuster.
Not me but a number of freepers have cheered Reid on with their comments above, go see,
The Democrats controlled the Senate at the time of the Bork nomination, and he was never filibustered. His confirmation vote failed, 42-58.
You can’t unring the bell.
Once they’ve done it, so can the other side.
The problem is the GOP never does so the Dems don’t fear the consequences. The Senate GOP is majority liberal. McCain, Collins, Ayotte, etc. will never stick to the other liberals across the aisle.
Let’s see how many Democrats are stupid enough to vote for this and give the GOP another political win in 2014.
When the RATs use this tactic to obstruct and delay the nominees of Republicans it’s all OK. But when it’s used on them they suddenly want to change the rules. It’s what small children and bullies do when they know that they can’t have their way.
McCain, Collins, Ayotte...
That’s on us. It’s our job to rid ourselves of these people. I’m sure McCain thinks his slot is hereditary and intends to slide silly Megan into it shortly, but that, too, is on us.
We must find a way to fight the well-heeled and the establishment backed.
Rules of the Senate
http://www.rules.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=RuleV
SUSPENSION AND AMENDMENT OF THE RULES
1. No motion to suspend, modify, or amend any rule, or any part thereof, shall be in order, except on one day’s notice in writing, specifying precisely the rule or part proposed to be suspended, modified, or amended, and the purpose thereof. Any rule may be suspended without notice by the unanimous consent of the Senate, except as otherwise provided by the rules.
2. The rules of the Senate shall continue from one Congress to the next Congress unless they are changed as provided in these rules.
good, I hope they change the rule as close as possible to when we take back the Senate so we can take advantage of it’s absence once we have complete control again :)
I am not an expert on the filibuster rule but though it may get rid of bad legislation faster, the change, it appears to me, would also make it easier to pass bad legislation. In other words, if Reid is for it, I’m against it. Let’s repeal Reid’s sorry ass.
It was taken to court and the GOP won but Reid came back earlier this year and threatened to go nuclear and the GOP backed down. Those illegal recess appointments are now legal.
There never has been a conservative Senate. Even back in the 1920s the Republican Party had a substantial fraction of progressives.
The communists Democrats taking over America. We are headed for a dictatorship unless we take the Senate back and keep the House
Every Senate Leader I recall (republican included) has threatened some kind of nuclear option. They hate the filibuster when it’s being used against them. I hate it because, in my opinion, it changes the constitutional legislative process.
In the long run, making it easy to get rid of bad legislation should in the long run make elected officials a little more thoughtful about the legislation they do pass.
That was a mccain “reach across the aisle” moment. The republicans had a one vote majority with Cheney casting the 51st vote. mccain ignored that. Yet he keeps getting elected.
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