hey I asked someone else but it seems they are too lofty to answer me. what does go nuclear mean?
Eliminate the filibuster rule. That way a simple majority can bring a nominee up for a vote.
It means - abolish the Senate rule that permits a filibuster by the minority party that can block legislation or ratifications.
The ratifications then depend on a simple majority vote of 51 Senators to pass legislation or ratify appointments. The Democrats, when they were the majority party already changed this rule for everything else but ratifications.
The Nuclear Option. Harry Reid’s doing. (Thank you, Harry) No filibuster.
What is the nuclear option?
It takes a simple majority — 51 out of 100 senators — to confirm a Supreme Court justice. Republicans hold 52 seats in the Senate. So if every member voted along party lines, any of Trump’s nominees would successfully be voted onto the highest court in the land.
But Democrats could try to filibuster to prevent that vote from taking place at all. In theory, if they are united, Democrats could postpone a vote on any nominee for years — because as of right now, it takes a supermajority of 60 votes to end a filibuster, allowing the vote to proceed.
But if the Republicans wanted, a simple majority could vote to change Senate rules, eliminating the filibuster option entirely for Supreme Court nominations. That’s the nuclear option. It would make it significantly easier for the majority party to confirm any Supreme Court nominee going forward.