Posted on 03/27/2017 10:09:48 AM PDT by davikkm
Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware predicted Monday that Republicans will “almost certainly” have to resort to the “nuclear” option to approve the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Coons, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which held four days of hearings on the Gorsuch nomination, doesn’t envision Democrats crossing party lines to vote in favor of President Trump’s nominee. “He will get an up or down vote. Sen. Schumer, our minority leader, has said it is going to be a 60-vote margin, and I doubt he is going to get 60 votes. The question then, Joe, becomes: What do we?” Mr. Coons told host Joe Scarborough on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” Mr. Coons said lingering divisions between the two parties have poisoned the debate over Judge Gorsuch. He said Democrats are mad that Senate Republicans refused to hold hearings on Judge Merrick Garland, then-President Barack Obama’s pick to fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
And in other news, Water Is Wet.
He's unlikely to come up with someone the Dems will like better. They're hoping for YEARS of non-stop obstruction, so their next election pitch will be that the GOP can't govern.
And when there is violence, the looting, burning cars, and beating people up, the so called progressive “peaceful” leadership say nothing. Absolutely nothing. Or they blame everyone else.
So, IHMO, any legitimacy that they might have for a fair and open discussion is long gone.
Rule XIX of the Standing Rules of the Senate plainly states that on any given question, a senator may speak only twice on the same "legislative day". This clause is known in Senate parlance as the two-speech rule. No senator may speak more than two times on the same matter on the same legislative day.
In simple terms, it means that once each senator has spoken twice on a matter, debate on that matter is concluded no matter what. It means that a final up-or-down vote is guaranteed. It does not preclude the Senate from invoking cloture before all senators have spoken twice, nor does it preclude the Senate from proceeding to a final vote in the absence of continued debate. Unlike the nuclear option, which kills debate instantly at the whim of the majority, enforcement of the two-speech rule effectively sets a limit on debate. Under longstanding Senate rules and precedents, a legislative day is the period of time between when the Senate convenes and when it adjourns. The Senate could therefore have multiple legislative days within the same calendar day, or it could have a single legislative day span several months if it wished.
In 1964, the Senate had an 81 calendar day-long "legislative day" to break Strom Thurmond's filibuster of the Civil Rights Act...
Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield kept the Senate on the same legislative day for 81 calendar days, from March 30 to June 19, to enforce the two-speech rule to break the filibuster of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
DO IT!
There is zero reason to get rid of the filibuster rule for Gorsuch which does not also apply to the filibuster rule period.
“Because Harry Reid did it” is NOT a valid reason.
Because the supposed good of the rule is vastly outweighed by the bad is a valid reason.
A super-majority vote in the Senate does not actually lead to a more thorough “debate,” nor is it a needed check on power. The House, the President, the Judiciary and elections are enough of a check on the Senate.
Trash the entire rule NOW and give us a chance to get off the socialist path we are on.
McConnell should announce an up or down vote....and if he cannot get 60 votes for confirmation, employ the ‘Reid Rule’ and re-vote.
If only we controlled all three branches of goverment, we could get sh*t done...
The only thing that has saved us so far is that there have been no major face to face confrontations between the different groups. I am thankful for that.
If rioters decided to move beyond their local area and city and expand, then watch out.
...and leave it there for 2 years. Enough.
It will be good practice for the next two or three appointments. Perhaps they will be activists, far to the right of Gorsuch. We could have a great time with judges bent on cutting the power of the federal government to that protector of the republic and kept on a short leash as it was always meant to be.
and once Ruth Buzzi is gone it will not be 5-4 anymore
Go Nuclear immediately. Why wait. We don’t need sheep humping Coons to push his beliefs on us. What the hell is Delaware anyway?
I think Trump's plan has Gorsuch being the most conservative judge who could get 51 votes in the current Senate. If 2018 hands us more Senate seats, and we have another opening, then Trump has the freedom to nominate somebody even more originalist.
IMO, the GOP castrati will not go nuclear.
The top rulebook says nothing about 60 votes needed to place a USSC justice. There’s only been a courtesy that extremists aren’t nominated.
If they block a center-right guy while demanding a left-wing kook then drop the courtesy and next nomination send forth the most far right candidate that can get 50 votes and tell them to pound sand.
The Dems may think why not force the nuclear now as it will reinforce the “Hitler” theme.
Everyone knows it will have to be used anyway when a liberal retires as Dems will insist a liberal be replaced by a liberal and that’s not happening.
They are filling their oats after the obamacare debacle and actually think THEY caused it. The Republicans need to push the nuclear button on Gorsuch if they have too, but I don’t know if they have the guts to do it. I look for McIsane to insert himself in this debate some way. McWeasal needs to shut him down quickly if he does.
Very stupid hill to die on for the democrats as this judge does not change the court, the next one very well could.
Yes, I moved away from Denver to a small rural town for the same reason. The fewer nuts here understand they are outnumbered and outgunned.
It’ the Harry Reid Rule.
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