[AaronInCarolina]

Changing the rules for voting for cloture can be a double edged sword with the potential to hurt the right if they ever become a minority again. If they do it, they better be very careful to limit to just judicial nominees, but even that has the potential to hurt in the future.

I think it is a VERY safe bet that the democrats would waste no time to do this very same rules revision IF/when the Republicans were in a minority status and attempted to exercise a filibuster (or cloture denial). We can be goody-two shoes, play the nice guy, and be, as you said, run roughshod over (except in this case by the minority), only to have them play not so nice when/if the Republicans become a minority power.

Consideration of what may happen hypothetically in the future in the event of losing the majority ought to give us pause, but it ought not be the determining factor.

[neverdem]

but it ought not be the determining factor.

It will be for RINOs like McCain, etc. McCain was re-elected with 77% in the general election last November. I believe he had no viable primary opponent. In many of the states with RINO senators, the only real alternative is a dem.

[KenL]

{{I think it is a VERY safe bet that the democrats would waste no time to do this very same rules revision IF/when the Republicans were in a minority status and attempted to exercise a filibuster (or cloture denial).}}

Agreed. The truth is, one of the major problems in the Senate with a lot of these issues is that the Senate operates by a lot of extra-Constitutional rules. They can be manipulated by the majority or the minority, but the end result is effectively disrupting the whole concept of representational government.