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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGOP reconsiders its hatred of the ‘nuclear option,’ right on cue
Posted with permission.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gop-reconsiders-its-hatred-the-nuclear-option-right-cue
GOP reconsiders its hatred of the nuclear option, right on cue
11/07/14 10:16 AMUpdated 11/07/14 10:50 AM
By Steve Benen
Last year, the Senate Republican minority abuses reached untenable levels never before seen in American history. GOP senators began blocking judicial nominees even nominees they supported as part of a truly ridiculous partisan tantrum with no precedent in the American tradition.
Left with no choice, Senate Democrats restored majority rule on most confirmation votes. Through the nuclear option, the Senate would consider judicial nominees, hold a vote, and confirm the jurists who earned the support of a Senate majority.
Republicans, some of whom had already gone back on their promise to never filibuster a judicial nominee, were apoplectic. Democrats had broken the Senate, the GOP said. Dems had created a constitutional crisis, leaving the chamber no better than the lowly House. It was time for a Republican majority, the GOP said, to bring back some sanity to the way in which the institution operates.
And then, all of a sudden finding themselves in the majority, Senate Republicans came up with a new argument: Never mind.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), for example, co-wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed yesterday, saying the new Republican majority should keep the nuclear option in place
because Democrats are bad. Or something.
To restore the rule now, after Mr. Obama has installed his controversial judges, would cement a partisan double standard: When Democrats control the White House and Senate, judicial nominations need only 50 votes; but when Republicans control both, judicial nominations require 60 votes, allowing Democratic minorities to block Republican nominations.
Ah, I see. When Bush/Cheney put far-right ideologues on the federal bench, Republicans are just acting responsibly. When Obama appoints more progressive jurists to the courts, hes stacking the federal courts in favor of his partys ideological agenda. When Democrats consider judicial nominees through majority rule, its a constitutional crisis. If Republicans keep this outrageous and abusive rule in place, its fine.
{Update: As recently as two months ago, Hatch made the polar-opposite argument. We should get it back to where it was, Hatch told Politico in September. You can see the destruction that has happened around here.}
Hatch isnt the only one.
Ben Kamisar reported on Wednesday:
A group of 26 conservative academics, advocates and leaders wrote in a letter that they see very little upside to restoring the old rules, which had allowed the minority party to require 60 votes to confirm nominees.
None of this should surprise anyone. Both parties play a little fast and loose when it comes to the powers of the majority, based entirely on whether theyre in the majority at the time. Indeed, Republicans generally hope we forget the pesky details, but theyre the ones who came up with the nuclear option idea in the first place midway through the Bush/Cheney era, when Democrats blocked votes on far-right nominees and Republicans were swearing up and down that blocking votes on judges tore at the fabric of our constitutional system of government.
Then control of the Senate shifted and the parties switched sides. Now Senate control is shifting back and theyre getting ready to switch back.
Its a tiresome game, to be sure, but Republicans ought to feel some embarrassment about this display of political whiplash. They really have spent a year whining incessantly that majority rule on confirmation votes is an abuse that simply cannot be tolerated, two centuries of American governing notwithstanding,.
And now were just starting to hear their new position: Who, us? We said what, now?
DesMoinesDem
(1,569 posts)when they get the majority.
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)Count on it,with his pal Lee this is a money slam dunk. We ain't seen anything yet. The Rethugs are counting on a very divisive Congress. Easy to run against the Hillary that way. Divide and conquer.
Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)WillyT
(72,631 posts)CaliforniaPeggy
(149,621 posts)yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)But Senator Reid thought it was. So shortsighted. We are screwed. Lets hope the don't add supremes and legislation to it. Horrid decision that accounted for how many judges?
AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)Reid really fucked this one up.
WillowTree
(5,325 posts)Just sayin'.
bluestateguy
(44,173 posts)Nt
cascadiance
(19,537 posts)... if the Republicans go through with just throwing out the filibuster altogether.
To the public, Merkley's rules will look like more of a compromise than what the Republican's rules will be then, and it will expose the Republicans as being bums that only work for billionaires too all at the same time.
If they have time to debate and provide counter arguments to votes even without a means to block a majority vote, it will still likely be better than not having the time at all, that Democrats probably won't get with the rules Republicans will put in place in 2015.
And then what will they do with those rules that the public will feel like a nice gesture to them. Will they try to make a case on why their way of voting on bills is better for the public than a Democratic majority then? HAH! Lot's of luck with that when you mostly vote in ways to benefit the Koched brothers! They will be exposed even when they are given more with those rules than they will have given us the next two years. Democrats will kick their butts after that.
sheshe2
(83,770 posts)thanks bsis.
rtracey
(2,062 posts)Yup, I can see 2 years of this....I am NOT going to forgive the lazy fucks who sat out this election, and the shitty fucking candidates who basically hung out our president to dry....
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)hughee99
(16,113 posts)Last edited Sat Nov 8, 2014, 04:27 AM - Edit history (1)
On this issue based on who is in the majority, too.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023042996#post1
Calista241
(5,586 posts)If she doesn't, a winning Republican candidate is likely to have the coattails to at least maintain a majority in the Senate, and the Repubs would certainly maintain control of the house.
Reid has already changed the rules to do what he wanted to do, and there's nothing to stop the Republicans from changing the rules as they see fit. Can you imagine what the Repubs would do with control of both houses, and Dems unable to stop anything?
Volaris
(10,271 posts)run the thing so totally INCOMPETENTLY and so obviously on behalf of the 1% that they'll be back in the Minority again in 2 years.
The problem with hating useful government is that you don't know how to run one effectively.
This is a double edged sword for Dems in my opinion. They could keep it for their benefit. They could also reverse the rules and spin it to get political points. "Look at us, we're going to take the high road on this issue."
Should have never been done in the first place. Filibustering judges only hurt the Repubs.
GoCubsGo
(32,084 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)and I stress - again - the GOP is batshit crazy determined to get us all killed, it plays to their bases fantasies about commies and fallout shelters. We talk about their base fucking their own best self interests over and over, guess what the leaders will too and not just their base and us...every living critter on the planet.
Oh yeah, money...always about money. Watch the mushroom clouds while bathing in a swimming pool of $100s.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)Response to babylonsister (Original post)
MFrohike This message was self-deleted by its author.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Prophet 451
(9,796 posts)They'll scrap it.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)Prophet 451
(9,796 posts)I wish people would understand this: They have no shame. The very second Republicans are in the majority, they're going to end the filibuster entirely. As soon as they're back in the minority, they'll start arguing for it again. There are no limits to how low they will go. If they could figure out a way that voting Democratic made poison gas fill the voting booth, they would do it in a heartbeat and twice of Sundays. They will do and say anything (and I mean that word as an absolute) which advantages their side even slightly.
grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)NaturalHigh
(12,778 posts)kentuck
(111,097 posts)It's serious business for Democrats. It's just a game for them.
ThoughtCriminal
(14,047 posts)they have to look at the consequences of being a minority again. If they take away the filibuster now, they are not going to get it back.