Revive The Threat Of Filibuster Reform, Harry Reid

[Purveyor]

Harry Reid announced this morning that he will proceed with a vote tomorrow on Chuck Hagel’s nomination as defense secretary, even as Republicans have indicated that they will proceed with the filibuster of the nominee. Meanwhile, Sam Stein reports that Democrats are just short of the votes to overcome the filibuster.

If this isn’t enough to get Reid to revive the threat of filibuster reform, nothing will be enough.

Hagel’s fate remains unclear. Philip Klein reports today that Senate Republicans are divided into several camps; while some of them are prepared to filibuster him, others are on the fence. Those in the latter group profess to be frustrated by the administration’s supposed lack of disclosure on the Benghazi story, but could vote for cloture, anyway. According to Klein, “There is concern within the Republican caucus about the precedent that would be set by filibustering a cabinet nominee.” That’s good to hear, but still, these Senators may oppose him.So Hagel could go down.

--CLIP
Look, we should have seen this all coming. Indeed, Jonathan Bernstein did see it coming, noting recently that GOP conduct throughout Obama’s first term clearly suggested the likelihood that Dems would need 60 votes to get Hagel confirmed. And here we are.

I don’t know how this is going to play out, but if Hagel does go down, it’s hard to imagine anything happening that makes as eloquent a case for Reid and Democrats revisiting filibuster reform than this affair will have done. Remember, the watered down filibuster reform deal Reid agreed to was at least partly premised on the idea that both sides were at least somewhat committed to ending some of the abuses that rendered the Senate dysfunctional during Obama’s first term. We now see that Republicans are making a mockery of that arrangement. This goes well beyond Hagel; as always, it goes to the question of whether we are going to have a functional Senate.

MORE...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/02/14/revive-the-threat-of-filibuster-reform-harry-reid/

[demwing]

1. I believe that this ship done sailed

after the first official day of the new Senate.

So now what?

[Purveyor]

8. What is this 'nuclear option' I've heard about in the past regarding the filibuster? eom

[riqster]

2. You can't have a gentlemen's agreement

...when the other party is not a Gentleman.

[think]

3. Bingo /nt

[TeamPooka]

4. Harry fucked up. He believed the Republicans.

[brooklynite]

7. No, he didn't.

I spoke to him about this last year. He knows he got burned in 2011, and wanted to change the rules. He didn't have the Democratic votes to do it, and the Whips don't have the influence that they do in the House.

[Drahthaardogs]

11. Well, that is when you threaten to strip their committee memberships,

not allow their votes on the floor and basically threaten to make their constituents hate their ass. This is politics. If you do not have the votes, you TAKE the damned votes. We need a little more Don Corelone and a little fucking less Don Rickles.

[Light House]

5. Too late.

The new rules have already been approved and they can't be changed until a new Senate is seated.

[KharmaTrain]

6. He'd Need 67 Votes...

...to change the rules now. Taint gonna happen...

Shame on the 9 Democratic Senators that prevented the talking filibuster rule....not that it would have made any difference, the rushpublicans are hellbent on making Washington as dysfunctional as possible.

[babylonsister]

9. Rec'd. Yes, revisit this puppy; the rethugs reneged, as was

predicted.

[Third Doctor]

10. It's Reid and certain Dems' fault that this is happening.

I can't see anything meaningful getting done in the senate or house anytime soon.