Schumer Says He Wishes Dems Hadn't Nuked The Filibuster For Cabinet Picks

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo


By MATT SHUHAM Published JANUARY 3, 2017, 3:20 PM EST

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Tuesday that he regretted Senate Democrats’ move in 2013 to reduce the number of votes required to confirm Cabinet picks from 60 to 51.

"I argued against it at the time. I said both for Supreme Court and in Cabinet should be 60 because on such important positions there should be some degree of bipartisanship," the newly-minted Senate minority leader told CNN's Dana Bash, according to the network’s transcript. "I won on Supreme Court, lost on Cabinet. But it's what we have to live with now."

The so-called “nuclear option” that Senate Democrats exercised in 2013 may have given President-elect Donald Trump much greater freedom to choose unorthodox Cabinet members, knowing that Senate Democrats alone don’t have the votes to filibuster his nominees.

Included in Trump's Cabinet roster are multiple picks with no experience at all in government, others who have for years been actively antagonistic against the agencies they may now lead, and some who may face conflicts of interest in governing industries in which they formerly operated.

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/schumer-regrets-fillibuster-rule-change-cabinet-picks

[NWCorona]

1. Those 9 votes can make all the difference.

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. Make that "will"

[Proud Liberal Dem]

3. Well

We had been dealing with unprecedented levels of obstructionism for 5-6 years by that point, so Reid's frustration with Republicans was understandable. Republicans will never get as much obstruction from Democrats as we got from them but now that the "norm" has been broken, the Republicans will likely go along with it (and possibly even do more). Hopefully, Democrats can bring a few Republicans along with them to oppose some of these nominees but if they can't, well, I guess Trump/GOP will own the resulting disasters.

[apnu]

14. And yet the Democrats never once used the bully pulpit on that point.

I learned, much to my frustration, that wasn't Obama's style, but other Dems never really kicked and yelled over the Republican do-nothing-ism. Now its far to late to say boo about it, and we now all have to live with the history that's been written that this sort of obstructionism is OK.

And when the Dems do it, the Republicans will bitch endlessly about it and get sympathy for it.

The Dems didn't make noise then, they'll be fools to make noise now. When people talk about Democratic cowardice, this is exactly it. I'm not saying all Democrats are cowards, but most of the Congress critters are.

I've heard some say, "well they have to worry about elections" and that's only partially true. Yes they have to worry about elections, but voters love it when the politician stands up for principles, even if they lose. If there's anything to learn from the Republicans its that. Stand up for what you believe in and make noise about it. People respect that. Have a damn backbone!

[Va Lefty]

4. If we didn't do it they would now

Seriously Schumer, do you think Yertle and Carnival cruz would allow Dems to do 1/10th of the shit the pukes pulled the last 6 years?

[brutus smith]

5. Agreed!

[RayStar]

12. Also agreed

The gop is such a rotten bunch of people they don't care who they step on.

[Hortensis]

6. Of course he regrets that loss of power now.

Poor guy.

So maybe, Plan B? Let them show just how bad they are. Subsection: 1a: Don't let them blow us up in the process.

[Wellstone ruled]

7. Schumer has issues.

First thing is Chuckie is only interested in his little empire. New York City,namely Wall Street. Secondly,he will do anything and everything to protect his Pal Bibi. Chuckie is not a friend of anyone who lives out side his little Empire.

[lancelyons]

8. the democrats had to do this because the republicans where obstructing on all of Obamas picks

the democrats had to do this because the republicans where obstructing on all of Obamas picks

[lark]

9. Cry me a river, Schumer.

He was against filibustering anything that BFEE did and is still the same Repug appeaser. He's what's wrong with the Dem party and needs to start caring more about the working class than the rich Wall St. types that fund him or get out of town.

[tenorly]

10. No regrets.

There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that, in the position the GOP is in now, the filibuster would have been scuttled in a new York minute anyway.

By doing so in 2013, Reid at least got 80-90 of Obama's court nominees in place - that's 80-90 judgeships that would have gone to the every kind of bigot, grifter, and traitor the Donald could have scraped from the bottom of the New Jersey scum ponds.

[StevieM]

11. There was no other choice at that point. The GOP was filibustering like crazy. And, besides, they

would be getting ready to do it now if we hadn't done it then.

The real mistake was not getting rid of it long before Barack Obama had to take it into account when deciding who to nominate for FBI Director. The GOP actually filibustered Comey for awhile, but I think that was mainly for show. Appointing James Comey as FBI Director was the biggest mistake of the Obama Presidency.

[apnu]

15. There was a choice, they could have taken the case to the american people.

Flood the media with GOP obstructionism, only talk about that at every and all reporter 100% of the time. Talk about nothing else but the obstructionism. Go out to the people in the districts and talk about nothing more. Blame the Republicans for everything that fails and was failing. Crops don't grow? Its Republican obstructionism. Can't get debt relief? Its Republican obstructionism. Your job went to Mexico or China? Its Republican obstructionism.

But Obama and the Democrats decided they'd try to work with a political party that had zero interest in negotiating in good faith. They flat out said as much and did as much. Yet for all these years, the Democrats decided to be nice with them.

Well now the Republicans own it all. They got away with the SCOTUS, they got both houses of Congress and they got the White House. There is zero chance the Republicans will be nice. They will step on and squeeze the life out of the Democrats.

Its like the thing about speaking when the Nazis came to take one group after another. Democratic party leadership didn't kick a like a mule when they had the chance. They muttered and groaned and tried to play by the old rules. We all now have to suffer Democratic leadership weakness.

And for the record, I love almost everything about Obama, but his desire to work with the Republicans is the one thing I sharply disagree with him on. I said it then in 2009, and all through to now, I've said it.

[Kali_Klik]

21. THIS

time for Dems to call them out.

Obstructionism. Obstructionism. Obstructionism. Obstructionism. Obstructionism. Obstructionism.

[snort]

13. Formerly operated?

MWAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHAAAAAA!

[samir.g]

16. They can still filibuster Mattis' waiver

[former9thward]

18. Democrats are not opposing him.

They are opposing eight others. http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/02/politics/senate-confirmation-hearings-democrats-target/

[still_one]

17. and what makes him think that the republicans would not have nuked the filibuster this time if the

Democrats didn't do it because of the refusal to allow any of President Obama's appointments to go through

[Tatiana]

19. This reads like a swipe at Reid.

I think Reid made the right decision at the time to cut through the unprecedented obstruction. Yeah, it's coming to bite us in the a$$ now, but think about all the positions that would not have been filled if the rule hadn't been changed.

[Wabbajack_]

20. Irrelevent, GOP would have used nuke option

Regardless of what Reid did.