They did it:
RT @ryangrim: Boxer votes, followed by Reid, which makes 51. Nuke is detonated.
— Arthur Delaney (@ArthurDelaneyHP) November 21, 2013
Yes, we’re back to the Nuclear Option!, and no, we’re not discussing Iran (for once).
What is it? From Legal Insurrection:
“…The “nuclear option” refers to a move by the majority party in Senate — in this case the Democrats — to change the Senate rules to allow most executive branch and judicial nominations to be approved with a simple majority – 51 votes — rather than the 60 votes now required. Under the current rules, the minority party can block a nomination with just 41 votes, commonly called a filibuster…”
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Why was the previous rule so ungodly horrible that it just HAD to be eliminated by the Democrat-controlled Senate? Just listen to that purveyor of truth and light, Senator Harry Reid. From the National Journal:
“The American people believe Congress is broken,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on the floor Thursday morning. “The American people believe that the Senate is broken. And I believe that the American people are right.”
With that, the Nevada Democrat set in motion a fight over changing the Senate’s filibuster rules that has been years in the making. There were roughly 67 senators on the floor for Reid’s remarks, which is very rare for the Senate.
No, Senator Reid: the American people do NOT believe any such thing.
Senator Mitch McConnell articulated the truth about this in a spectacular speech prior to the floor vote. This is a distraction (a desperate and dangerous one, too) from the Left’s abysmal failure with Obamacare. Yet they’re obviously more than willing to sacrifice any pretense of integrity in order to change the subject and appease their base.
Even in that light, the mind-numbing hypocrisy of Reid’s action here is stunning, as both he and President Obama have argued vehemently AGAINST just such a move when Republicans held the majority:
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Even Joe “Foot-In-Mouth” Biden self-righteously added his two cents to this issue. Any guesses what his opinion was then? You know, back when it was being threatened by Republicans?
Seriously, is there even any question?
Back in 2005, this whole kerfuffle was averted by the infamous Gang Of 14, a mix of Democrat and Republican senators who banded together to prevent this rule being changed, and guaranteed an up-or-down vote on all judicial nominees except in “extraordinary circumstances”.
Which raised a rather obvious question today:
where are the Democrats joining with Republicans in a Gang of 14 to preserve the filibuster?
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) November 21, 2013
What’s done is done, I suppose. But this is going to have far more repercussions than just judicial nominees. Regardless of how craftily Reid authored this new rule, the damage has been done.
After this particular genie is out of the bottle, good-flippin’-luck cramming it back in:
Once taboo against nuke option is removed, it can be pulled again to change rules on SCOTUS or legislation,so saying it’s limited is a joke.
— Philip Klein (@philipaklein) November 21, 2013
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And in the spirit of “What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander“, I leave you with this thought as to what exactly this might mean for the not-so-distant future:
So, repealing whatever’s left of Obamacare in January 2017 will take 218 GOP House members, 51 GOP senators, and a GOP president.
— jimgeraghty (@jimgeraghty) November 21, 2013
Or, to put it even more plainly:
We win WH in 2016 & Senate — Reid’s move today ensures the end of ObamaCare. #PandorasBox
— John Nolte (@NolteNC) November 21, 2013
Two Heads are Better Than One 
Reblogged this on Dead Citizen's Rights Society.
Many thanks for the re-blog, “Mr. Dead President”!!
If only we could change the rules for impeachment to make it possible to remove the President for “high crimes and misdemeanors”. Oh, wait. Why is Obama still in office again?
Excellent point, Greg.
The GOP was previously unwilling to make such a major step, which would throw all of D.C. into chaos.
And understandably so.
This might have them reconsidering their options…
…..ALL of ’em.
Gotta STACK those courts while you can! Lifetime appointments for a lifetime of judicial activism. The Left is the biggest bunch of lying hypocrites on the face of the earth. Can’t wait to hear the weasels spin this….
The spin is intense, but recycled: “obstructionist” GOP is waging a “war on the American People”, and doesn’t believe the president is “legitimate”, etc.,…etc.,.., and on, and on.
The typical blather from a soulless group of zombies. And many of their like-minded flacks in the MSM will repeat it, unquestioned.
Don’t forget “racist”, or don’t YOU listen to Oprah???
No more than I have to…
While this is a horrible decision but I’m thinking Reid will one day regret this. But just heard on Rush that this ruling will go away if GOP ever takes back majority.
It would ONLY go away because the limp-wristed RINO’s would CAVE to the whining of the Left and “how unfaaaaaaaiiiiirrrrrrrr” it is. When THEY use it against the right, it’s because “The People” are fed up with Congress. If the Right uses it, it’s unfair…..yeah, makes perfect sense…
“Heads I win; Tails you lose”.
The Dems have been playing that game since I started following politics as a kid, and I have to believe well BEFORE that, too.
Guaranteed that THEN it will be a disgraceful way to conduct business in so storied a chamber as the Senate, or some such nonsense.
Write it down: it’ll happen.
😦
A record number of senators showed up today to push this through….purchased supoort you reckon? I’ll let you decide.
Possibly, Slayer.
More likely they are looking for anyway to get back in the good graces of their far-left constituents who feel like they’ve totally dropped the ball on Obamacare.
With the Dems’ brand in the tank due to 0-Care, they had to do something to change the momentum, and the story-line.
I believe this is just an “ends justifies the means” move, and they’ve chosen to deal with the entirely predictable political fall-out when they get there.
It’s cannibalism and VERY short-sighted, but they obviously felt it was their best option out of some very bad choices.
I have two very uneducated words I’d like to interject at this juncture…
….FREAKING IDIOTS
Those are two very apropos words, Slayer.
Nothing uneducated about ’em.
😉
Great blog JTR, keep on trucking brother.
😀
As I sit and wait for the ‘statement from the President’, which, of course, is late… I was so excited to see you write on this subject, so I came on over with full intentions of giving my two cents. As I was reading, I would have a comment in mind and then BOOM, you talked about it. HAHA! So, I have nothing to say JTR, your blog entry here fully covers everything! 😀 Now, I’ll go back and read comments… maybe it is I’m just not smart enough to think of anything to add, but someone else was!
You’re too kind, Teach.
And I’ve read enough of your writing, both here and at your place, to know full well how extremely intelligent you are.
But modesty becomes you…
😉
I also heard Rush say that. However, we do have freaking idiots running our country. That’s what they are. And the people who believe them are also freaking idiots. I don’t even want to hear El Presidente’s speech, because he just lies. He is so in love with himself and his evil ways that he’ll say anything to act like he so loves this country. I just can’t stand their reasoning. How can someone go on and on and on. Their brains must never stop thinking of what they can do if someone bucks them.
Exactly, Di. They resent anyone who disagrees with them.
It’s really that simple.
This is now, and always has been, about accruing power. Period.
The EPA, IRS, NSA, Obamacare, the unemployment data, and now this: it’s power.
That’s all they care about; it’s all they understand.
“Gangster Government” is much more than just a nice catch-phrase: it’s their entire worldview.
“and ultimately if you have a majority of people who believe in something, it should pass” … ummm, no. The hypocritical resident of the White House sounded like a sniveling little brat… “nanny, nanny, poo, poo! I WIN” Did anybody else HEAR his tone? Or did I just imagine it?
A comment I read from another site:
“The Founders despised Democracy. Viewed it as Mob Rule. We are a Representative Republic. The purpose of our Constitution and Governmental System is to LIMIT and SEPARATE POWERS.”
I do not care WHICH party is in favor of this at whatever given time they are in power… it is not the way our Republic was intended to be governed. We have criminals running the prison.
We are not just a “majority rules” nation: we have rules.
That’s why we don’t elect presidents on a “simple majority”, and why the Senate has different rules than the House.
The founders didn’t come up with these different ways to do things just ’cause they were bored one weekend.
You’re right, Teach: it’s Checks & Balances. And Reid’s move today just ripped a hole right through ’em….
This is stunning.
Changing rules in the Senate that have been in place for 200 years.
This;president who was raised in the ideology of communism has truly brought change we can believe in.
Believe it! He wants a dictatorship. It’s already in place.
I’ve been preoccupied with a lot of things these days, so I may be off a bit on my facts. Did the President today just effectively condone mob rule? “What the majority wants they should get” did I hear that correctly?
Thanks for the link, JTR. Great post.
Hi Bret, yes… I paraphrased above, but his exact words were:
“And ultimately, if you got a majority of folks who believe in something, then it should be able to pass.”
Just when I think this man cannot surprise me anymore with his, which is the best word , stupidity, ignorance, arrogance, inanity? I guess we will have to just call it Obama-isms.
Thanks Teach!
NP Bret 🙂 ‘obama-isms’ ROFLOL!
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