Harry Reid announced today that if some Obama nominees are filibustered in July that he plans on trying to put up for a vote that he is going to invoke the nuclear option which will forever change the Senate so that a simple majority is all that is required to pass things.

If that comes to pass, start praying for good health for Justices Roberts, Kennedy, Alito, Scalia and Thomas. Without a filibuster, we will see some real leftists appointed to the court that will make Ginsburg look like the second coming of Scalia.

This country is about to enter a perilous time I suspect.

I'll be surprised if this happens. Harry's gonads aren't big enough to pull the trigger.

I actually agree that the 60 vote rule is so stupid. Historically, it is usually just taken the 51. It is only in the last 10 years where the 60 vote threshold became ironclad.
That goes for both parties.
They only complain about or use the filibuster when it suites them.

The filibuster is part of the tradition of the Senate. It's supposed to encourage/facilitate debate precisely so the majority cannot simply overrun the minority and ramrod legislation thru.

I say let the idiot bluster. Maybe he is thinking of retiring and so does not concern him, but that path cuts both ways. Anyone that supports that vote will one day regret it, guaranteed (no matter which side of the aisle they are on).

This is really an affront to the whole process, and would weaken checks & balances. When the majority (and POTUS) is divisive and partisan, this is a tool of the minority to fight back.

ptown_trojans_1;1444616 wrote:I actually agree that the 60 vote rule is so stupid. Historically, it is usually just taken the 51. It is only in the last 10 years where the 60 vote threshold became ironclad.

The 60 vote rule is for cloture (in fact, it used to be 2/3 instead of 3/5), legislation still only requires 51 votes to pass.

Part of the problem is they aren't making people actually fillibuster, and it's been a tool of Reid to blame Repubs for gridlock. While it's true that they've had a record number of cloture votes, it's also true it passes with record percentages. It's not clear, digging into the numbers, that Repubs have actually been more obstructive than past minorities, but it IS clear that Reid uses cloture as a tool to manipulate the agenda and point fingers.

It is, but now the notion you have to get to 60 votes regardless of what is it is the stupid part.
Let things go to simple majority for all, then if somehow has an objection, then he/ she can throw the fillibuster card.
But, to say, ever single freaking item in the Senate has to get 60 makes no sense and goes against the nature of the Senate.

ptown_trojans_1;1444623 wrote:It is, but now the notion you have to get to 60 votes regardless of what is it is the stupid part.

I don't think that is correct. It still only requires a simple majority to pass legislation. The SML can kill a bill if he doesn't get 60 votes for cloture, but the necessity of many of these cloture votes has been dubious. That's part of how Reid controls the agenda and spin - he's called for a record number of cloture votes (by wide margin) before a bill is even introduced and opened for debate. He's also "invited" filibusters by filling the tree.

You are absolutely correct that the Reid can - and does - make it such that bills effectively require 3/5 support to pass.