Partisan Fever in Senate Likely to Rise

The New York Times ^ | 11/21/2013 | Jonathan Weisman

[Beave Meister]

President Obama will get a short-term lift for his nominees, judicial and otherwise, but over the immediate horizon, the strong-arm move by Senate Democrats on Thursday to limit filibusters could usher in an era of rank partisan warfare beyond even what Americans have seen in the past five years.

Ultimately, a small group of centrists — Republicans and Democrats — could find the muscle to hold the Senate at bay until bipartisan solutions can be found. But for the foreseeable future, Republicans, wounded and eager to show they have not been stripped of all power, are far more likely to unify against the Democrats who humiliated them in such dramatic fashion.

“This is the most important and most dangerous restructuring of Senate rules since Thomas Jefferson wrote them at the beginning of our country,” declared Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee. “It’s another raw exercise of political power to permit the majority to do whatever it wants whenever it wants to do it.”

[Beave Meister]

No Kidding. And "if" the GOP ever getscontrol of the Senate and try to do the same thing to the Democrats. The Democrats will cry that the Republicans are bullies. And that big bad Hairless Reid was the one did that not us we never wanted to do that, he made us. So you shouldn't punish the rest of us and the entire country for that matter. It was Reid's fault.....and Bush's.

[a fool in paradise]

Dead Red Ted Kennedy is laughing today. Maybe in Hell, but he’s chuckling about his lasting legacy of denying Bush’s judicial appointees.

He’s also glad that Obama’s attempts to call Obamacare “Kennedycare” failed.

[plain talk]

The question is - what will the Republicans do about it? I guarantee if the tables were reversed the dems would take some dramatic action.

[cotton1706]

And Mitch McConnell will do everything he possibly can to tamp down any such partisan fever for as he said yesterday “this is no time for talk of reprisal.” And he said it in his usual slow, turtle-like tone, probably reading it from several pieces of paper that he turned slowly.

[knarf]

No kiddin' ...

[Liz]

Republicans can’t sit idly by——they better be ready.

Maybe enter the chamber w/ gags over their mouths-—to underline the Dem’s silencing them.

A couple Senators might wear blindfolds and carry white canes-—to illustrate Dems obliterating-—throwing blinding acid-—on historic Senate filibuster rules.

[Individual Rights in NJ]

There is no question at all, that if we ever do get a majority again, we will IMMEDIATELY have the entire media and Dem caucus screaming that we need to change the rules back and make it fair and that those were “special circumstances” and we don’t need that anymore, etc etc etc, and our dumb-ass party will of course go along with it.

I can’t believe the GOP even exists anymore, who the hell gives them money or votes for them?

I voted for Lonnegan against Booker, but for the normal election we just had I did a write in for every single darn position on the ballet. I hate Christie...

I will continue voting write-in’s until I finish our planned move to Highland Village, TX this spring. (CAN’T WAIT!) Even then, my default is write-in, as opposed to loser party.

I usually write-in myself or my father’s name.

[saganite]

Notice how they categorized the Republican reaction as though they are childishly upset at having been humiliated instead of addressing the concern for the loss of the ability to use the rules to slow debate and enforce cooperation? Even when the NYT manages to understand the Democrats have staged a blatant power grab they still can’t help but categorize Republican reaction as shallow and self serving.

[LowTaxesEqualsProsperity]

We have the House. We have the power. Let’s use it.

[Night Hides Not]

We have the House. We have the power. Let’s use it.

Thanks to Harry, Obama's officially a lame duck. There is no reason for the House to take up anything that comes from the Senate.

[Paine in the Neck]

And Mitch McConnell will do everything he possibly can to tamp down any such partisan fever for as he said yesterday “this is no time for talk of reprisal.” And he said it in his usual slow, turtle-like tone, probably reading it from several pieces of paper that he turned slowly.

A very evocative and accurate word picture. If McConnell had any spine it would be scorched earth in the Senate. Everything gets filibustered. The business of the Senate is done until this is reversed. And Boehner should be backing him up vociferously. The House should even consider breaking up the DC Circuit and dispersing its review authority to other Circuits.

[knarf]

I will appear at the Republican Party headquarters today at noon to have a three way tie broken for school board.

Seems in this last election, no one ran for school board, so I wrote my name in .... so did two other people.

We'll pull three bingo balls .... highest one wins.

O - 75 !!!

[Individual Rights in NJ]

Hah! Go you!

[knarf]

Yeah ... THIS’LL be a trip.

[Mouton]

The senate now is effectively an extention of the house however in the senate there is no power for the minority to bring a bill to the floor, the discharge petition, so, in some cases it is even worse.

[listenhillary]

Best of the article

“The rule change lowered to a simple 51-vote majority the threshold to
clear procedural hurdles on the way to the confirmation of judges and
executive nominees. But it did nothing to streamline the gantlet that
presidential nominees run. Republicans may not be able to muster the
votes to block Democrats on procedure, but they can force every
nomination into days of debate between every procedural vote in the
Senate book — of which there will be many.”

[Individual Rights in NJ]

If you win, just remember: comb through every civic or history text book in your district and immediately remove and replace all with anti-American perspectives. This includes highlighting divise issues like the continual focus of discussion of slavery, and civil rights, and social justice and Islam is great, etc etc etc.

Not every school has these, but plenty across the nation do. If you’ve ever seen them, it is like going into a space-time leap where we let Iran and Russia decide how we are presenting the material to our own children. You know, literally inviting our worst enemies to launch the most prized of psychological warfare attacks on us.

[knarf]

I’ve been fantasizing along those lines since earlier this week when I got the call.

[Night Hides Not]

I will continue voting write-in’s until I finish our planned move to Highland Village, TX this spring. (CAN’T WAIT!)

Welcome to the Metroplex! I've lived in Texas for over 30 years, and don't plan on leaving. Highland Village is a great community.

[lodi90]

A very evocative and accurate word picture. If McConnell had any spine it would be scorched earth in the Senate. Everything gets filibustered. The business of the Senate is done until this is reversed.

---

This is an attack on the vaunted comity of the Senate but keep in mind the Dems want to the GOP to do public “obstruction” stuff. It feeds their propaganda narrative and the MSM will slurp it up.

If the GOP was interested in being an opposition party they would go hard populist. Hammer the Dems on the Vitter amendment, carpet bomb media campaign on red state Dems, etc., etc. Also, a real opposition party would do every little petty thing behind the scenes they can. Starting NOW.

Waiting until 2014 is abject surrender by McConnell in the face of raw tyranny. It’s really nothing different than the same old tip toe to the election strategy. Pain must be inflicted on the Dems RIGHT NOW but the losers in the GOP refuse to be an engaged opposition party.