Posted on 11/27/2016 5:01:16 PM PST by SeekAndFind
We should probably think of this as an exercise in managing our expectations heading into next year’s congressional battles. Two days after the election I posed a question to the Republican Party leadership: we’ve given you control of the entire federal government. Now what will you do with it? The answer will largely depend on what happens in the Senate. Trump can, if he wishes, undo many of Obama’s executive actions with the stroke of a pen and Republicans will largely control what bills come up for a vote in both the House and Senate. But activity in the upper chamber can still be largely shut down cold as long as the minority has the filibuster in their toolkit.
So if they dig in their heels and try to block the GOP agenda across the board, will we invoke the dreaded “nuclear option” and get rid of this barrier? Reporters from The Hill have been taking the pulse of the members and it sounds like they really don’t have the stomach for that fight.
Senate Republicans are wary of making a historic move to nix the filibuster despite growing pressure from conservatives.
Roughly two weeks after Donald Trump’s White House win, GOP lawmakers are already facing calls to overhaul Senate rules and help push through the real estate mogul’s agenda.
The calls to go “nuclear” are only likely to intensify next year when Democrats begin to carry out their pledge to fight Trump’s agenda on areas where they disagree.
But Senate Republicans are openly skeptical about making a rules change they believe could come back to bite them, when they are inevitably back in the minority.
The list of names of those who are already getting cold feet includes some big hitters. Lamar Alexander (who is one of the senior members on the rules committee, by the way) is against it. Orin Hatch, Bob Corker, Jeff Flake, Thom Tillis, Ron Johnson and Lindsey Graham are all signalling that they don’t want to do it, as is Mike Lee. That’s a big chunk of resistance with significant pull.
You can rest assured that not a single Democrat will support the change while Trump is in office so the GOP would need all but one or two of their members to get in line in order to pull off the required procedural maneuver. And, of course, the process doesn’t even begin unless Mitch McConnell signs off, and so far he’s just saying that he would rather see “bipartisan cooperation” and a return to comity in the upper chamber. Lovely words to be sure, but not exactly based in reality.
While I can understand the hesitation in theory and admittedly hold some affection for tradition, the main argument being offered against doing this is far less persuasive than it was in the old days. We’re being reminded that sooner or later the GOP will be back in the minority and we’ll have handed the Democrats a massively powerful weapon to turn around and use against us. But the fact is that they have already signaled in no uncertain language that they were ready to do the same thing if Hillary Clinton had won and they had regained the Senate majority. Harry Reid already did it for some procedures back in 2013 and in the final weeks before the election Tim Kaine came right out and said that plans were in place to do the same for SCOTUS votes if the GOP blocked Hillary Clinton’s nominees.
This is no longer a hypothetical conversation. When they get the chance to do so, the Democrats are going to nuke the filibuster. It’s a foregone conclusion at this point. The gun has already been brought out in Act One and it’s now simply a question of who’s going to fire it first. So with that in mind, I’ll ask our Senate leadership the same question I posed before. We’ve given you all of the power which the voters are able to bestow on you in terms of moving the conservative agenda forward. What will you do with it?
We’ll just change the rules. Eh Reid?
The RINOs need to stand by their rant, “He’s the president. He should get whomever he wants.” Nuke the filibuster! The commie ‘RATs would.
“Orin Hatch, Bob Corker, Jeff Flake, Thom Tillis, Ron Johnson and Lindsey Graham are all signalling that they don’t want to do it, as is Mike Lee. That’s a big chunk of resistance with significant pull.”
All the usual useless GOPE faggot trash.
And, yep, I mean Mike Lee too.
This is from The Hill. Take everything the report with many many large grains of salt.
“The list of names of those who are already getting cold feet includes some big hitters. Lamar Alexander (who is one of the senior members on the rules committee, by the way) is against it. Orin Hatch, Bob Corker, Jeff Flake, Thom Tillis, Ron Johnson and Lindsey Graham are all signaling that they don’t want to do it, as is Mike Lee. That’s a big chunk of resistance with significant pull.”
2018 boys. I can wait two years to gain a filibuster proof Senate.
Our side was adamant the president should get what he wants.
Make them own it and live it.
Somebody needs to Mansplain to the GOPe that this is the last chance they’re going to get. They’d better locate their cajones, ‘cuase otherwise it’s thirteen steps up and one long step down for the Republican Party.
President Trump will skewer these pukes like shish kabobs. He will be merciless.
Politically kneecap and curb stomp each one of them.
The commie ‘RATs DID.
Unlike Bush, Trump won’t be quiet and let them filibuster. Don’t worry about this...most of the dem senators up for the next midterm election are in red states.
Mike Lee is swamp scum. Disgusting man.
so...who here still wants Bob Corker for SoS? Told ya he was a wuss
Just keeping the nuclear option where Harry Reid deployed it is just fine, to speed along confirmation of Trump’s executive officials and lower court judges to balance out the court.
For the rest of the Senate’s purview, keep the filibuster, but change it back to the old-style filibuster: actually talking a bill or SCOTUS nominee to death, overridden only by a 2/3 vote. It will be spectacular to see Dumbocrats reading from a phone book or Green Eggs and Ham, like Cruz did, to stop a good bill or nominee. Let them make fools of themselves!
Other than that, the Senate GOP caucus seems to be shaping up to be a bunch of puddies again.
PING!
“And, of course, the process doesn’t even begin unless Mitch McConnell signs off, and so far he’s just saying that he would rather see “bipartisan cooperation” and a return to comity in the upper chamber. Lovely words to be sure, but not exactly based in reality.”
Yeah, and if the roles were reversed and the RATs were in charge, they’d rip ‘The Turtle’s” heart out in the Senate Chamber and leave it beating on the podium!
But there could be support for reinstating the old fillibuster rules.
That’s not mentioned much though- because it’s so reaonable.
But it means Senators who oppose a bill would have to stand on the floor and actually fillibuster it instead of checking off a box on a paper and heading out to some donor’s dinner party to get drunk.
The one thing that shuts down libs faster and more than anything, is the truth. When they start one of these tirades with a filibuster, the GOP should call a press conference and tell the public why it is being done and why the bill to improve their way of life is being stalled. Then watch the roaches run for cover and try to explain their actions. Then it may take more lies to cover their back side. At which time another press conference is called. Two can play the media game. It just has to be done.
red
No stick, then GOP will have to offer a carrot.
They do if they nuke it he way Harry Reid did. Is McConnell ready to man up?
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