Posted on 11/22/2013 2:40:00 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
Senate Democrats triggered the “nuclear option” Thursday, using a shortcut to undercut the chamber’s filibuster rules and giving President Obama a clear path to stack the federal judiciary with ideological allies.
In a tense 52-48 vote, Democrats overturned decades of precedent and reduced the number of votes needed to cut off the filibuster of a nominee from 60 to a simple majority — and in the process tinkering with a tool that has made the Senate unique.
Republicans were hinting at retaliation and said the move further poisoned the atmosphere on Capitol Hill.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, said he didn’t fear retaliation. He said he reached a tipping point after Republicans filibustered three of Mr. Obama’s nominees to serve on the federal appeals court in Washington, which is considered the second most important court in the country because it hears cases involving key federal agencies.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I believe it’s triggered on re-set.
Wow. Founding Fathers must be spinning in their graves. The Judiciary role defined as to protect the achievements of Presidents.
The Senate Dems are risking civil war.
I’m thinking this is not just a stepping stone in that direction, but the whole friggin’ Golden Gate Bridge.
Did FDR have the IRS, EPA, DEA, FBI, OSHA, the Census Bureau, the FEC, et al
rigging the election for him?
Should the conservatives EVER regain control of both houses, this move by Reid may come back to haunt him and the rest of his ilk.
The ‘rats will whine and complain and the RINOs will cave and change the rules back...
IF IF IF IF
there is ever a fair election again.
By far, the absolutely most important part of this is that Reid has finally done what Julius Caesar did when he crossed the Rubicon river, he was quoted as saying “The die (dice) is cast”. Forbidden to bring his armies into Rome, he did so, a de facto declaration that he was now the dictator of Rome.
A little more than five years later, Julius Caesar found himself stabbed to death on the steps of the Roman senate.
While I don’t think that Harry Reid will face the same fate, other than rhetorically, unless perhaps John McCain, that expert backstabber who can’t seem to resist backstabbing anyone, is standing behind him, Reid may still face a huge political downfall.
That is, all the Republicans have to do to enact “bloody vengeance” on Reid and the Democrats, is to *maintain* the Nuclear Option once they have returned to power.
The RINOs were always more than willing to “play fair” when the Democrats had cheated, lied, stolen, betrayed, and otherwise did them dirt. But for once, finally, the RINOs have been, and continue to be, so weakened by the Tea Party, that the Republicans will *finally* give the Democrats a dose of their own medicine.
And you can imagine that both the Democrats will squeal like stuck pigs at this, and the MSM will act like the Republicans started the Nuclear Option from scratch, and that the Democrats would never, ever do anything so “unfair”, so the Republicans shouldn’t, either.
But the Republicans can and should ignore the complaints of both. Why? Because with a Republican controlled congress and a Republican president, it is likely that the POTUS can appoint two, or even three, Supreme Court justices!
Imagine that, instead of a 5-4 Supreme Court, with justice Kennedy always willing to join the liberals when it matters, having a 6-3 conservative majority!
This would mean that congress and the POTUS could rapidly start the disassembly of enormous chunks of the federal government. A massive reorganization to correct over a hundred years of destructive progressivism.
All thanks to Harry Reid and his arrogance.
For now, the rule change doesn’t apply to Supreme Court justices, but if Obama should get a chance to replace one of the solid conservatives (Alito, Thomas, Scalia) they will change the rule so that Obama can pick a hard-line young leftist to the seat.
2014 is going to be even worse for the Democrats, Obama was still popular in 2010!
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