The Democrats have had it with two-party governance, and they’re moving in the Senate to eliminate the Republicans.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D, NV)…appears ready to set off an earthquake in the Senate Tuesday by trying to change the body’s rules for confirming presidential nominees, offers a simple explanation of his move: “The status quo does not work right now.”
Of course it doesn’t. The minority party won’t roll over and give him what he wants fast enough to suit him, so he’s going to seize power’
Reid[] plan[s] to accomplish this Senate change…with a simple majority vote, and not require the super-majority some think should be used to affect a significant Senate rules change.
Not just “some:” Senate rules V and XXII combine to require a 2/3 majority vote to change the rules. Reid expects to accomplish the rule change on a simple majority of 51 votes by having Joe Biden, wearing his President of the Senate hat, respond to the inevitable challenge to the rule change by ruling—as the VP as President of the Senate has the authority to do—the simple majority vote on the rule change to be in order. Of course Biden’s—the chair’s—ruling can be challenged, but it takes only a majority vote to uphold or deny the chair’s ruling, thus the Progressive power grab will be successful.
Of course, this is only the first move: every other place for filibusters will be overridden in the same manner, as soon as it suits Reid’s, or any other Progressive’s, fancy.
…Reid…on Monday said unless Republicans allow votes on seven of President Obama’s pending nominees, he will trigger the “nuclear option” this week.
In other words, Republicans must voluntarily surrender their power to debate, or Reid will take it from them.
Update (as I write this on Tuesday afternoon): The Republicans have abjectly surrendered.
Republican senators said Tuesday they would drop their blockade of Richard Cordray to be the new head of a consumer protection bureau….
Soon after, the Senate voted 71-29 to head off a filibuster of Mr. Cordray, with 17 Republicans joining Democrats to advance the nomination.”
The RINO John McCain (R, AZ) spearheaded the surrender.