Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSenate GOP blows itself up. What the hell were they thinking?
Senate GOP blows itself up. What the hell were they thinking?
by kos
Just four months ago, I wrote:
I must admit, I didn't expect Republicans to challenge this notion this quickly. And the reason is simple: Even with a truncated and compromised filibuster, Republicans were able to gum up the works to unprecedented levels. As Bill Sher at the Campaign for America's Future notes, the federal judiciary is now evenly balanced, with 390 GOP-appointed judges and 391 Democratic-appointed ones. However, there are 93 vacancies.
In other words, surrendering on three judges would've allowed the GOP to continue obstructing the other 87. Provoking the Dems into eliminating the filibuster, on the other hand, now allows Dems to ram all 90 through with minimal trouble. And there's no longer any need to try and find judges that can pick up a handful of Republican votes, so they should prove better ideologically. This will also take the judiciary from a 50-50 partisan split to a 55-45 Democratic-appointed one. And we still have another three years of vacancies ahead of us before we choose our next president.
So why surrender their ability to gum up the works? Is it a bet that they'll take over the chamber in the 2014 elections? Not really. A presidential veto would negate the need for minority Dems to filibuster.
So is it a bet that Republicans will take both the Senate next year, and the White House in 2016? Perhaps. But if so, why not give proper deference for three years, relent on a handful of judges, preserve the filibuster, and then ditch it when they theoretically took power in early 2017?
None of this makes sense. Republicans have been daring Democrats to go nuclear all week, and today things went "boom!". But that bomb detonated over Republicans while Dems watched from a safe bunker miles away. So what were Republicans thinking?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/21/1257310/-Senate-GOP-blows-itself-up-What-the-hell-where-they-thinking
by kos
Just four months ago, I wrote:
True, today's deal preserved the existing filibuster rule, but it really didn't. Democrats established that they could bust through any filibuster with a simple majority anytime they wanted. Sure, it's still a process to do so, full of blustery threats and hyperbolic doomsaying, but it's a process <...>
But if Republicans continue to prevent up-or-down votes on further administration officials, or perhaps more importantly, judicial ones, Democrats now have a tool to force action. And that means we've come a long way from a few years ago, when Senate Democrats simply shrugged at the inevitability of the GOP filibuster arguing they had no other option.
I must admit, I didn't expect Republicans to challenge this notion this quickly. And the reason is simple: Even with a truncated and compromised filibuster, Republicans were able to gum up the works to unprecedented levels. As Bill Sher at the Campaign for America's Future notes, the federal judiciary is now evenly balanced, with 390 GOP-appointed judges and 391 Democratic-appointed ones. However, there are 93 vacancies.
Republicans could relent on Obamas right to fill vacancies and keep the filibuster in place. Obama would get some more judges, but he would not be able to fill all the outstanding vacancies by next year considering that he has only identified nominees for about half of those seats. But if Republicans provoke the end of the filibuster, then I suspect the White House can quickly find another 50 or so judges without much fuss.
In other words, surrendering on three judges would've allowed the GOP to continue obstructing the other 87. Provoking the Dems into eliminating the filibuster, on the other hand, now allows Dems to ram all 90 through with minimal trouble. And there's no longer any need to try and find judges that can pick up a handful of Republican votes, so they should prove better ideologically. This will also take the judiciary from a 50-50 partisan split to a 55-45 Democratic-appointed one. And we still have another three years of vacancies ahead of us before we choose our next president.
So why surrender their ability to gum up the works? Is it a bet that they'll take over the chamber in the 2014 elections? Not really. A presidential veto would negate the need for minority Dems to filibuster.
So is it a bet that Republicans will take both the Senate next year, and the White House in 2016? Perhaps. But if so, why not give proper deference for three years, relent on a handful of judges, preserve the filibuster, and then ditch it when they theoretically took power in early 2017?
None of this makes sense. Republicans have been daring Democrats to go nuclear all week, and today things went "boom!". But that bomb detonated over Republicans while Dems watched from a safe bunker miles away. So what were Republicans thinking?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/21/1257310/-Senate-GOP-blows-itself-up-What-the-hell-where-they-thinking
168 filibusters of nominees in our history. HALF of them have occurred during Obama years!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024069779
NUCLEAR OPTION TRIGGERED: Dems Make Historic Change To Filibuster Rules
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/harry-reid-nuclear-option-senate
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
9 replies, 1755 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (24)
ReplyReply to this post
9 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Senate GOP blows itself up. What the hell were they thinking? (Original Post)
ProSense
Nov 2013
OP
renie408
(9,854 posts)1. "Thinking"?? There is no thinking...
That's the whole problem with that side of the aisle.
randome
(34,845 posts)8. Absolutely! No one is driving the clown car.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]TECT in the name of the Representative approves of this post.[/center][/font][hr]
badgolfer
(244 posts)2. Vacancies
Republicans always talk about cramming things down their throats. Well, there are 93 vacancies the Democrats need to get busy cramming.
n2doc
(47,953 posts)3. Stupid repubs overplayed their hand
Hopefully the Senate can now fill every vacancy before 2014. Just in case. If they take over in 2014 (and I doubt the average voter gives a rats ass about judicial nominees outside of the USSC) it will just mean the return to obstrutionism, since the Senate can't propose nominees.
As The Man said:
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)4. Thanks.
K & R
sheshe2
(83,668 posts)5. Boom!
Republicans have been daring Democrats to go nuclear all week, and today things went "boom!". But that bomb detonated over Republicans while Dems watched from a safe bunker miles away.
Love it, thanks ProSense, good news.................
Love it, thanks ProSense, good news.................
Ganja Ninja
(15,953 posts)6. They were thinking "What do we have to do to keep the Teabaggers from ...
coming after us with pitchforks and torches?" And so they got what they deserved.
Dopers_Greed
(2,640 posts)7. "GOP"..."Thinking"
Pick one.
Cha
(296,883 posts)9. Were they thinking? Or were they blinding and clouded by
hate and revenge?