Harry Reid uses the 'nuclear option'

[ProfJohn]

Not sure of the ramifications of this yet since it just happened today.

But this could be HUGE in the future. It looks like it may only be procedural and may only effect bills AFTER they have already gotten a cloture vote so the filibuster isn't gone forever, but just in some cases.

I could be wrong though since the article doesn't go into the heavy details.

Either way this a huge move over a minor issue and could really backfire on the Democrats if they lose control of the Senate and the Presidency next year.

Without the filibuster Obamacare will be gone in the first month of a new presidency.

In a shocking development Thursday evening, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) triggered a rarely used procedural option informally called the “nuclear option” to change the Senate rules.

The Democratic leader had become fed up with Republican demands for votes on motions to suspend the rules after the Senate had voted to end a filibuster.

Reid said these motions, which do not need unanimous consent, amount to a second-round filibuster after the Senate has voted to move to final passage of a measure.
The Senate voted 51-48 to back Reid and overturn the Senate precedent. Sen. Ben Nelson (Neb.) was the only Democrat to vote against his leader.

The surprise move stunned Republicans, who did not expect Reid to bring heavy artillery to what had been a humdrum knife fight over amendments to China currency legislation.

Reid appealed a ruling from the chair that Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) does not need unanimous consent to force a vote on a motion to suspend the rules to consider amendments after cloture has already been approved.

The chair, which was occupied by Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), ruled under the advice of the Senate parliamentarian that Republicans had the right to force a vote on a motion to suspend the rules and proceed to President Obama’s controversial jobs bill.

Republicans planned to use this right of the minority to embarrass Obama by showing that many Democrats do not support his jobs package as originally drafted. But Reid moved to kill their plan by appealing the chair’s ruling, triggering a vote.

The maneuver is arcane but momentous. If a simple majority of the Senate votes with Reid and strikes down the ruling, the chamber’s precedent will be changed through the unilateral action of one party.

Republicans had considered using this maneuver, dubbed the “nuclear option,” in 2005 to change Senate rules to prohibit the filibuster of judicial nominees. Democrats decried the plan and the crisis was resolved by a bipartisan agreement forged by 14 rank-and-file senators known as the Gang of 14.

Senate Republicans were furious at Reid’s actions.

“Just wait until they get into the minority!” one GOP staffer growled.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/...e-rules-and-prohibit-post-cloture-filibusters

 

[ProfJohn]

Follow up here by a right wing newspaper that explains it a little bit more

In a stunning turn of events this evening, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., used an arcane legislative maneuver to effectively rewrite Senate rules to make it harder for the minority party to force uncomfortable votes on the majority.

The buildup to this point started on Tuesday, when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., tried to force a vote on President Obama's jobs bill as well as other Republican priorities by offering them as amendments to the China currency bill. Reid blocked the move.

Tonight, McConnell made what's called a "motion to suspend the rules," to allow a vote on the amendments. Such motions are almost always defeated, because they require a two-thirds majority to pass. But they're another way for the minority party to force uncomfortable votes. Even though the minority party doesn't get a direct vote on the amendment, how somebody votes on the motion becomes a sort of proxy for such a vote. In this case, for instance, if Democrats had voted down a motion for a vote on Obama's jobs bill, it would have put them in an awkward spot.

Though it's been the standing practice of the Senate to allow such motions by the majority, tonight Reid broke with precedent and ruled McConnell's motion out of order, and was ultimately backed up by Democrats.

So, the end result is that by a simply majority vote, Reid was able to effectively rewrite Senate rules making it even harder than it already is for the minority party to force votes on any amendments. Should Republicans retake the Senate next year, it's something that could come back to haunt Democrats in a major way.

And just to clear up some confusion, what happened tonight was different than the so-called "nuclear option" to end filibusters. While triggering the "nuclear option" requires a Majority Leader to use the same sort of strategic maneuvers as Reid just did, tonight's move had to do with the amendment process, not filibusters.

 

[ProfJohn]

So it looks like Harry Reid was afraid of being embarrassed by forcing a vote on the Obama jobs bill so he went nuclear.

So Obama is going around the country talking about how his bill needs to be passed, but his own party won't let anyone vote on the thing....

 

[First]

lmao troll.

 

[sportage]

God... not another "let The Games begin" thread...?
If anyone knows how to play "nuclear ", it is a republican... Really.....

 

[boochi]

Truman was a democrat.

 

[Jaskalas]

The surprise move stunned Republicans, who did not expect Reid to bring heavy artillery to what had been a humdrum knife fight over amendments to China currency legislation.

All this so they can pick a war with China?

 

[ProfJohn]

According to the second post this only has to do with amendments.

But it still takes power away from the minority because it prevents them from offering amendments to bills if the majority doesn't want them too.

So it looks like the majority can now write bills anyway they want and then completely shut the minority out of the process. I believe that is already the case in the house, but the Senate is suppose to run different.

If Robert Byrd was alive he would be freaking out for sure. Horrible move by Reid.

 

[theeedude]

Too little too late. Should have done it when Dems had the House. The country would have been a lot better off if GOP obstructionism was stamped out early on.

 

[sMiLeYz]

I liked how concerned Republicans in congress appear to be about Jobs, the economy, moving the country forward, making it better... not really just EMBARASSING OBAMA seems like their entire objective. Fucking shameful.

 

[ProfJohn]

I liked how concerned Republicans in congress appear to be about Jobs, the economy, moving the country forward, making it better... not really just EMBARASSING OBAMA seems like their entire objective. Fucking shameful.

umm the Republicans WANT a vote on the Obama jobs bill.

It is the Democrats who won't let anyone vote for the bill.

 

[Lithium381]

Too little too late. Should have done it when Dems had the House. The country would have been a lot better off if GOP obstructionism was stamped out early on.

better for who?!??!?!??! definitely not better for anyone that works for a living or puts their best into everything they do do improve their situation.....

i could see it working out better for anyone who expects everyone else to take care of them while they sit at home and watch tv...

 

[Nebor]

umm the Republicans WANT a vote on the Obama jobs bill.

It is the Democrats who won't let anyone vote for the bill.

Because they want it to fail, amirite?

 

[Lithium381]

Because they want it to fail, amirite?

sure, but why are they being seen as obstructionists if they're trying to get his bill to vote? they're labeled as terrible if they want to vote and terrible if they try to block it..... come on left wing media...... be consistent.

 

[Nebor]

sure, but why are they being seen as obstructionists if they're trying to get his bill to vote? they're labeled as terrible if they want to vote and terrible if they try to block it..... come on left wing media...... be consistent.

Possibly because their decision to push a vote or block a vote isn't motivated by trying to make the media or the public like them? Possibly because their decision to push a vote or block a vote is based on how to make the democrats look bad?

 

[ProfJohn]

Because they want people see that the Democrats won't vote on the bill either.

The Democrats have 16 Senators up for reelection next year and many of them won't vote for anything that includes tax increases. The Dems probably can't even get to 50 at this point. Which is why Reid won't let anyone vote on the bill and instead wants to take it apart first before they vote.

Bill Nelson of FL
Joe Manchin of WV
Sherrod Brown of OH
Ben Nelson of NE
Claire McCaskill of MO
All 5 of these Senators are fighting for their lives and I doubt any of them vote for tax increases at this point.

 

[Bitek]

So Reid stopped the GOP from more fiddling while Rome burns? Good, about Fing time.

He's a shocker, why doesn't the GOP actually do something constructive to help the country and the economy?

Work something out that will actually help and pass it. Crazy fking thought

 

[ProfJohn]

Work something out that will actually help and pass it. Crazy fking thought

Actually the crazy thought is to work with Democrats on something that will pass BEFORE forcing them to vote against the Obama bill as it was written.

If the GOP worked with Reid on a compromise bill then Obama runs around and complains about how Republicans got in the way of his bill and his solutions.

Take a look around this forum at the number of liberals who want to blame all our problems on the GOP and you can understand why they would take this stance.

The best plan for the GOP is to force a vote on the Obama bill as he wrote it and when it loses to then work with Reid on a compromise. Anything else leaves them open to the 'do nothing congress' label that Obama is trying to use as a campaign slogan.

 

[Throckmorton]

Actually the crazy thought is to work with Democrats on something that will pass BEFORE forcing them to vote against the Obama bill as it was written.

If the GOP worked with Reid on a compromise bill then Obama runs around and complains about how Republicans got in the way of his bill and his solutions.

Take a look around this forum at the number of liberals who want to blame all our problems on the GOP and you can understand why they would take this stance.

The best plan for the GOP is to force a vote on the Obama bill as he wrote it and when it loses to then work with Reid on a compromise. Anything else leaves them open to the 'do nothing congress' label that Obama is trying to use as a campaign slogan.

LOL. Are you being serious when you talk about Republicans compromising?

 

[ProfJohn]

LOL. Are you being serious when you talk about Republicans compromising?

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap...8qI5-A?docId=6840687314124a66b3fb506c2cb2b518

In a memorandum to House Republicans Sept. 16, House Speaker John Boehner and members of the GOP leadership said they could find common ground with Obama on the extension of certain business tax breaks, waiving a payment withholding provision for federal contractors, incentives for hiring veterans, and job training measures in connection with unemployment insurance.

They objected to new spending on public works programs, suggesting instead that Congress and the president work out those priorities in a highway spending bill. And they raised concerns about Obama's payroll tax cuts for workers and small businesses, arguing that the benefits of a one-year tax cut would be short-lived. The memo also pointed out that reducing payroll taxes, which pay for Social Security, temporarily forces Social Security to tap the government's general fund. And it opposed additional spending to prevent layoffs of teachers, police officers and other public workers.

Looks like compromise to me...

 

[Ausm]

umm the Republicans WANT a vote on the Obama jobs bill.

It is the Democrats who won't let anyone vote for the bill.

LMAO The only reason why the Repubs want a vote in the Senate is because you need a super majority to get anything passed because the Repubs filibuster everything that the Dems send to the floor.

 

[Ausm]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap...8qI5-A?docId=6840687314124a66b3fb506c2cb2b518

Looks like compromise to me...

Your easily impressed...let's see some action then I'll believe it.

 

[ProfJohn]

LMAO The only reason why the Repubs want a vote in the Senate is because you need a super majority to get anything passed because the Repubs filibuster everything that the Dems send to the floor.

The Democrats don't even have 50 votes right now.

That is why they haven't allowed ANY votes on the bill. If it was all about the GOP getting in the way then they would have had a vote on day one since the Republicans blocking the bill helps Obama politically.

 

[waggy]

this is what i hate about politics. the fact that people would rather fuck the other party then do whats good for the country.

IF this bill is so damn good vote on it. It amazes me people are bashing teh GOP for wanting to vote on the damn thing.

ugh.

to many wan there "team" to win. its rather sickening.

 

[Ausm]

The Democrats don't even have 50 votes right now.

That is why they haven't allowed ANY votes on the bill. If it was all about the GOP getting in the way then they would have had a vote on day one since the Republicans blocking the bill helps Obama politically.

Proof the can't get even 50 votes on a modified version of President Obama's jobs bill?