In what appears to be a futile move by Democrats in the Senate in an effort to deflect attention away from the failure of Obamacare, Harry Reid invoked the 'nuclear option' on judicial nominees via the president. The nuclear option was first introduced as part of a deal between the then Republican Majority and Minority Democrats by former Republican Senator Bill Frist in 2005 to avoid a Senate Shutdown. However, as Democrats were doing their victory lap today, they failed to take into consideration their own legislative agenda; which could take a serious, if not fatal blow as a result of their actions. Any hope of bipartisanship has now been effectively shattered.
When they called it the 'nuclear option' they weren't kidding. Unknowingly to Democrats, they may have nuked their legislative agenda for the rest of Obama's term as well.
Filibuster Fallout: Reid maneuver could send ?wrecking ball? through talks on key legislation | Fox News
When they called it the 'nuclear option' they weren't kidding. Unknowingly to Democrats, they may have nuked their legislative agenda for the rest of Obama's term as well.
Democrats who claimed victory -- including President Obama -- in stripping the Senate minority of its power to block nominations may have done so at the sacrifice of the president's legislative agenda.
Before Thursday, trust on Capitol Hill was frayed yet there was tentative hope following the bruising fight over the partial shutdown that Republicans and Democrats could find some spectrum of common ground for the rest of Obama's term. Maybe pass a few budgets, maybe do something lasting about that pesky deficit.
But the move to use a rare parliamentary tactic and overhaul Senate procedure making it easier for the majority party to approve presidential nominees has poisoned an already tainted well. Any prospect for compromise on items ranging from immigration legislation to a fiscal deal to tax reform is now that much fainter.
"There's no question that the move by Harry Reid will make it much tougher to get anything done between now and 2014," GOP strategist and former long-time Senate aide John Ullyot told FoxNews.com.
"In the short-term, it's a wrecking ball through any efforts that were underway previously to have both parties work together on key bills."
Because of the rule change, non-Supreme Court judicial nominees and executive-office nominees can now be approved with just 51 votes, as opposed to 60.
In the first test of Senate relations following the filibuster change, Republicans united to block a critical defense policy bill. The bill failed in a vote late Thursday, nine votes short of the number needed to advance.
Republicans were angry over Democrats' move to limit amendments, but the vote could also reflect new tensions over Reid deploying what's known as the "nuclear option."
Filibuster Fallout: Reid maneuver could send ?wrecking ball? through talks on key legislation | Fox News
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