CleverBomb
On Space Out
Senate Democrats invoke 'nuclear option' on filibuster (L.A. Times)
From the article:
WASHINGTON In a historic move, Democrats in the Senate on Thursday voted to eliminate the use of the filibuster as a tool to block presidential appointments, upending a decades-old precedent that gave the minority party unique leverage on nominations.
After threatening to change the rules several times this year, the Democratic majority pulled the trigger on the so-called nuclear option after a series of procedural maneuvers that played out before a packed chamber. It would allow a presidents nominees, except for seats on the Supreme Court, to be confirmed by a simple majority, rather than the 60-vote threshold that had become the norm.
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It's about time. Probably should have included SCOTUS nominations as well, but it's likely that Majority Leader Reid didn't have the votes to go that far yet.
I'll have more on this later, but it's pretty much a win all around for Democrats, both short-term and long-term.
From the article:
WASHINGTON In a historic move, Democrats in the Senate on Thursday voted to eliminate the use of the filibuster as a tool to block presidential appointments, upending a decades-old precedent that gave the minority party unique leverage on nominations.
After threatening to change the rules several times this year, the Democratic majority pulled the trigger on the so-called nuclear option after a series of procedural maneuvers that played out before a packed chamber. It would allow a presidents nominees, except for seats on the Supreme Court, to be confirmed by a simple majority, rather than the 60-vote threshold that had become the norm.
----
It's about time. Probably should have included SCOTUS nominations as well, but it's likely that Majority Leader Reid didn't have the votes to go that far yet.
I'll have more on this later, but it's pretty much a win all around for Democrats, both short-term and long-term.
