Up until November of 2013 the US Senate required 60 votes to confirm Presidential nominations and appointments. Then Senator Harry Reid — a Democrat — decided that was just too much to bear and ended it in favor of a simple majority vote.
At the time I told anyone who would listen that this was a mistake that the Democrats would rue once they no longer held the Senate.
Of course, the Democrats lost the Senate — as happens — and the Republicans happily used the simple majority vote to confirm a metric butt-ton of President Trump’s nominations and appointments.
Over the screaming and pearl-clutching of the Democrats.
The worm turns, and now the Democrats have decided to nuke the filibuster — which, much like the previous nomination and appointment rule, requires 60 votes to break. They’d like to break a filibuster with a simple majority, or get rid of it all together.
Allow me to put on my Cassandra hat. Let us cast our thoughts back to September of 1982. In the Senate, an amendment by Senator Jesse Helms is up for vote. This amendment, if passed, would permanently ban all Federal funding for abortions (excepting only if the mother’s life was in danger); it would declare that Roe v. Wade was a mistake; and would provide for direct appeal to the Court if any State should pass pro-abortion legislation.
It failed due to a filibuster by the Democrats. Understand that at the time, the Republicans had the Senate.
How would history be different if the filibuster has not existed?
Does anyone on the Democrat side of the Senate have enough functioning brain cells to understand the implications here? Does anyone on the Democrat side understand that they won’t hold the Senate forever, that the Republicans will take it back, and be able to take a successful shot at Roe v. Wade with 51 votes?
Given the reaction over the Democrat’s self-inflicted wounds from removing the 60-votes for nomination, I’m guessing not.
So, I’m going on record as saying, “You don’t want to get rid of the filibuster. If you do, it’s going to bite you on the arse later down the road.”
Just saying.
LawDog
They don't see ever being out of power again… Not if they can ram HR-1 through…
Hey Lawdog;
If they are successful with the voter fraud again and legalizing all the millions of illegals and turning them into another voting block like the blacks, they will never be out of power again and the GOP will be a minority in perpetuity until the fall of the country.
As all the other commentators have said … the Dems aren't operating under the belief that they'll ever have to worry about a Republican majority ever again. And at this point I'd say their chances of success in this regard are over 50% so I don't necessarily blame them.
Maybe their hubris will take them down … but we've watched the GOP snatch defeat from the jaws of victory more times than I can count and that was before rigging of federal elections (especially reversing of a GOP landslide) became a reality (and you know the Georgia and Arizona senate races were rigged too).
We'll see, but I'm pretty black pilled on the whole thing.
+1 Old NFO
They will never be out of power since they have stolen it and no one will call them on it! We pretty much have done away with freedom without a shot being fired…..yet. I never guessed Americans would roll over and play dead like this!!!
And I never guessed that Americans would be so disrespectful and out of control as to actually attack the country's capitol and murder a policeman.
Perhaps that was the figurative shot fired? And you approve of it?
@Anonymous 4:55
Brian Sicknick died of natural causes, per the coroner. Natural causes. That's the opposite of murder.
I'd say try again, but don't.
PS: the only "attack" exists in your mind, and that of your friends. At worst it was an incredibly exuberant unguided tour. "Attackers" don't stay inside the velvet ropes, y'know.
Oldvet1950 has it exactly right. They will be emboldened, as cheaters that win invariably are …. the end result will be the destruction of the Country as we know it, and some on both sides will not be saddened ….. and to the nonymouse above, the policeman died of a cardiac arrest …. maybe stress induced, but the whole "hit in the head with a frie extinguisher" thing was made up out of whole cloth…. amazing what one side can do when 95% of the MSM is in their pocket, eh?
“Anonymous”, it is my CONSIDERED opinion that the Capital attack was an inside job. It would not surprise me if the Democrats & RINOS were both in on it, if not actually orchestrating it. Reserve thy bile for thyself!
Regarding the filibuster,let the Democrats trip themselves up with it & pray that real Republicans restore it.
Regarding the pro-life situation, there are millions of dead infants who’d have preferred that history had turned out differently. Sigh.
Ulises from the People’s Republic of Kalipornia
This is the exact kind of chaos the Founding Fathers were trying to avoid with our system…teh cyclic back and forth depending on which party had the majority. The Senate is supposed to be above the petty whims of the day…Ugh.
The original purpose of the filibuster was not to require a 2/3 vote to pass a bill but to keep debate being shut down prematurely. Debate would go until the senator got tired of speaking or cloture was called. As shown in Mr Smith goes to Washington. While I have no real problem with requiring a 2/3 vote to pass a law, I would have to note that if it had been under the current filibusterer rules, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would have been defeated by the Democrats.
+1 to OldNFO.
MrGarabaldi and others, this country may well have fallen already to the Socialist Left. They own the voting process and will only allow some opponents to be elected to keep the illusion of a two party system. However they are on track to go for a 2/3 majority in each house of the Congress and making 3/4 of the States governments Leftist so that they can gut the Constitution.
Anonymous #1 – Troll, get back under your bridge.
Mr. Dawg… I just KNOW theres some pithy insight on recent events in Minn-eee- sota, bubbling in your stewpot. Awaiting your sense of the insanity we are witnessing,currently. Hope all's well in Bugscuffle…
This comment section could use some bleach. Too many telemarketers.
Ulises from the People’s Republic of Kalipornia
Thank You for bleaching out the spammers!
Ulises from Kalipornia
1. Dems will ensure that there is never again a Republic President of the United States.
2. Republicans haven't done anything useful with congressional power since Gingrich was speaker.
3. Anonymous @4:55 – You mean this attack on the capitol? That was Leftists in June of 2020.
https://i0.wp.com/metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/PRC_153216112_1590997918.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200&h=630&crop=1&zoom=1&ssl=1
Happy Independence Day, Mr. Dawg….
I am a retired blogger from Israel(IDF),I have a new FUNNY/HUMOR blog: funnylinksblog.wordpress.com and I am interested in a Reciprocal Links with your great blog,if it's possible,please.I think Humor is important to people,anywhere,anytime,any blog…Best wishes,David.
Off topic – was looking today for the kindle versions of the lawdog files, they are no longer available. What gives?
Regards
Oldradartech
I keep wondering, will Mr. Dog write here, again? I know you dont owe us anything, but I miss your wit, and style. I wish you well, sir, and hope your life is good!
Merry Christmas!
Ulises from California
If the core running the D party (and they might not all be in elected office) is so certain that they can game the voting machines to the point where they will never lose a majority, they won't care a whit about the filibuster or any other nicety enshrined in our constitution.
Their egos do not allow them to see what a real rejection of their policies will engender. Mussolini and Ceaușescu should be object lessons but apparently they are not.
Who knew that 10 months later this post would still be topical?
Well, Mr. Dawg, methinks you need to get back here and write some more and clear out the spammy commentary, or let us know you've shut down writing entirely or whatever. I miss your writing and wit! Did something happen to our beloved Deputy LawDog?
LawDog, where are you? Out hanging around with Car 54?
To my fellow Dawg-afiles, I understand our beloved scribe is in search of his muse, who rolled a drunk and left town… i wish him well in hopes of a triumphant return, when he finds her….
Hi. I know that Daisysdad01 was a frequent commenter on your blog and he spoke like you knew each other. I wanted to tell you that he passed away in December.