ACV Democratic News Bottom Lines this Change for its readers.
Note to GOP: McCain/Palin Lost.
Note to GOP: Romney/Ryan Lost.
Obama and the Democrats won, both times. Obama gets to choose the people to appoint. When republicans win they make the appointments but they refuse to allow the President to do the same. Republicans are spoiled children and need to grow up and act like adults. I'm not talking the occasional blocking of a nominee. I'm screaming the blocking of every nominee proposed by President Obama, even Republicans he tried to appoint.
The change corrects a pattern of unprecedented obstruction over the past 5 years by the Republican party. Now Republicans threaten to punish the country when they return to power. Really Republicans, What could you possibly do to gum up the workings of government more than you are doing now?
You've shut the government down and openly hunger to do it again. Your obstruction is not relegated to just one area, you block and obstruct everything. You tried to kill the National Labor Relations Board because you hate unions and workers. You tried to kill the EPA because nobody should regulate the businesses that donate money to your future campaigns.
You are willing to let our hungry starve. You don't care if disadvantaged youth go to school or receive an adequate education. For you health care is a gift for the select few. A woman for Republicans is a farm animal to be owned and controlled. You happily destroy our countries credit rating. Republicans have become the enemy within that seeks to destroy America.
Republicans are blind to everything except destroying this black man the people elected to be President of the United States. Twice by vote of the people Barack Obama has been elected President.
Here's a number to think about, 500. That's the total number of filibusters by Republicans on all subjects since Obama took office.
Republicans should be very ashamed of their conduct and the people who vote for republicans should wise up. Your foolish votes are responsible for the demise of our country. 500 Filibusters. These people aren't politicians or leaders, they are terriorst.
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 president’s 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.
Fifty-two senators voted in favor of the changes, with 48 voting in opposition.
Just three Democrats — red-state Sens. Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, as well as veteran Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan — opposed the move.
Joe Manchin sees the abuse and acknowledges the problem however he is unwilling to do anything to correct the situation. Joe likes to spread his vote so thin that he can later claim to be for anything and claim to support everybody. Joe Manchin simply lacks the courage to take a side on an issue, any issue. Joe "No Stand" Manchin issued this release written by an unknown member of his staff. Here is the Manchin Statement on Voting Against Change of Senate Filibuster Rules.
Date: Nov. 21, 2013
Location: Washington, DC
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) issued the following statement on why he voted against changing Senate filibuster rules:
"All West Virginians and Americans deserve a government that works for them, and I completely understand their frustration with the partisan gridlock in Washington. It has become increasingly clear to me that both parties have abused the filibuster by using it to gain political advantage, instead of truly debating an issue. With this in mind, I offered a commonsense compromise that would have allowed the President to put his team in place, but required greater consideration for nominees whose posts outlasted the President. I was willing to support modest changes to make the system more efficient, but my proposal was rejected. I voted against the rules changes today because they simply went too far. I firmly believe that the filibuster is a vital protection of the minority views and exactly why the Framers of our Constitution made the Senate the "cooling saucer.' As the late, great Robert C. Byrd himself said in the months before his death, "While I welcome needed reform, we must always be mindful of our responsibility to preserve this institution's special purpose.'
"It's past time to fix Congress and make the legislative process work in a way that puts the American people ahead of petty politics. It's past time Congress begins working together to move this country forward."
Beautiful words Joe but nothing backing them up!
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) argued that the change was needed in the face of unprecedented Republican obstruction of nominees, which prevented the president from fulfilling his constitutional duty to fill vacancies in the courts, as well as in his administration.
More broadly, he argued that the Senate threatened to become “obsolete” if it did not act to end gridlock.
“The gridlock has consequences,” he said in opening the debate. “It’s not only bad for President Obama, bad for this body, the United States Senate, it’s bad for our country.”
Reid acknowledged that neither party’s hands were “clean” in the fight. When Democrats were in the minority nearly two decades ago, they fiercely resisted a Republican attempt to make the same rule change Democrats implemented Thursday.
But times had changed, he argued.
“Can anyone say that the Senate is working now?” he asked. “I don't think so.”
In the short term, the Democrats’ action paves the way for the confirmation of Obama’s three pending appointments to the important D.C. Circuit court, beginning with Patricia Millett, whose nomination was the vehicle for Thursday’s action. Democrats could also apply the rule change to other executive nominations that have been blocked, like Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.), Obama’s pick to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
The long-term consequences are less clear. The Democrats’ move amounts to a gamble that Republicans will not regain both the White House and control of the Senate by 2016. If they did, the GOP would likely abide by the same new rules to confirm nominees opposed by Democrats.
Looming more immediately is a possible vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court that would occur during Obama’s final years in office. Democrats’ decision to exempt high court appointments from the rules change might nonetheless give Republicans additional motivation to block whomever he chooses.
Science
Seniors
Travel
Senate Democrats dropped the filibuster bomb Thursday, and now the question is what kind of fallout will result from the so-called nuclear option.
By a 52 - 48 vote, the Senate ended the ability of minority Republicans to continue using filibusters to block some of President Barack Obama's judicial and executive nominations, despite the vehement objections of Republicans.
Majority Democrats then quickly acted on the change by ending a filibuster against one of Obama's nominees for a federal appeals court.
Obama later cited what he called "an unprecedented patter of obstruction in Congress" during his presidency for the move led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
"A deliberate and determined effort to obstruct everything, no matter what the merits, just to re-fight the results of an election is not normal," Obama said of the change. "And for the sake of future generations, it cannot become normal."
Republicans warned the controversial move would worsen the already bitter partisan divide in Washington, complaining it took away a time-honored right for any member of the Senate minority party to filibuster.
"This changes everything, this changes everything," veteran GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona told reporters. He blamed newer Democratic senators who never served as the minority party for pushing the issue, adding: "They succeeded and they will pay a very, very heavy price for it."
Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky called Thursday's maneuvering a diversion from the problem-plagued ACA issue that has been giving the White House and Democrats political headaches. Odds are increasing that McConnell will not be re-elected.
"You'll regret this and you may regret it a lot sooner than you think," McConnell warned".
CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger said Democrats seem to believe that things couldn't get much worse, with judicial vacancies
increasing and Republicans increasing their use of filibusters after an agreement earlier this year that cleared some presidential
appointees.
"I think there is probably a little bit of 'calling your bluff' going on here; that Harry Reid basically threw up his hands and said,
enough of this, it's time to do it," Borger said. Now, she added, the question was whether angry Republicans would further harden their positions in the already bitter political climate which she said "will get worse."
Thursday's change affected presidential executive nominations such as ambassadors and agency heads, along with judicial nominations except for Supreme Court appointees.
It did not affect the ability of Republicans to filibuster legislation.
Under the old rules, it took 60 votes to break a filibuster of presidential nominees. The change means a simple Senate majority of 51 now suffices in the chamber Democrats currently control with a 55-45 majority.
"It's time to get the Senate working again," the Nevada Democrat said on the Senate floor. "Not for the good of the current Democratic majority or some future Republican majority, but for the good of the United States of America. It's time to change. It's time to change the Senate before this institution becomes obsolete."
Reid followed through on threats dating back years after Republicans blocked three judicial nominees to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, known as the highest court in the land after the Supreme Court.
Veterans such as Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who had been opposed to the nuclear option to change the Senate rules, recently decided to back Reid's move. Feinstein and others, like fellow Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, said things were so broken in Washington that the nuclear option was the only way to fix it. Let's face it something has to be done to end this sick republican game.
ACVDN
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 president’s 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.
Fifty-two senators voted in favor of the changes, with 48 voting in opposition.
Just three Democrats — red-state Sens. Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, as well as veteran Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan — opposed the move.
Joe Manchin sees the abuse and acknowledges the problem however he is unwilling to do anything to correct the situation. Joe likes to spread his vote so thin that he can later claim to be for anything and claim to support everybody. Joe Manchin simply lacks the courage to take a side on an issue, any issue. Joe "No Stand" Manchin issued this release written by an unknown member of his staff. Here is the Manchin Statement on Voting Against Change of Senate Filibuster Rules.
Date: Nov. 21, 2013
Location: Washington, DC
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) issued the following statement on why he voted against changing Senate filibuster rules:
"All West Virginians and Americans deserve a government that works for them, and I completely understand their frustration with the partisan gridlock in Washington. It has become increasingly clear to me that both parties have abused the filibuster by using it to gain political advantage, instead of truly debating an issue. With this in mind, I offered a commonsense compromise that would have allowed the President to put his team in place, but required greater consideration for nominees whose posts outlasted the President. I was willing to support modest changes to make the system more efficient, but my proposal was rejected. I voted against the rules changes today because they simply went too far. I firmly believe that the filibuster is a vital protection of the minority views and exactly why the Framers of our Constitution made the Senate the "cooling saucer.' As the late, great Robert C. Byrd himself said in the months before his death, "While I welcome needed reform, we must always be mindful of our responsibility to preserve this institution's special purpose.'
"It's past time to fix Congress and make the legislative process work in a way that puts the American people ahead of petty politics. It's past time Congress begins working together to move this country forward."
Beautiful words Joe but nothing backing them up!
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) argued that the change was needed in the face of unprecedented Republican obstruction of nominees, which prevented the president from fulfilling his constitutional duty to fill vacancies in the courts, as well as in his administration.
More broadly, he argued that the Senate threatened to become “obsolete” if it did not act to end gridlock.
“The gridlock has consequences,” he said in opening the debate. “It’s not only bad for President Obama, bad for this body, the United States Senate, it’s bad for our country.”
Reid acknowledged that neither party’s hands were “clean” in the fight. When Democrats were in the minority nearly two decades ago, they fiercely resisted a Republican attempt to make the same rule change Democrats implemented Thursday.
But times had changed, he argued.
“Can anyone say that the Senate is working now?” he asked. “I don't think so.”
In the short term, the Democrats’ action paves the way for the confirmation of Obama’s three pending appointments to the important D.C. Circuit court, beginning with Patricia Millett, whose nomination was the vehicle for Thursday’s action. Democrats could also apply the rule change to other executive nominations that have been blocked, like Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.), Obama’s pick to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
The long-term consequences are less clear. The Democrats’ move amounts to a gamble that Republicans will not regain both the White House and control of the Senate by 2016. If they did, the GOP would likely abide by the same new rules to confirm nominees opposed by Democrats.
Looming more immediately is a possible vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court that would occur during Obama’s final years in office. Democrats’ decision to exempt high court appointments from the rules change might nonetheless give Republicans additional motivation to block whomever he chooses.
Science
Seniors
Travel
Senate Democrats dropped the filibuster bomb Thursday, and now the question is what kind of fallout will result from the so-called nuclear option.
By a 52 - 48 vote, the Senate ended the ability of minority Republicans to continue using filibusters to block some of President Barack Obama's judicial and executive nominations, despite the vehement objections of Republicans.
Majority Democrats then quickly acted on the change by ending a filibuster against one of Obama's nominees for a federal appeals court.
Obama later cited what he called "an unprecedented patter of obstruction in Congress" during his presidency for the move led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
"A deliberate and determined effort to obstruct everything, no matter what the merits, just to re-fight the results of an election is not normal," Obama said of the change. "And for the sake of future generations, it cannot become normal."
Republicans warned the controversial move would worsen the already bitter partisan divide in Washington, complaining it took away a time-honored right for any member of the Senate minority party to filibuster.
"This changes everything, this changes everything," veteran GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona told reporters. He blamed newer Democratic senators who never served as the minority party for pushing the issue, adding: "They succeeded and they will pay a very, very heavy price for it."
Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky called Thursday's maneuvering a diversion from the problem-plagued ACA issue that has been giving the White House and Democrats political headaches. Odds are increasing that McConnell will not be re-elected.
"You'll regret this and you may regret it a lot sooner than you think," McConnell warned".
CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger said Democrats seem to believe that things couldn't get much worse, with judicial vacancies
increasing and Republicans increasing their use of filibusters after an agreement earlier this year that cleared some presidential
appointees.
"I think there is probably a little bit of 'calling your bluff' going on here; that Harry Reid basically threw up his hands and said,
enough of this, it's time to do it," Borger said. Now, she added, the question was whether angry Republicans would further harden their positions in the already bitter political climate which she said "will get worse."
Thursday's change affected presidential executive nominations such as ambassadors and agency heads, along with judicial nominations except for Supreme Court appointees.
It did not affect the ability of Republicans to filibuster legislation.
Under the old rules, it took 60 votes to break a filibuster of presidential nominees. The change means a simple Senate majority of 51 now suffices in the chamber Democrats currently control with a 55-45 majority.
"It's time to get the Senate working again," the Nevada Democrat said on the Senate floor. "Not for the good of the current Democratic majority or some future Republican majority, but for the good of the United States of America. It's time to change. It's time to change the Senate before this institution becomes obsolete."
Reid followed through on threats dating back years after Republicans blocked three judicial nominees to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, known as the highest court in the land after the Supreme Court.
Veterans such as Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who had been opposed to the nuclear option to change the Senate rules, recently decided to back Reid's move. Feinstein and others, like fellow Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, said things were so broken in Washington that the nuclear option was the only way to fix it. Let's face it something has to be done to end this sick republican game.
ACVDN
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