‘Nuclear option’ avoided in favor of continuation of obstructionist status quo

OK, so here’s the big appointment/filibuster deal. Republicans break the filibusters on nominees, who get an up or down vote to the cabinet posts. Two recess-nominated appointees would be replaced with new nominees who will be confirmed. In the end, seven nominations by the president are a sure bet for confirmation.

That might seem like a pretty good deal, but consider: the President and Democrats get seven filibuster-free nomination votes — after which Republicans get to keep filibustering everything pretty much forever. The filibuster will not be reformed and government remains broken and unresponsive during a period of weak economic recovery. Democracy merely makes a visit to the US Senate, after which she’s thrown out on her ass again. Then it’s back to minority-rule business as usual.

This is a lousy deal and any Democrat who tells you they’re happy with it is either lying or a dope.

Maybe it is the best that could be done. If so, the best falls far, far short of enough.

[photo via Wikimedia Commons]

Recent days demonstrate that Senate bottleneck is McConnell’s fault

I know this is starting to look like “Mitch McConnell Day,” but this observation from Politico’s David Rogers was too good to pass up.

Thursday’s Senate vote to move ahead with gun control legislation marked the fifth time in just two months that Democrats have won a procedural showdown by peeling off Republicans at the expense of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)

The 68—31 roll call was more than enough to meet the 60-vote requirement to invoke cloture, with 16 Republicans providing the winning margin. This fits a pattern seen increasingly since mid-February: McConnell steadfast in opposition even as his rank-and-file cross the aisle, raising fragile hopes of a bipartisan revival.

The GOP leader remains powerful and smart. But by taking himself out of the legislative game, he is also ceding power to a new set of Republicans wanting to fill the vacuum.

In other words, while Mitch’s is off playing “cover your butt” against Tea Partiers with their eyes on nutcase purity and the Kentucky GOP primary, the Senate has actually managed to get some work done. Remove Mitch McConnell from the equation and the Senate actually works — it’s not firing on all cylinders by any means, but it’s limping along much better than it does when the Senate minority leader’s running the show.

There may not be just one person to blame for gridlock in DC, but there is one man who’s name is stenciled on obstructionism in the Senate: Mitch McConnell.

Harry Reid Needs to Put Up or Shut Up on Filibuster Reform

File under "I wouldn't get my hopes up"; ThinkProgress' Ian Millhiser reports that Senate majority leader Harry Reid is talking filibuster reform again, after the last stab at it turned out to be a completely inadequate joke. In an interview with a public radio station, Reid threatened once again to bring democracy to the US Senate.

“All within the sound of my voice, including my Democratic senators and the Republican senators who I serve with, should understand that we as a body have the power on any given day to change the rules with a simple majority, and I will do that if necessary,” Reid said on Nevada Public Radio.

...“I’m a very patient man. Last Congress and this Congress, we had the opportunity to make some big changes. We made changes, but the time will tell whether they’re big enough. I’m going to wait and build a case,” Reid said. “If the Republicans in the Senate don’t start approving some judges and don’t start helping get some of these nominations done, then we’re going to have to take more action.”

 Yes, Harry Reid is a "very patient man." In fact, on the issue of Republican obstructionism, Harry Reid has been far too patient.