Republicans are shutting down the Senate to protest the Health Care bill. There’s a rule that says you need unanimous consent to hold hearings after 2:00 PM. Why would anyone have proposed such a rule? Why would anyone have voted for it?
It’s really time for the Democrats to turn the “nuclear option” tables on the Republicans. They don’t have to do anything now. They can just state as fact that if the obstruction doesn’t stop, the rules get radically changed on January 3rd, 2010 and there’s nothing the Republicans can do about it. The Republicans will pick up some seats in the Senate, but they’ll still be in the minority, as they will in the House unless I miss my bet. Right now the Republicans feel free to abuse the process because there has been nary a hint that anyone is serious about stopping them. It’s time to stop them. The Democrats are the ones with the most to gain if the filibuster is abolished. It has traditionally been used to stop progressive ideas and to preserve the most reactionary aspects of the status quo, e.g., lynching in the South, apartheid in the South, etc.
One Comment