The nominees should still get their up-or-down vote though. Tower, Bork, Thomas all got their vote (the new rule doesn't apply to Supreme court appointees though...)
We don't have a monarchy. I mean, the president doesn't have the powers of a king. May as well scrap the constitution and let him do whatever he wants, period.
It's amazing to me that Obama and his supporters love to say this line, yet get their knickers in a bunch when Tea Party congressmen don't go along with their agendas. Those elections don't have consequences as well, or is this line only applicable to presidential elections?
What constitution are you talking about Denny? Please show me where in the constitution it says judicial nominees need 60 votes. Of course it doesn't. The super majority for regular Senate business is an abuse, by both parties, that is very recent, since the 80s or so. But somehow, everything is so upside down now politically that when we have majority rule, a vote of 51 out of 100, that makes the president a monarch. We have entered crazyland.
It says congress writes its own rules. Article I, Section 5 Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member. It doesn't at all say "advice and consent means a simple majority vote." Or majority vote required for anything. EDIT: http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Cloture_Rule.htm Cloture has been around since at least 1884. You were only off by a century. It's obviously a radical change in the rules that had existed for ~130 years.
If it doesn't come to pass, the price doesn't have to be paid. I think a point that hasn't been made here is that the senate democrats wouldn't have done this if they thought they were about to lose the senate. Of course, they could be wrong about it - but it appears they are betting that there won't be a republican senate anytime in the near future. It's not a bad bet at the moment - 2014 looks like a tough nut for the R's, and even if they win it in 2014, they'll likely lose it back in 2016 because so many of the current R's are up for reelection then. barfo
