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Historic Move: Democrats Eliminate The Filibuster

Filibuster

The filibuster has always been the safety net for the minority party. A prime example, Ted Cruz’s long-winded 21 hour speech rallying against Obamacare. Now a big move has been made in Washington. Democrats in the United States Senate have voted to get rid of the use of the filibuster under certain circumstances so that no one in the Senate is able to block presidential appointments.

The creation of the filibuster goes as far back as 1806, which allows a senator to attempt the delay or perhaps entirely prevent a vote on a bill by extending the debate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) supported the rules change, over Republican objections. This is a move so controversial that it is often called the “nuclear option.”

“The American people believe Congress is broken. The American people believe the Senate is broken…It’s time to change the Senate before this institution becomes obsolete,”Mr. Reid said. Will changing the course of the filibuster rights change the fact that the Senate is broken or will it actually create more playground problems?

According to The Washington Post: The rule change means federal judge nominees and executive-office appointments can be confirmed by a simple majority of senators, rather than the 60-vote super majority that has been required for more than two centuries. The change does not apply to Supreme Court nominations. But the vote, mostly along party lines, reverses nearly 225 years of precedent and dramatically alters the landscape for both Democratic and Republican presidents, especially if their own political party holds a majority of, but fewer than 60, Senate seats.

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.

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