Senator Orrin Hatch makes a strong case for revising Senate rules on cloture. He notes that the 60-vote cloture rule has not always been so, such rules have been changed in the past. I've always opposed the filibusters, though I haven't spoken out for the "nuclear option" where the rules are changed to eliminate that possibility in the case of judicial nominations. Senator Hatch has just about swayed me however, but I don't see how a Senate whose 45 Democrats are so dedicated to obstructionism will let it happen.
As Senator Hatch says, the argument that doing away with the filibuster amounts to "rubberstamping" the President's appointments is nonsense. Each Senator still has a "yes" or "no" vote in a roll call. If they want to defeat a nomination, they should do it with 51 votes, not 41.
The fillibusters are extraconstitutional, but are you sure you want to combat that with another extraconstitutional measure?
Posted by: Chase at January 14, 2005 08:15 PM