Why Any Desire to NOT Change the Filibuster Now is WRONG.
The reason I keep hearing is that Dems & Reid don't want to change the filibuster now because the GOP will someday be in control of the Senate again and then Dems won't be able to use the filibuster.
Well, that's just more self-immolating stupidity on our part. Given how McConnell and the GOP have acted with such impunity to their "gentlepersons' agreements" not to abuse the filibuster then we're crazy not to wake up and smell the coffee. The moment they get control of the Senate they'll change the rules. Even if they have to use the "nuclear" option. They don't give a crap about what the people of the country would think of that because it would only live in the news cycles for a week or two at best.
Then they'll start cranking out horrible, horrible GOP bills through both houses and stating how much better a GOP-controlled congress is because, gee, look at how many bills have passed compared to the last two congresses. And the worst part is, as we all know, the fawning media will let them get away with touting how "successful" they are.
We're insane if we think they'll do anything else. If we change the filibuster now, perhaps we might get some of Obama's appointments approved. Since those are life-term positions they have decades of influence and can undo a lot of bad GOP laws down the road. We've seen how important this is with the two appeals courts that ruled Obama's recess appointments were not valid by taking a brand new reading of the President's authority to make recess appointments and throwing out a couple of hundred years of history of Presidents doing exactly the same thing, more often actually, as Obama has done. Some past presidents have made recess appointments when the Senate was adjourned for as little as a day.
If Bush had made those same appointments I doubt the courts would have even granted a right to review them. No, they would have said that they wanted to follow past practices and respect the separation of powers.
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