Conservatives are moaning about the hijacking of their so-called “nuclear option” and liberals are moaning about trading judgeships in exchange for a tenuous cease-fire in the filibuster battle. The more they moan, the more the center cheers. This is a good deal.
Do the Republicans think that if they do away with the judicial filibuster now that the Democrats would be nice enough to give it back if the Democrats recapture control of the Senate?
Republican strategic thinking on this matter is remarkably short-sighted. There is NO way that the Democrats, should they become the majority party in the Senate again, will say “the Republicans took this weapon away from us, but we’re better than they and are GIVING IT BACK so the GOP can use it against OUR nominees for the federal bench.” Is there anyone out there who seriously believes that the Dems would do something like that? The Democrats would likely use the lack of a filibuster to ramrod their candidate through and the Republicans would be left to cry over spilled milk. THEIR spilled milk.
Why would the Republicans give up their only means of stopping a future nominee if they become outnumbered in the Senate AND they have major objections to a particular nominee that a future President nominates?
True, this cease-fire may not hold, but it’s showing the fringes on both sides that they cannot keep ignoring the moderates who make up the majority of both parties. They need to move away from their far right and far left stances and return to a more inclusive center position.
And the Republicans have to start thinking long-term about what they’re doing if they want to keep their majority and power intact.
Get with it, quit crying and belly-aching, and move on.
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