Tuesday, December 3, 2013
5 Ways Life Changes in the Senate After Nuclear Option on Filibusters
This article discusses the changes that will occur in Senate now that the "Nuclear Option" has passed in the senate. It is actually very limited as to what it applies to. It does not apply to legislation, only to appointments and nominations. Senators felt that this was a needed measure considering the fact that there have been 168 nomination filibusters in Senate history, and half of them have occurred during the Obama administration. This number is preposterous and hopefully this change in rules, though only effecting a small window of what goes through the senate, will make it easier for the Senate to do it's job. The Nuclear Option will also allow for more judges and cabinet members to be appointed. It will also allow for the heads of agencies such as the EPA and Health and Human Services to more easily to there jobs.
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I do not know enough about the topic to agree or disagree with the fact that the Democrats "needed to end unprecedented obstruction" with the nuclear option, but it does seem to be a power grab from what I read. If you do have the power though, you have every right to use that to its fullest capabilities.after reading about Thorny politics, Rules and regulations, Executive branch appointments, More new judges, and Easing Senate gridlock I was very interested. There we're many problems and issues I had never seen on the news that I watch. One could even consider it enlightening.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read, this will hopefully be a positive change in senate and allow for more things to get done. I'm interested in following it and seeing how effective this Nuclear Option proves to be. Also, I agree with Anna Marie in that of 168 nomination filibusters half have occurred with Obama in office, this number is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteHopefully this will be a great change in the Senate. From what I understand, it will allow everything to move more effectively and quickly through the Senate. I worry that when the Senate changes hands, if all the progress will be revoked.
ReplyDeleteThis should be a good thing. Hopefully, not only will it allow for more to get done, but it will also allow things to occur more smoothly. The number of filibusters in the last 4 years is absurdly high and this should help to lower that amount. Let's see how it turns out.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that half of the 168 filibusters have occurred under Obama is crazy, and it is good to see that something is being done to try and fix it. Although it does give more power to the democrats, it would do the same in the future if republicans gain control of the senate. Overall, the nuclear option seems to allow for more things to get done and positions to be filled more quickly.
ReplyDeleteThe Democrats obviously know that this same change will apply to the Republicans the next time they have the majority, so I think that it is more of a way to get things done rather than a power grab. Hopefully it will work too, because we can not afford to have things move as slowly as they have been. I'm interested to see if this change will help the government to be more productive and not just cause more conflict and problems.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm just ignorant, but this is the first time I've heard about this “Nuclear Option.” Anyways, to me, the change sounds like an overall positive one. There are certainly some drawbacks, including increased “Ping Pong politics,” but at least there would be increased progress. With less gridlock, regulations could at least be given a chance to be implemented. If they don't work, then fine, go back and forth—this alternative seems better than the outrageous number of filibusters that have occurred in the recent years.
ReplyDeleteI hope that this change will positively effect the efficiency of the senate. I was surprised to hear how large the number of filibusters that occurred under the Obama administration was. I think it is a good sign to see that they are changing the rules based on this ridiculously large number.
ReplyDeleteTypical politicians pointing fingers instead of both sides taking the blame for their own lack of production. It also doesn't make any sense that they get such long vacations. Vacations from what? It doesn't matter if they're home or on capitol hill, nothing gets done anyway. There is no difference. I'm running out of words to describe the actions, or lack thereof, our congress.
ReplyDeleteI still don't completely understand the "nuclear option" after reading this article, but it seems like it will be changing the government for the better. In more ways than one it seems to prevent unproductive obstruction between the parties, and it seem to encourage politicians to "work across the aisles" more. Overall I think it is for the best, but as I said I don't totally get it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I had first heard that the nuclear option was going to be activated in the Senate I thought that it would be the answer to our prayers. It sounded like Washington would start moving as the Democratic majority in the Senate would easily obtain the necessary votes to pass legislation. Now I realize that things, for the most part, will seem to stay the same. Dysfunctional.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is a good thing that they limit the effect of the filibuster in the Senate because it does nothing but obstruct the progress being made. The "Nuclear Option" is a very editing sounding name for a change that would truly help with the workings of a Senate that has used the filibuster more times against one administration then it has been used since its creation. Hopefully with this passed bring things through the Senate will be much more effective.
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely a positive change for the Senate. Anything that is passed in the Senate right now is positive because we have been in such a deadlock for such a long time. This might allow a majority to take over and get things done for once.
ReplyDeleteI think that this could be a positive thing. Currently the democrats have control of the senate, but that could change. And then the republicans will have the advantage of the nuclear option. This seems like a drastic change but I think that it wil help things become a little less gridlocked and it will speed up some of Obamas nominations that have been slowed down due to filibusters.
ReplyDeleteI could see how this could be both a positive and a negative change. Like all ideas, it will only be effective if it is implemented responsibly. Say for example an extremist group gained a majority in the senate. This could lead to destructive policies being pushed through in the name of efficiency.
ReplyDeleteI think that these changes will be very beneficial for everyone. Important jobs in government can now be filled without intense opposition. I think this is especially important in legal matters, because civil law is incredibly inefficient and the system could use more judges. Either way, filibusters haven't benefitted the public much in recent years and i think efforts to cut back on them are a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI think that any efforts to cut back on filibusters is positive for our government. Recently, I haven't seen why they are effective except for wasting everyone's time. We'll just have to wait and see how big of a change this Nuclear Option turns out to be for our Senate.
ReplyDelete