If The Nuclear Option Is Used, What Will Happen?

[Dinger]

The items on this poll aren't necessarily in order.

[hippiechick]

1. What is the context of the poll ?

:shrug:

[cestpaspossible]

7. The context is the world we live in,

the political reality we face, the news events of the day, et cetera....

:shrug:

[hippiechick]

8. You mean, if * decides "just for the hell of it" ?

n/t

[cestpaspossible]

11. No, I only mean the things I say.

And I haven't the slightest clue what you are talking about.


on edit: PS, umm, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be harsh... are you saying you are not familiar with the current use of the term nuclear option ?

[hippiechick]

16. Yes, that is what I mean.

n/t

[Jo March]

2. Let's get this petition and ad going: check it out

John Kerry is putting together an ad to go in USA Today. Sign his petition as well!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1704329

[LittleClarkie]

6. When is that to appear in the USA Today

Tuesday? I don't normally read the McNewspaper, but I would get one that day.

[Jo March]

10. I think Tuesday

I hate that paper too. x( I'll buy it for that, though.

[n2doc]

3. And when the dems (or greens!) get the majority in a few years

You will hear nothing except how important it is to make sure that the fillibuster be brought back....:mad: :grr:

[LoganW]

5. And how, exactly, will we do that

with rigged elections?

[paineinthearse]

4. Dems will do nothing, and we no longer have a democracy

We do not have a democracy, sorry to break the news. We have a republic.

[Clark2008]

9. Can someone explain to me how Reid could shut down the senate?

Or is there a link available?

[cestpaspossible]

12. Watch CSPAN 2 for a little bit while the Senate is in session.

You will frequently hear the phrase "I ask unanimous consent". Any time that happens, if one Senator does not consent, the Senate can not move forward.

So the Democrats can object to unanimous consent motions, they can continually suggest the abscence of a quorum, they can insist on a full reading of every bill they are called to vote upon, etc.

[Clark2008]

25. I'm usually at work during the day and can't watch.

However, since I've recently gotten laid off, C-SPAN is about the only thing that's on in the background.
It's on right now, as a matter of fact.

[LuminousX]

13. A Lot of Senate Business

is conducted through unanimous consent. All it takes is one person to object to an order of business and it must be debated on the floor. This applies to a lot of stupid menial kind of stuff like agreeing on breaks, accepting something as part of record, etc. The Senate could slow to a grind as the Democrats require a floor debate on each and every motion that is made.

[Donailin]

14. and as a c-span junkie, I can hardly wait.

But how long will the radical right take it? Until the next election in which they will proclaim at the tops of their voices in bullshit-mercials that the dem senators must go.

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

20. I'm a C-Span junkie as well. I love it.

It'll be amazing watching how this plays out.

[Massacure]

18. When doing business, they have to follow a set of procedures.

Usually they read the bill, and give people time to speak about it. However, if everyone agrees to it, they can skip procedures and get right to voting. It saves a lot of time, but if things go nuclear, Reid will basically prevent the unanimous consent slowing things way down.

[ProgressiveConn]

15. Other: All of the above. nt

[tritsofme]

17. GOP doesn't need the Dems for a quorum

My guess is that maybe Reid stands his ground for a week or two then we go back to business as usual.

[Yupster]

21. Here's my guess

The Dems will shut things down procedurally. Then the Repubs will bring up some procedural housekeeping type votes that the Dems will consider harmless enough to let go through.

Then little by little more and more stuff will go through until the senate isn't shut down any more.

Then there will be a compromise struck saying within some reasonable limit that both sides can agree to, judges will get voted on.

I'm using as my model when the congress got shut dwn in 2005. Remember how the Repubs little by little voted to open this little part of the government, then this little part until it wasn't worth the bad publicity they were getting, so they gave in.

I'd expect about the same.

[John_H]

27. If the rethugs have the votes they have a quorum.

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

19. Reid and Byrd will shut the Senate down.

I know it doesn't seem likely, considering the Dems track record on bold moves like this, but I really think Reid's got a warrior streak within him. The Repubs will go nuclear, Reid will shut the Senate down, and blood will run in the streets. I fear if that happens, somehow the Dems will get blamed, and the Repubs come off looking like angels pushed too far. I have enough faith in the American public to believe that the Republican nuke will backfire, a la impeachment.

I'm hoping it doesn't even get that far, and the Repubs realize their folly. If they do this, and kill the filibuster, perhaps the Dems will do nothing, but the REpublican overreach will wake people up. Perhaps this is that overreach I've been predicted for awhile now.

[Dinger]

30. If Repugs Go Nuclear, Dems Should Too (nt)

[tritsofme]

22. I think shutting the Senate down would backfire

Reid will be very clear that essential government programs will not be affected in any way.

But the Republicans and their echo chamber in the media will keep repeating that the Democrats are shutting down the government in a time of war. Expect that phrase to be repeated everytime a Republican gets on tv.

It backfired on Gingrich in the 90s, and I don't see how it can do us any good now.

[RUMPLEMINTZ]

23. Does anyone have a link

to a judge who has been filibustered? The only one I've seen is some guy named Fortas from the Johnson administration and from what I heard he never had the votes to be confirmed. It sure would help us if we had some instances that we can talk about it being a tradition.

[jefferson_dem]

24. Not every single judge that's appointed gets a vote on the floor.

Repukes have long used procedural maneuvering to obstruct the confirmation of judges they objected to. For them to cry "boo hoo" now that the Dems want to do the same thing nonsense.

FACTS -

http://hono-lulu.dailykos.com/story/2005/3/1/225030/0020

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&rls=DVXA%2CDVXA%3A2005-05%2CDVXA%3Aen&q=jesse+helms+clinton+judicial+appointments

[John_H]

26. i'll bet any DUer a hundred bucks that

There will be a compromise that allows the Dems to save face, which the whores will let them do because the compromise will be an effective victory for the GOP. To people who know better the dems will say "Wahhhhh. We have no power. What elese could we do?"

[Dinger]

28. I Agree, But Compromise= Cave In (To Me Anyway) (nt)

[Silverhair]

29. No bet. I don't want to lose money.

I am a professional gambler, and that sounds like a winning bet for you.

[cestpaspossible]

31. Conditions of the wager are too vague

to be enforced.