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For more than two centuries, the U.S. Senate has been known as the world's greatest deliberative body because of its rule ensuring the right of every senator to force consideration of, and a recorded vote on, any issue. The rule made the Senate unique as the world's only legislative entity in which the rights of majorities and minorities were equally protected. But 221 years of tradition and majestic debate mean nothing to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who, for no better reason than avoiding an embarrassing vote, used procedural legerdemain to obliterate minority rights in the upper chamber.

Parliamentary procedure is often complex and doesn't lend itself to uplifting commentary, but Reid's actions on Thursday were no more complicated than a single bullet to the back of the head. Here's what happened: President Obama has been stumping the media demanding a vote in Congress on his new, $447 billion proposal to stimulate the economy and create jobs. But the Republicans knew that Democrats facing re-election didn't want to vote on the bill because it calls for increased taxes on higher incomes. So they tried to force a vote by attaching it to a measure dealing with China's currency manipulations.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell asked for a suspension of the rules so that the Senate could debate the jobs bill. Reid demanded a ruling from the Senate parliamentarian on whether this was permissible. When the parliamentarian ruled that it was, Reid responded with a motion, approved on a party-line vote of 51-48, that stripped Republicans of their power to offer amendments. That vote effectively changed Senate rules, which had always required 67 votes.

During the Bush administration, some Senate Republicans wanted to do what Reid did as a way to stop Democratic filibusters against conservative judicial nominees. But they declined to invoke the so-called nuclear option, recognizing that it would inflict permanent damage to the legislative process by nullifying the right of minorities to be heard on the Senate floor. But Reid apparently cares little for minority rights, at least when Republicans are in the minority.

The day will soon come when Democrats will bitterly regret what Reid has done. As McConnell said after the vote, "We are fundamentally turning the Senate into the House. No amendments before cloture. No motions to suspend after cloture. The minority is out of business. ... This is a free-wheeling body, and everybody is better off when we operate that way. Everybody is. Whether you're in the majority or the minority, because today's minority may be tomorrow's majority." Voters will have an opportunity to bring this truth home to Reid and his Democratic colleagues in November 2012.

hiroad Respected Neighbor The Hilltop 5055 Posts	Morning Examiner: Obamacare repeal just got easier byConn Carroll Senior Editorial Writer At this week’s Take Back the American Dream conference, co-sponsored by Van Jones, progressive activists were already plotting how to maintain their policy victories after President Obama leaves office. One speaker said progressives must concentrate on electing 41 of their own to the Senate so they could filibuster any conservative attempts to roll back the size and scope of the federal government. But thanks to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., the filibuster is no longer the powerful weapon for a minority that it once was. Last night, in an effort to avoid an embarrassing vote on President Obama’s American Jobs Act, Reid and his Democratic colleagues changed the Senate rules to open the way to allowing a bare majority vote to end filibusters.The change allowed them to avoid taking a vote on President Obama's proposed jobs bill. Before the change, 60 votes were required to end debate and bring a measure to a vote. The change came after Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who knew Democrats did not have 50 votes in their caucus to pass the jobs bill, offered the legislation as an amendment to the China currency bill that Reid has wanted to pass for months. Reid then appealed to the presiding officer, Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, at the time, to rule McConnell’s motion out of order. Begich asked the Senate parliamentarian for his opinion, which is usually treated as the final word, and the parliamentarian said McConnell’s motion was in order. At this point, the Senate would normally have followed the parliamentarian’s ruling and proceeded to a vote on McConnell’s amendment. But Reid cut that short by calling for a simple majority vote to overrule the parliamentarian. Reid won that vote 51-48. While Reid’s maneuver only dealt with the minority’s ability to force votes on amendments, the exact same procedure above could be used to do away with the 60 vote filibuster requirement for any other legislation. “We are fundamentally turning the Senate into the House,” McConnell told National Review. If McConnell is right, and Republicans win back the White House and Senate, the strongest 41 progressive senators in the world will not be able to stop Obamacare’s repeal. October 7th 2011 Report Reply

justcurious Respected Neighbor USA 2371 Posts	Morning Examiner: Obamacare repeal just got easier byConn Carroll Senior Editorial Writer At this week’s Take Back the American Dream conference, co-sponsored by Van Jones, progressive activists were already plotting how to maintain their policy victories after President Obama leaves office. One speaker said progressives must concentrate on electing 41 of their own to the Senate so they could filibuster any conservative attempts to roll back the size and scope of the federal government. But thanks to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., the filibuster is no longer the powerful weapon for a minority that it once was. Last night, in an effort to avoid an embarrassing vote on President Obama’s American Jobs Act, Reid and his Democratic colleagues changed the Senate rules to open the way to allowing a bare majority vote to end filibusters.The change allowed them to avoid taking a vote on President Obama's proposed jobs bill. Before the change, 60 votes were required to end debate and bring a measure to a vote. The change came after Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who knew Democrats did not have 50 votes in their caucus to pass the jobs bill, offered the legislation as an amendment to the China currency bill that Reid has wanted to pass for months. Reid then appealed to the presiding officer, Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, at the time, to rule McConnell’s motion out of order. Begich asked the Senate parliamentarian for his opinion, which is usually treated as the final word, and the parliamentarian said McConnell’s motion was in order. At this point, the Senate would normally have followed the parliamentarian’s ruling and proceeded to a vote on McConnell’s amendment. But Reid cut that short by calling for a simple majority vote to overrule the parliamentarian. Reid won that vote 51-48. While Reid’s maneuver only dealt with the minority’s ability to force votes on amendments, the exact same procedure above could be used to do away with the 60 vote filibuster requirement for any other legislation. “We are fundamentally turning the Senate into the House,” McConnell told National Review. If McConnell is right, and Republicans win back the White House and Senate, the strongest 41 progressive senators in the world will not be able to stop Obamacare’s repeal. It would appear that is the best thing that Reid has done for America. Another great thing would be that he resigned or was voted out. I couldn't believe that he won last Nov.! October 7th 2011 Report Reply
hiroad Respected Neighbor The Hilltop 5055 Posts	Harry Reid shames the 'world's greatest deliberative body' By:Examiner Editorial \| 10/08/11 8:05 PM Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada used procedural legerdemain to obliterate minority rights in the upper chamber to avoid an embarrassing vote Thursday. For more than two centuries, the U.S. Senate has been known as the world's greatest deliberative body because of its rule ensuring the right of every senator to force consideration of, and a recorded vote on, any issue. The rule made the Senate unique as the world's only legislative entity in which the rights of majorities and minorities were equally protected. But 221 years of tradition and majestic debate mean nothing to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who, for no better reason than avoiding an embarrassing vote, used procedural legerdemain to obliterate minority rights in the upper chamber. Parliamentary procedure is often complex and doesn't lend itself to uplifting commentary, but Reid's actions on Thursday were no more complicated than a single bullet to the back of the head. Here's what happened: President Obama has been stumping the media demanding a vote in Congress on his new, $447 billion proposal to stimulate the economy and create jobs. But the Republicans knew that Democrats facing re-election didn't want to vote on the bill because it calls for increased taxes on higher incomes. So they tried to force a vote by attaching it to a measure dealing with China's currency manipulations. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell asked for a suspension of the rules so that the Senate could debate the jobs bill. Reid demanded a ruling from the Senate parliamentarian on whether this was permissible. When the parliamentarian ruled that it was, Reid responded with a motion, approved on a party-line vote of 51-48, that stripped Republicans of their power to offer amendments. That vote effectively changed Senate rules, which had always required 67 votes. During the Bush administration, some Senate Republicans wanted to do what Reid did as a way to stop Democratic filibusters against conservative judicial nominees. But they declined to invoke the so-called nuclear option, recognizing that it would inflict permanent damage to the legislative process by nullifying the right of minorities to be heard on the Senate floor. But Reid apparently cares little for minority rights, at least when Republicans are in the minority. The day will soon come when Democrats will bitterly regret what Reid has done. As McConnell said after the vote, "We are fundamentally turning the Senate into the House. No amendments before cloture. No motions to suspend after cloture. The minority is out of business. ... This is a free-wheeling body, and everybody is better off when we operate that way. Everybody is. Whether you're in the majority or the minority, because today's minority may be tomorrow's majority." Voters will have an opportunity to bring this truth home to Reid and his Democratic colleagues in November 2012. Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2011/10/harry-reid-shames-worlds-greatest-deliberative-body#ixzz1aIiIaS87 October 9th 2011 Report Reply

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