Harry Reid
A Not-Very-Flattering Defense Of Lieberman
It's not surprising that David Brooks would devote a column to praising Joe Lieberman as a paragon of principled moderation. What's surprising is the evidence he summons to make this case: READ MORE >>
Republicans Learn To Hate The Filibuster
Brad notes, hilariously, that Republicans have been running the House for a week and they're already flip-flopping on the merits of the filibuster: READ MORE >>
‘Right of Revolution’
Will Senate Reform Happen?
One little-known fact about the filibuster is that it no longer requires the minority to hold the floor and make long speeches. It actually requires the supermajority to assemble and hold the floor to break it. Here's some good news. Democratic Senators unanimously support a reform of the filibuster that would still allow 41 Senators to block anything, but would put the onus on the minority rather than the majority: READ MORE >>
‘Senator Junior DeMint’
The GOP's Secret Senate Plan
One of the oddities of the debate over repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell is that Republican moderates seem far more interested in procedure than substance. They favor repeal, but they oddly seem to care more that the Senate hew to Mitch McConnell's run-out-the-clock timetable than they care about the outcome of the issue: READ MORE >>
How Harry Reid Ruined Christmas Break
Harry Reid gets it: We are in session, if necessary, up to January 5th. That is the clock our Republican colleagues need to run out. It's a long clock. READ MORE >>
Obama's—and Reid's—Judicial Nominations Fiasco
Jamelle Bouie has been following judicial confirmations, and he has an excellent post up today criticizing the possible deal Harry Reid has been negotiating with the Republicans over the remaining judges. With good reason: the deal reportedly would allow confirmation of some—but not all—of the nominees who sailed through the Judiciary Committee with no opposition at all, while le READ MORE >>
DADT Repeal Fails, Senate Hits A New Low
Never Let Go, Harry
Democrats in the 111th Congress still have an unfinished agenda. Republicans, quite sensibly, are using the clock as a weapon; at this point of the session, even a filibuster that doesn’t have the votes to block cloture can still be enough to derail something. What weapons does the majority have to fight stalling? Well, there’s one big one that Harry Reid should be at least threatening, and if necessary invoking: he can add more hours for the Senate to work its will. READ MORE >>
