The Nuclear Option

As all who pay even the slightest of attention to American politics know, the Democrats attempting to rule this nation are seriously considering using the Budget Reconciliation Process aka the “Nuclear Option” to ram ObamaCare through now that they’ve lost their supermajority in the Senate with the election of Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA).

What’s interesting in this situation is how far the worms have turned in the span of slightly less than five years and one change in majority power. In 2005 the Democrats had a slightly different view of the filibuster and the Nuclear Option.


Obama, Biden, Reid, and Other Dems On Nuclear Option in 2005

No matter how one feels about the filibuster and the Nuclear Option, it’s important to compare the Senate Democrats’ opinions and the force and stridency of their rhetoric in 2005 when they were in the minority and a Republican was POTUS vs. how they feel now in 2010 when they’re the majority and a Democrat is POTUS.

Shall Americans measure them by their own yardstick? It would seem that President Obama and his Liberals had best hope that we don’t.

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7 Responses to “The Nuclear Option”

  1. zhann Says:

    If the tides were turned we would see the same result. If you remember, when the Dems were practicing the filibuster, the Reps were crying that this shouldn’t be legal either. It is all about who has control. What would be nice is if we could get a 50/50 split in the Senate, then quickly pass legislation outlawing this practice altogether.

  2. jonolan Says:

    To some extent, zhann, we are seeing the tides turned. What’s interesting about it is that the Dems, who vociferously ranted against the Nuclear Option are now planning on using and the GOP, who had been in favor of it, are only complaining that ObamaCare is not an appropriate use of the Nuclear Option since it really isn’t a budget issue.

    Hell, some of the Dems have even admitted that reconciliation wasn’t the right way to get ObamaCare passed for the same reasons as the GOP stated, but they’re willing to do it anyway.

  3. zhann Says:

    What would be interesting is to see how a referendum on public health care would go. Unfortunately, I would guess more than 90% of the public know less than 10% of what is being proposed (I fall here as well), but it would give the feds a sense for what the people really think on the subject. Of course, I am for it and you are against it, but we are far from the majority. Why not let the people decide on a subject as sensitive as this?

    Along those lines, I would really love to see referendums used more often in major government decisions. It is very hard to bribe large populations, however it is relatively easy to deceive them.

  4. jonolan Says:

    A referendum vote on ObamaCare would end in a solid defeat for the bill. I’m unsure how badly. But I’m unsure if that’s what you meant by, “public health care.”

    I’d love to see it though. But what I’d rather see is a referendum vote with several choices of healthcare reform on the ballot instead of a simple up or down vote.

  5. Alfie Says:

    Jonolan I used the vid at my place,thank you for sharing. I of course was attacked by someone who thinks I’m a tool for the GOP and should be ashamed since I don’t think like Maddow.

    Anyway the thing I get most from the comparisons is hypocrisy. Not necessarily on reconciliation though. That evading filibusters is bad in 05 but all good now?

  6. warrenwormhole Says:

    One, perhaps we should do a little work on exactly what the “nuclear option” is. Two, love the typical right-wing framing of Health Care being “rammed” down our throats. Three, don’t you think it is worth mentioning in this context just how often the filibuster has been used by either party in the first place? I think you will find that Republicans have used it effectively enough to create the dysfunctional senate we now have. Look at the numbers before you nitpick about issues within issues within issues. As far as “measuring political parties by their own yardstick” goes, I think you will see that the string of fear tactics, lies, deliberate misrepresentation, etc. that the Right has been employing is wearing thin on the American people. We are seeing the first signs of Americans getting smart enough to actually think and care about facts, not the crap that FOX and others spew as real news. I hope Americans become much better judges. Health Care passing just might be the first in a long line of successes in this regard.

  7. jonolan Says:

    Funny, warrenwormhole, the majority of Americans are against this legislation. If it’s past against their express wishes, it is a case of the filthy, traitors in Obama’s regime ramming it down our throats.

    As the string of fear tactics, lies, deliberate misrepresentation, etc – that aptly describes just about everything Obama and his cabal of Liberals has said while trying to sell their poison pill.

    And yes – Americans are becoming better judges, both of the government and of the Liberals living amongst us. I’m fairly sure you’ll see the effects of that in the 2010 Congressional elections and later in the 2012 Presidential election.

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