Harry Reid
spoke at the Center for American Progress Monday morning, and gave the Republicans a simple way out of potential rules reform: "stop the filibuster." Reid has set up a confrontation over the filibuster for Tuesday morning, when votes on seven of President Obama's executive nominees will be held.
Reid wouldn't answer speculation as to whether he would extend the rules change to judicial nominees or to legislation in the future. He said to ""look at what's going on today, versus some hypothetical future." At this point, he said, he has no intention of extending the rules change to judicial nominees. One of the issues in doing so would be having the majority of his caucus behind him, which he seems to have on this narrow rules change.
Reid gave every indication that he's got the 51 votes he needs to change the Senate rules, and end the ability of the minority to block presidential nominations to the government. In an interview before his CAP remarks, Reid told Think Progress that "I know how many senators I have and I know how many I need, and I feel quite confident."
The potential rub, however, is a closed-door meeting Monday night for the full Senate, in which Republican senators will be trying to talk Reid down, and probably trying to make deals and splinter off some Democrats in pursuit of yet another "gentlemen's agreement." Reid dismissed this as a possibility, calling "gangs" in the Senate "passe." Republicans have indicated that they'd be willing to allow some of the nominees through. Asked whether this would make Reid relent on changing the rules, he simply answered "No." It's all seven or nothing.
Mitch McConnell has continued to insist that he considers four of the nominations—the people Obama appointed with recess appointments last year—illegal and has shown no indication that he'll relent on his opposition to them. A lot can change between now and Tuesday morning, but by all indications right now, we're going to have a rules change in the Senate.
Here's the full text of Reid's speech.
A little insurance never hurt, however. Send an email to Harry Reid and your Democratic senators telling them to hang tough and to vote for real filibuster reform.
