BOOM!

For the first time in a long time, CNN is obsessed over something other than the ongoing trainwreck of the ObamaCare website.  Today, Senate Democrats, who apparently can't see the big picture much beyond the tip of their own noises invoked the so-called nuclear option, ending filibusters for the majority of presidential nominations.

My position on the Filibuster issue has not changed.   If people want to filibuster, that's fine but they should bring back the old school rules and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington that shit.  The average age of a US Senator seems to be around 300 or so and that, to me, would be a far more effective way of stopping filibusters.  No sitting US Senator is going to stand for anywhere 6-24 hours just talking about how much a judicial nominee sucks out loud.   I'm surprised that Rand Paul managed it for as long as he did- and although Ted Cruz's little gab-a-thon lacked the political acumen, sense of principle and spontaneity of Senator Paul's, I'm surprised he managed it as well.

That said, maybe this will turn out all right in the end.  After all, when Democrats were in the minority we had to hear years of whining by Republicans about obstructionist Democrats and how all the President's nominees should be granted an up or down vote, blah, blah, blah, etc, etc, etc.   Now that the Democrats have lowered the boom, well, then, at least we won't be hearing this complaint again.  Right? Riiiiiiiiiiight?  

There's a coherent argument to be made that maybe playing silly-ass games with judicial nominees isn't the best idea in the world and maybe, just maybe, the Senate could be doing more productive things with its time.  That said, this seems like a stupendously idiotic political move on the part of Senate Democrats.   Elections happen on a somewhat regular basis and given the increasingly irritable mood of the electorate right now, it wouldn't take much to find the shoe on the other foot pretty quickly.  (A fact that Senate Republicans were quick to point out.   Senator Grassley went even further and said that if GOPers regain control of the Senate, they'd seek to have Supreme Court nominees included in this- because, why not?  If the Dems are going to crack open the door, then the GOPers might as well just push it the rest of the way open.)

But, it's done.  Dems can breathe a sigh of relief, pretend they're doing something about partisan gridlock and stop talking about the ongoing trainwreck that is Healthcare.gov for a minute or two. 

Here's the kicker though:  if the GOPers do take control of the Senate next year then I don't want to hear one goddamn word from the Democrats about this.   These rules are, after all, what they wanted.