Senate Democrats lived by the sword, and now they’ll die by the sword.
Delaware Sen. Chris Coons appeared on CNN this morning and expressed “regret” about Harry Reid’s caucus changing Senate rules to more easily push through Barack Obama’s nominees when the Democrats were in power.
Dems Regret Changing Rules That The GOP Will Now Use To Cram It Down Their Throats#TRUMP #KeithScott #wednesdaywisdom #OutNumbered #Pelosi pic.twitter.com/TuSUWdb6tX
— John Dee✘-Deplorable (@GaltsGultch) November 30, 2016
“The filibuster no longer acts as an emergency brake on the nomination,” Coons said before he was interrupted by co-host Kate Bolduan, “Do you regret that?”
“I do regret that,” he replied. “I frankly think that many of us will regret that in this Congress because it would have been a terrific speed bump, potentially emergency brake to have in our system to slow down the confirmation of extreme nominees.
“We’re instead going to have to depend on the American people, on thorough hearings, and on persuading a number of Republicans in those cases where President-elect Trump might nominate something that is just too extreme to the American people,” Coons said.
He repeated the oft-used line that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote and that he doesn’t think Trump has an “overwhelming mandate.”
Harry Reid changed the filibuster rule in 2013.
USA Today reported at the time:
Fifty-two Senate Democrats and independents voted to weaken the power of the filibuster. The change reduces the threshold from 60 votes to 51 votes for Senate approval of executive and judicial nominees against unanimous GOP opposition.
“The American people believe Congress is broken. The American people believe the Senate is broken. And I believe they are right,” Reid said at the time. “The need for change is so very, very obvious.”
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