While it was necessary to change the rules of the Senate to allow the administration to appoint its staff and put judges on the courts, it still required the Democrats to change the rules with a mere majority. And that precedent is dangerous. It’s that precedent that can be used to eliminate the filibuster on legislation (e.g., to ban abortion or privatize Social Security) or on a Supreme Court nominee like Robert Bork. Just because the Democrats preserved the filibuster for legislation and Supreme Court judges today, that doesn’t mean anything because the precedent they set will allow a future Senate to change the rules in any way that they might want.
Under the circumstances, the Democrats really had no choice and I applaud them for their courage, but this really does change the whole dynamics of American politics. The stability we’ve grown accustomed to is now a thing of the past. The danger of a Republican majority is now much greater than at any time in our lives.
So, remember that when you’re celebrating the Democrats’ demonstration of backbone. More than anything, today’s vote was a symptom of a chronic disease that has been growing and dividing our nation.
