Nuclear Option: National Review Online Downplays Republican Obstructionism

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Senator Harry Reid went for the Nuclear option

[On The Media]



From NRO's November 21 editorial:





Setting aside the fact that "court-packing" really doesn't mean what NRO thinks it means, it is strange that the editorial board would go out of its way to point out that it supports procedural changes in the face of extreme partisanship, but then completely fails to mention the unprecedented partisan obstructionism advanced by Senate Republicans. Although Democrats opposed some of Bush's nominees, ultimately four out of six of his picks were confirmed to the D.C. Circuit. Obama has been successful in appointing one person to that same circuit -- every other nominee has been filibustered. Senate Republicans have blocked Cornelia "Nina" Pillard, Patricia Millett, and current district court judge Robert Wilkins from being confirmed to the D.C. Circuit, despite having no real concerns about the qualifications or ideological stance of the nominees.

NRO also completely ignores that Republican obstructionism has not been limited to judicial nominees -- they have also blocked Obama's picks for executive offices. This strategy goes beyond "typical" opposition with the goal of nullifying the federal agencies that Republicans dislike, and has resulted in half of all filibusters against presidential nominations in the history of the Senate occurring during the Obama presidency. As People For The American Way explains, Republicans used the filibuster to advance their conservative policies because they are "unable to achieve their preferred policies by winning elections":



This is the same strategy that House Republicans used when they shut down the federal government and threatened a default on the country's debt in an attempt to bring down a law that had been enacted by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court. Unable to achieve their preferred policies by winning elections, Republicans are attempting to nullify the results of those elections through extreme obstruction.It is unclear how much obstructionism would be "enough" for NRO to support a procedural rule change. It can't get much worse. 


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