Apparently we needed more evidence that everyone in politics now holds the exact opposite positions on every process issue that they did for the entire eight years of the Obama presidency.
In 2013 the Democrats were fed up with Republicans’ obstruction of Obama’s judicial nominees, so they changed the rules of the Senate to only require a simple majority to stop debate and proceed to a vote, down from the usual 60.
Thanks to all of you who encouraged me to consider filibuster reform. It had to be done.
— Senator Harry Reid (@SenatorReid) November 21, 2013
Republicans condemned the move as against the character of the chamber, and anti-republican. They were right, in a sense.
Since Democrats now hold a 48-vote minority in the Senate after President Trump was elected, more than enough to block his Supreme Court nominee, both parties switched sides. Republicans eliminated the 60-vote threshold and confirmed Neil Gorsuch to the Court with 54 votes.
With 51 ayes, the US Senate voted to confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch as a Justice on the US Supreme Court. https://t.co/RwJ3lqMv5L pic.twitter.com/7z8d0nIwLy
— Alex Howard (@digiphile) April 7, 2017