2016 Postmortem

question everything

(47,501 posts) Sat Nov 10, 2012, 09:58 PM Nov 2012

Can they filibuster nominations?

Will the President have difficulty in nominating new members of the cabinet or candidates for the Supreme Court?

They don't have to vote for the nominees but I hope that they cannot block them just to be assholes.

5 replies

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Can they filibuster nominations? (Original Post) question everything Nov 2012 OP

Yes AndyTiedye Nov 2012 #1

Yes, they can, and they do. nt longship Nov 2012 #2

Yes, the GOPers in The Senate can block nominees. Tx4obama Nov 2012 #3

Thank you for the detailed explanation question everything Nov 2012 #4

Under the current rules, yes. RomneyLies Nov 2012 #5

AndyTiedye

(23,500 posts)

1. Yes

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Sat Nov 10, 2012, 09:59 PM

Nov 2012

longship

(40,416 posts)

2. Yes, they can, and they do. nt

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Sat Nov 10, 2012, 10:01 PM

Nov 2012

Tx4obama

(36,974 posts)

3. Yes, the GOPers in The Senate can block nominees.

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Sat Nov 10, 2012, 10:07 PM

Nov 2012

If nominees do not get enough votes after their hearing by the senate hearing committee then the confirmation does not go to the full senate for a floor vote.
If the nomination passes the Senate Committee then it is sent to the full senate.

Then if the GOPers do not agree to have a senate floor vote then the Dems will have to get 60 'yes' votes in order to invoke cloture,
after cloture has been invoked then the nomination would go to the senate floor for a full vote where it would then take only 51 for the confirmation.

Looks like the new senate will have:

53 - Democrats
2 - Independents
45 - Republicans

So, we do NOT have a filibuster proof super-majority.

Senator Reid is talking about reforming the filibuster on the first day of the new Congress in January - but all the details have not yet been released.

question everything

(47,501 posts)

4. Thank you for the detailed explanation

Reply to Tx4obama (Reply #3)

Sat Nov 10, 2012, 10:13 PM

Nov 2012

it boggles the mind that 51 of 100 is not a majority. Yes, it would be nice to reform the filibuster but I doubt that anything will happen.

RomneyLies

(3,333 posts)

5. Under the current rules, yes.

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Sat Nov 10, 2012, 10:14 PM

Nov 2012

I doubt seriously they will be able to after the Senate adopts rules for the 113th Congress, though.

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