Irresponsible Obstruction Was Republican Effort to Overturn the Elections They Lost

After Harry Reid was pushed to the brink by Republicans blocking three D.C. nominees, he changed the filibuster rules for judicial and executive branch nominees. The new rule does not apply to legislation or Supreme Court nominees.

People for the American Way noted that Republicans tried to shut down our courts like they shut down our government, all in an attempt to nullify elections they lost, “This irresponsible obstruction is part of a larger effort by Republicans in Congress to nullify laws they don’t like and overturn the results of elections that they lost.”

Marge Baker, executive vice president of People For the American Way, issued the following statement:

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“Republicans’ abuse of Senate rules during this administration has been astounding. While President Obama has made an effort to work with Republican senators to nominate fair, accomplished judges, Republicans have blocked his nominees at every turn, often for no reason other than the fact that it was President Obama who nominated them.

This irresponsible obstruction is part of a larger effort by Republicans in Congress to nullify laws they don’t like and overturn the results of elections that they lost. This profoundly anti-democratic approach to governing shut down our federal government, and threatened to shut down our courts.”

Republicans are carrying on now as if they’ve been mortally wounded because they have to do their jobs. Republicans were using the nominee obstruction to avoid doing any legislative work.

Those days are over now. Republicans are threatening that they will change all of the rules when they are in power, but they would have done that anyway without cause. (See John Boehner making up the “Hastert Rule” in the House that keeps the minority from having any power at all. Even the person that rule is named after calls baloney on it.)

Republicans are never going to bargain fairly or keep their word, as Harry Reid learned over and over again. They can’t afford to have honor, because they keep losing elections and the only way they can assert power is to lie, cheat and steal. While this is perfectly understandable given their desperation, it is unfair to the American people.

Harry Reid took a small but very important step today that will protect the people from just one of the many wars Republicans are waging.

Sarah Jones

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