The Mechanics of the Senate Compromise
The Washington Post has a good explanation of the mechanics of the nuclear option compromise being engineered by 12 Senators who are hoping to thwart both Sen. Frist and Sen. Reid. I'm wondering why we should give all the power to these 12?
Behind closed doors, they have carved up the future of a number of Bush's judicial nominees, deciding among themselves who should be confirmed and who should not. The two sides have traded pieces of paper and argued over words and phrases. They have consulted the Constitution itself and yesterday even asked for a dictionary as the hair-splitting over language continued.
Simple arithmetic gives the group potentially great power. If six Republicans and six Democrats reach agreement and stick to it, they can shut down any filibuster lodged by Democrats against a judicial nominee and block any effort by Frist to change the rules. They also can determine the fate of the nominees already on the Senate docket and can provide the balance of power in any fights over Supreme Court vacancies.
Why are these 12 going to be the arbiters of the judicial nominees? It seems like the exercise of power in this country continually gets whittled down to fewer and fewer people, all of whom have special interests. It seems very undemocratic. In fact, it seems like an an oligarchy.
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