To the Point
Another blow to bipartisanship
In the Senate, minority party rights have been protected by requiring that some measures need 60 votes, instead of just 51, in order to pass. But over the years, both parties have eroded that rule — especially regarding judicial confirmations — and this week it’s happening again.
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readIn the Senate, minority party rights have been protected by requiring that some measures need 60 votes, instead of just 51, in order to pass. But over the years, both parties have eroded that rule — especially regarding judicial confirmations — and this week it’s happening again. Senate Democrats challenged Republicans to put up or shut up today by denying the 60 votes needed to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the US Supreme Court. Republican John McCain said, "Someday we will regret what we are about to do." But he still joined fellow Republicans in eliminating a protection for minority party rights in the Senate. Once again, a supposedly hallowed tradition is being abandoned in the interests of politics. What will approval of President Trump’s first appointment to the US Supreme Court mean in the long run for both political parties?
