Filibuster Madness

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Back in 2005 Democrats filibustered ten of George Bush’s judicial nominees, ending with the famous “Gang of 14” compromise.¹ Apparently Republicans have decided to get their revenge by filibustering every Barack Obama nominee, even ones that Republicans themselves unanimously approve of. Steve Benen has the capsule summary of Barbara Milano Keenan’s meandering journey to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

So what’s the strategy here? Take your pick: (a) It’s just to piss off Democrats. (b) It’s got nothing to do with judges, it’s just to slow down the Senate so that it has less time for other business. (c) It’s habit. (d) All of the above. Me? I guess I’ll go with (d).

¹By the way, whether or not the Democratic filibusters were defensible, they had pretty good reason for them. Everybody seems to have forgotten about this history, though, so here’s the background.