Reconciling the Nuclear Option

Remember back when President Bush was trying to get some folks on the federal court of appeals? Democrats decided they needed to filibuster these awful appointments. The filibuster, you see, was fundamental to what it means to be an American. Mandated by the Constitution and free with every slice of apple pie.

Of course, it’s always been “just” a Senate rule. Designed to allow the minority to prevent getting rolled by the majority over issues of such importance, that, when passed, cannot be undone.

So, the Democrats used it to prevent the seating of judges on the court of appeals, no doubt because judges have life tenure and can only be removed if impeached by the Senate (and that takes more than a majority too). Of course, no one now remembers which of those frightening appointees were actually confirmed as a result of the heroic efforts of the Gang of 14 who prevented the exercise of the nuclear option and the rule of the mere majority.

Now, here comes 2010, the Year of the Free Lunch (aka, More Health Care for Less!). And the Republicans want to erect a roadblock to stop the single most compassionate and loving effort in the history of Mankind, Humankind and Amoebakind. And now we discover the filibuster is really a back door meaningless “process” designed to waterboard puppies, kill old people and usher in a new age Diff’rent Strokes episodes, all the while, Grandma is choosing a 4-pack of mac-n-cheese to accompany her cable TV viewing instead of filling her Lipitor scripts.

So, the Democrats were afraid of conservative judges rolling back Roe v Wade and banning race-conscience university admissions, so they threatened the filibuster and denied cloture to stop it. I get it.

And now the Republicans are afraid that once Obama takes over the healthcare system, there’s just going to be too many new and exciting ways for Congresspeeps to pass around favors that they will never give it up. You can’t put that genie back in the bottle, so I get that, too.

Meanwhile, no one (clearly not me) is talking about how Obamacare defies the gravity of the laws of economics and only “saves” money in health care when it controls every action of the individual, from deciding when to stop treatment to deciding whether to take the stairs, buy some doughnuts or drive a Toyota.