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In 2013, then-President Obama said that if a majority of Senators agree on a nomination, then that nomination should be approved and that a filibuster should not be enacted by the minority who are attempting to relitigate the past election. Obama’s remarks came following Senate Democrats enacting the nuclear option in 2013.
Now, Senate Democrats intend to filibuster Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch, a move that will almost certainly result in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) expanding the nuclear option to included Supreme Court nominees.
Senate Democrats, who are acting outraged about this proposed change, are not heeding the former president’s words regarding filibusters in 2013.
“All too often we’ve seen a single senator or a handful of senators choose to abuse arcane procedural tactics to unilaterally block bipartisan compromises or to prevent well-qualified, patriotic Americans from filling critical positions of public service in our system of government,” Obama told reporters.
“A deliberate and determined effort to obstruct everything, no matter what the merits, just to refight the result of an election is not normal, and for the sake of future generations, we can’t let it become normal,” the president added.
“It was simply because they opposed the policies that the American people voted for in the last election,” Obama said.
“If there are differences in the Senate, then debate should be had, people should vote their conscience, they should vote on behalf of their constituents, but they should vote. That’s what they’re there to do. And ultimately, if you got a majority of folks who believe in something, then it should be able to pass,” Obama continued.
Obama concluded by saying that using the filibuster to grind all business to a halt is not what the founding fathers intended.