Politics
Pop quiz time! What right-wing extremist said the following?
You know, the Founders designed this system, as frustrating [as] it is, to make sure that there's a broad consensus before the country moves forward.... And what we have now is a president who...[h]asn't gotten his way. And that is now prompting, you know, a change in the Senate rules that really I think would change the character of the Senate forever.... And what I worry about would be you essentially have still two chambers -- the House and the Senate -- but you have simply majoritarian absolute power on either side, and that's just not what the founders intended.
For the answer, go here.
From the link:
"In 2005, then-Sen. Obama was not talking about the use of reconciliation rules; but rather about a larger rule change, what came to be known by opponents as the “nuclear option,” and by supporters as the “constitutional option.” (Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., originally coined the "nuclear option" terminology but then stopped using it.)"
From wiki:
"Since 1980, 17 of 23 reconciliation bills have been signed into law by Republican presidents (a Republican has been president for 20 of the last 29 years). Since 1980, reconciliation has been used nine times when Republicans controlled both the House and the Senate, six times when Democrats controlled both the House and the Senate, one time when the Democrats controlled the Senate and the Republicans the House, and seven times when the Republicans controlled the Senate and the Democrats controlled the House."
Nicely done John! Just the kind of statement that is either a matter of principle, in this case sound constitutional principle, or it isn't. If it isn't, it will be something that he will not be able to get around, or, it will be something that will badly embarrass him...if any one would ever have the opportunity to ask him about it, during, let us say, a press conference. Remember those things, press conferences?