memeorandum: Why the Filibuster Had to Go — By Jamelle BouieNovember 21st 20132:15 PM (The Daily Beast)

7:35 AM ET, November 22, 2013

Top Items:

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:

Nine reasons the filibuster change is a huge deal — 1. The change the Senate made today is small but consequential: The filibuster no longer applies to judicial or executive-branch nominees. It still applies to bills and Supreme Court nominations. — Goodbye, filibuster. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Discussion: White House.gov Blog, National Review, ABC News, Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, PostPartisan, Washington Monthly, Washington Center … and Marginal Revolution

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:

Partisan Fever in Senate Likely to Rise — WASHINGTON — President Obama will get a short-term lift for his nominees, judicial and otherwise, but over the immediate horizon, the strong-arm move by Senate Democrats on Thursday to limit filibusters could usher in an era of rank partisan warfare beyond …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Prairie Weather and NBC Politics

Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:

Senate's filibuster rule change should help Obama achieve key second-term priorities — The Senate vote Thursday to lower the barriers for presidential nominations should make it easier for President Obama to accomplish key second-term priorities, including tougher measures on climate change …

Discussion: PostPartisan, The Daily Caller, Booman Tribune and Wonkblog

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:

NUCLEAR OPTION TRIGGERED: Dems Make Historic Change To Filibuster Rules — After years of threats and warnings, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and his Democratic majority on Thursday executed the “nuclear option” to eliminate the filibuster for executive branch and judicial nominees, except for the Supreme Court.

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Wonkblog, Liberal Values, The Verge, The Impolitic, The Other McCain, Washington Monthly, Washington Wire, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Taylor Marsh

John Dickerson / Slate:

The Old Senate Was Already Dead — Passing filibuster reform just made it official. — If West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd were still in the Senate, it would be fascinating to see which side of the recent filibuster debate he would take. Byrd was a defender of Senate traditions …

Joel B. Pollak / BREITBART.COM:

NUCLEAR: REID, DEMOCRATS DESTROY FILIBUSTER, 52-48 — The Senate voted Thursday, 52-48, to end the filibuster rule for all executive and judicial appointments except for Supreme Court nominees, which would still need a 60-vote supermajority to end debate and move to a majority vote on confirmation.

Discussion: Washington Post and Little Green Footballs

Roger Pilon / National Review:

Harry Reid's Nuclear Hypocrisy — Harry Reid is set to “go nuclear.” He wants to end the filibuster as it applies to appellate court nominations — not by a two-thirds vote of the Senate, as Senate rules require, but by a simple majority. And given the short memories now in evidence, he may just succeed.

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications and protein wisdom

Brian Beutler / Salon:
Reid goes nuclear — now bring on the liberal activist judges!

Discussion: Liberaland, The Week, The Plum Line and Wonkblog

Dylan Scott / Talking Points Memo:
McCain: Dems Will Pay ‘Heavy, Heavy Price’ For Changing Filibuster

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Daily Kos

Paul Kane / Washington Post:
Reid, Democrats trigger ‘nuclear’ option; eliminate most filibusters on nominees

Discussion: USA Today, Daily Kos, The Plum Line, The Volokh Conspiracy, Guardian, PostPartisan, Right Turn, The Democratic Daily, The Fix, Weasel Zippers, CNN, Talking Points Memo, ProfessorBainbridge.com, Hit & Run, Questions and Observations, The Gateway Pundit and Outside the Beltway

New York Times:
Democracy Returns to the Senate

Discussion: Taking Note, Patterico's Pontifications, The Mahablog and Power Line

The Daily Beast: Why the Filibuster Had to Go — By Jamelle BouieNovember 21st 20132:15 PM

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
Norm Ornstein: Republicans Forced Reid's Hand On The Nuclear Option

Discussion: The Plum Line

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
In Landmark Vote, Senate Limits Use of the Filibuster

Discussion: WJLA-TV, Christian Science Monitor, The Plum Line, Hot Air, The Monkey Cage, LifeNews.com, American Prospect, Discourse.net, Talking Points Memo, Outside the Beltway, TalkLeft, Lawyers, Guns & Money, No More Mister Nice Blog, Crooked Timber and Althouse

Paul Waldman / American Prospect:
Don't Believe the Republican Cries of Vengeance

Discussion: First Read, Mother Jones, Right Turn, BBC, The Dish and ThinkProgress

Molly Ball / The Atlantic Online:
Why Harry Reid Went Nuclear

Discussion: Guardian and Prairie Weather

Jose Delreal / Politico:
Paul on Reid: 'We've got a big bully'

Discussion: Reuters and PostPartisan

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:
GOP Senator: Nuclear Option Is ‘Obamacare II’

Discussion: NewsBusters, National Review and Mediaite

ThinkProgress:
Why Senate Democrats Had To Invoke The ‘Nuclear Option’

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's Wonk Wire and Hullabaloo

Politico:
Senate goes for ‘nuclear option’

Discussion: The World's Greatest …, Weekly Standard, Washington Free Beacon and Chicago Boyz

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:

Obama approval rating sinks to new low in CNN poll — Washington (CNN) - As President Barack Obama's approval rating hits another all-time low, a new national survey also indicates that Americans say the President has less power than congressional Republicans when it comes to shaping events over the next year.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, TruthRevolt.org, Politico, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, Power Line, Weasel Zippers and National Review

CNN:

CNN Poll: JFK tops presidential rankings for last 50 years — Washington (CNN) - John F. Kennedy is the most popular president of the last half century, according to a new national poll — A CNN/ORC International survey released Friday indicates that 90% of all Americans approve of how Kennedy handled his job as President.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Paul Steinhauser / CNN: CNN Poll: More than half back Iranian nuclear deal

Politico:

Older hill aides shocked by Obamacare prices — Veteran House Democratic aides are sick over the insurance prices they'll pay under Obamacare, and they're scrambling to find a cure. — “In a shock to the system, the older staff in my office (folks over 59) have now found …

John Boehner / Speaker.gov:

My Attempt to Sign Up For Health Care … Earlier this afternoon, I sat down to try and enroll in the DC exchange under the president's health care law: — Like many Americans, my experience was pretty frustrating. After putting in my personal information, I received an error message.

Discussion: Political Capital, Talking Points Memo, Post Politics, Hot Air, Politico, Business Insider, TIME and Washington Free Beacon

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:

Health Law Is Dividing Republican Governors — SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Republicans are planning to use the troubled health law against Democrats in next year's midterm elections, but the Affordable Care Act is increasingly dividing their party, too. — At the annual meeting …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Peter Hamby / CNN:
How Chris Christie took over the Republican Governors Association

Discussion: Guardian, Texas Politics, The Week and Washington Post

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Obama holds off-record meeting with MSNBC hosts, liberal pundits — President Obama held an off-the-record meeting with MSNBC hosts and liberal pundits on Thursday, POLITICO has learned. — Present at the meeting: MSNBC's Ed Schultz and Lawrence O'Donnell, Washington Post economics blogger Ezra Klein …

Discussion: Hot Air and Weasel Zippers

Washington Post:

Suspected U.S. drone kills six; U.S. denies Pakistan's claim that seminary was target — PESHAWAR, Pakistan — American and Pakistani officials sharply disagreed Thursday about whether an Islamic school was struck by a U.S. drone, in an unusual attack that inflamed tensions over the CIA drone campaign.