memeorandum: Senate's filibuster rule change should help Obama achieve key second-term priorities (Zachary A. Goldfarb/Washington Post)

11:35 AM ET, November 22, 2013

Top Items:

The Democrats' naked power grab — “Congress is broken,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday before holding a party-line vote that disposed of rules that have guided and protected the chamber since 1789. — If Congress wasn't broken before, it certainly is now.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Betsy's Page, GOP.com, Right Turn, Guardian, PostPartisan, The Volokh Conspiracy, Conservatives4Palin, The Fix, National Review, Hit & Run, The Gateway Pundit and Questions and Observations

New York Times:

Democracy Returns to the Senate — For five years, Senate Republicans have refused to allow confirmation votes on dozens of perfectly qualified candidates nominated by President Obama for government positions. They tried to nullify entire federal agencies by denying them leaders.

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 …

Discussion: Booman Tribune and Washington Post

Patterico's Pontifications:

Hysterical Hypocrisy on Filibusters from the New York Times — The New York Times editorial board today, November 21, 2013, editorializing in favor of the judicial filibuster, at a time when we have a Democratic President and Senate majority: … Thank God we have a “return to the democratic process …

Discussion: Hot Air, Power Line and New York Times

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: Democracy in America, PostPartisan, The Daily Caller, The BLT, Booman Tribune and Wonkblog

Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:
Rand Paul: Harry Reid Is A ‘Big Bully’

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Liberaland

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:
Partisan Fever in Senate Likely to Rise

Discussion: Althouse, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, The Week, The Plum Line, Talking Points Memo, Outside the Beltway, Prairie Weather, NBCNews and NBC Politics

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

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Wonkblog, The Plum Line, Balloon Juice, The Other McCain, The Impolitic and The Week

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

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

Roger Pilon / National Review:
Harry Reid's Nuclear Hypocrisy

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Patterico's Pontifications and protein wisdom

Dan Merica / CNN:
The man who coined the term ‘nuclear option’ regrets ever pursuing it

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, New Day and Washington Post

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:
Nine reasons the filibuster change is a huge deal

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

Discussion: PostPartisan and Washington Monthly

Janet Hook / Wall Street Journal:
Democrats Rein In Senate Filibusters

Discussion: National Review, DealBook, Via Meadia, The Volokh Conspiracy, Law Blog and Washington Wire

Joel B. Pollak / BREITBART.COM:
NUCLEAR: REID, DEMOCRATS DESTROY FILIBUSTER, 52-48

Discussion: Washington Post and Little Green Footballs

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

Discussion: rubber hose, National Review, The Verge, Washington Monthly and Daily Kos

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

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Lawyers, Guns & Money, USA Today, Mother Jones, First Read, The Plum Line, Right Turn, ABC News, BBC and The Dish

Scott Walker / Wall Street Journal:

How to Win the Obama-Walker Voters — If conservative principles are the problem, then why are so many Republicans in office who campaigned on them? — In the wake of the 2012 elections, Republicans are being warned once again that they need to compromise their principles to win at the ballot box.

Discussion: First Read

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:
Health Law Is Dividing Republican Governors

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Charles Babington / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Wisconsin's Gov. Walker hopes to split Chris Christie, tea partyers, in GOP presidential hunt

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

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

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

Lauren McGaughy / New Orleans Times-Picayune:

Mary Landrieu approval ratings drop, Bobby Jindal's rise in latest polling data — U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu's approval rating dropped and Gov. Bobby Jindal's rose over the last six months, according to polling data released Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013 from Southern Media & Opinion Research.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and Mock Paper Scissors

Emily Schultheis / Politico:

Bill Cassidy staffer tweets Mary Landrieu-Mussolini picture — A conservative blog in Louisiana on Thursday posted an image of Sen. Mary Landrieu's face superimposed on the body of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini — and an hour later, the campaign manager of Landrieu's main opponent next year …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Fox News:

Round 2 of ObamaCare enrollment to be delayed until after 2014 midterms — The Obama administration plans to delay the start of next year's ObamaCare enrollment period, a move pitched as a way to give consumers and insurance companies more time to study their options …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Fox News Insider and The Gateway Pundit

Susan Levine / Politico:

HHS to delay 2015 Obamacare enrollment by a month — Health and Human Services plans to delay the start of the second year of Obamacare enrollment by one month to allow insurers more time to set rates after assessing their plan experiences during 2014, a department official said Thursday night.

Discussion: Hot Air and National Review

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

The / Los Angeles Times: Why JFK still matters

CNN:
CNN Poll: JFK tops presidential rankings for last 50 years

Discussion: NBCNews, The Democratic Daily and Talking Points Memo

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Expanding Social Security — For many years there has been one overwhelming rule for people who wanted to be considered serious inside the Beltway. It was this: You must declare your willingness to cut Social Security in the name of “entitlement reform.” It wasn't really about the numbers …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Liberaland and Business Insider

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 …

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, National Review, The Daily Caller and Hot Air

Bloomberg:

Insurers to Get Extra Month to Set 2015 Obamacare Rates — The Obama administration plans to push back by a month the second-year start of enrollment in its health program to give insurers more time to adjust to growing pains in the U.S. law, a move that may stave off higher premiums before the 2014 congressional elections.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Weasel Zippers, Weekly Standard, Right Wing News and The Daily Caller

Brianna Keilar / CNN:

Key part of HeathCare.gov passed test, but Anonymous Shopper shelved anyway — Washington (CNN) — When the troubled federal health care website came online, the key “Anonymous Shopper” function was nowhere to be found — even though it passed a key test almost two weeks before HealthCare.gov launched.

Discussion: Hot Air

Martha T. Moore / Associated Press:

ACLU sues Kansas over voter registration requirements — Group argues against “two-tier” voting system — The American Civil Liberties Union is suing Kansas over the state's refusal to allow residents to vote in state elections without showing proof of citizenship.