...Alternatively, the GOP could threaten to shut down the Senate entirely. This is technically doable.
”Keep in mind that a lot of what Senate leaders do day to day is done by unanimous consent,” explains Binder. If a single senator started objecting to every little motion and maneuver, it would become impossible to conduct any legislative business at all.
Some examples:
– A 500-page amendment is brought to the floor, and the bill manager wants to dispense with the reading of the amendment? All a senator has to say is, “I object,” and it’s time to start reading all 500 pages out loud.
– The Senate leader wants to waive the rule that prevents committees from meeting while the Senate is in session? A single senator can object, and, suddenly, committees can’t meet.
– Reid wants to adjourn the Senate until Jan. 3? “I object.”
Any senator can do this at any time, if he or she is so inclined. Indeed, as Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute explains, this is basically what happens when a senator places a “hold” on a White House nominee. The senator is threatening to deny unanimous consent if the nomination goes forward.
There are a few precedents in the past for lawmakers bogging down the Senate. Back in 2010, then-Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) managed to deny unanimous consent for days on end in order to prevent the Senate from passing an unemployment benefits package that he thought needed to be paid for. His maneuvers earned him plenty of negative press. Other senators pleaded with him. Bunning simply shrugged and replied, “Tough shit.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
