Congress Fundamentally Changed Yesterday and You Probably Didn't Notice

While you were busy fawning over number 35  and/or binge watching Netflix yesterday, the United States Senate made a fundamental alteration concerning filibusters that may change the political playing field forever.

In the wake of GOP-led filibusters on almost every executive-branch nominee, the Senate voted to remove the super-majority needed to cut off debate in regards to filibustering a presidential nomination in favor of a simple majority. 

Now, if you're like me and speak English, you're probably wondering: "What the fuck am I reading?" I don't blame you; it's confusing language and still hard to wrap my head around. Allow me to attempt to explain to the best of my abilities.

In the past, if the President wanted to nominate someone to a cabinet position or to a federal judgeship, one could filibuster the appointment and only a supermajority of 60 votes within the senate could end the filibuster. Now, under the leadership of Harry Reid, an alteration to this rule has been made only requiring a simple majority. Ergo, in a Democratic controlled Senate, the Democrats have complete control over filibusters. This is called the "nuclear option" and its vocal proponent, Senator Majority Leader Reid, has done a complete 180 in terms of his support for the rule change.  I'll allow you to be the judge concerning this sudden change of heart.

As for the rule change itself and its effects on the future, some believe that this sets a precedent that will lead to the elimination of the filibuster altogether.

From Politico:

The Senate’s vote to push the button on the “nuclear option” is unprecedented and is likely to lead to a further erosion of the filibuster in the future. But for now, Senate Democrats haven’t pursued eliminating the filibuster on lawmaking, partially because Republicans control the House and frequently choose not to take up Senate-passed bills anyway.

Whether it changes further in the future or not, this shift in the way filibusters are handled on the Hill is monumental. Please take the time to educate yourselves on the process in which presidential nominees are appointed and decide for yourself if you think this will have positive or negative consequences. (Or, hell, maybe even no consequences....unlikely, though) 

I apologize for the sparse amount of information. I was only made aware of the majority of these terms yesterday evening and have been doing my best to gain a cursory understanding of them so that I could try and inform you, my lovely readers, of your government perpetually confusing actions. Thanks for reading and check out the linked articles for a far more thorough examination of the recent change!