The Latest Empty Threat From Harry Reid

Well, Majority Leader Harry Reid is mad again, and threatening to take action against Republican obstructionism. This time he's upset because the Republicans are dragging their feet on approving judicial nominations made by the president ( and the presidential nomination to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau). Of course this is nothing new. The GOP has been obstructing the timely approval of judicial nominees for over four years now -- and the nominee to head the CFPB for a couple of years.

But Harry is mad, and he is threatening to use the "nuclear option" (changing Senate rules with only 51 votes) if the Republicans continue to block the Senate approval of presidential nominees (usually by filibustering them). Of course, Reid could have taken care of this matter back in January. Back then he was also talking tough and threatening to change the rules. But when push came to shove, he backed off and agreed to a few watered down changes offered by Republicans (changes so weak it did nothing to stop the GOP filibusters).

Now he once again realizes the GOP snookered him, and they are going to continue to abuse the filibuster rule (like anyone with half a brain knew they would). I don't think anyone knows if the so-called "nuclear option" is really viable or not, but it doesn't matter anyway. Reid doesn't have enough political backbone to actually try to do it.

Reid is just making another of his empty threats -- and both Republicans and progressives know it. In the end, Republicans will promise him to do better (and they might even approve one or two nominees to make it look good), and then they'll go right back to obstructing the approval of the president's nominees (and anything else the president tries to do). They've been playing this same game for over four years now, and Reid gives in nearly every time.

When are the Democrats going to learn how to play the same kind of political hardball that the Republicans do?