The Nuclear Option Why One Senator Is Daring Republicans To Break The Unwritten Rules Of Washington Forever

Every clause in a reconciliation measure is scrutinized by the Senate parliamentarian in this legislative process, which bears the name of the late Senator Robert Byrd. The rules pertaining to election integrity might be eliminated like dead weight if the parliamentarian, an unelected official whose decisions have the power to make or break a presidency’s agenda, determines that they do not directly and significantly affect the federal budget. Kennedy’s challenge makes Republicans face the possibility that they may come out of this process with a truncated measure and a tarnished image. However, the Louisiana senator appears to think that the danger of failing is far surpassed by the risk of coming seen as weak to a base that is becoming more and more demanding of action rather than words.

Kennedy’s push has a clear underlying message: the days of half-measures and courteous floor speeches are over. Republicans will send a clear and possibly irreversible message to their constituents if they back down now.