Existing comment:
Former Senator from Nevada (1987-2017), Harry Reid passed on December 28, 2021. He was Senate Majority Leader (2007-2015) during which time the Senate invoked the "nuclear option" to eliminate the 60-vote requirement to end a filibuster for presidential nominations (other than nominations to the US Supreme Court).
The US Senate, which is already grossly unrepresentative, had been even more neutered by the 60% rule. Keep in mind that the Senate is a body where the top 10 US states (with 53.51% of the US population) have the same number of Senators (20) as the bottom 10 US states (with 2.84% of the US population). The filibuster rule allowed Senators from 20 states (40 Senators), who together can represent just 10% of the US electorate, to block a nomination. The south had used this for years to block civil rights legislation and it still goes on today. |