Dropping the bomb

USED in the context of discussions on parliamentary procedure, the “nuclear option” was highly enriched hyperbole. On November 21st it was detonated, as it were. A rule-change passed by the Senate (chief mover Harry Reid, the majority leader) means that the minority party there will no longer be able to filibuster, or talk out, some nominees to the federal judiciary and the executive branch (though the filibuster remains in place for legislation and for nominees to the Supreme Court). Such appointments can now be made with the support of a simple majority. So far there has been no sign of fallout. Nevertheless, the way America governs itself has been altered.

Curbing the filibuster, which hands the minority party a powerful tool to thwart the majority, has long been discussed. Both parties refrained from doing it, partly out of a self-interested fear about what would happen when they next found themselves in the minority, partly from some lingering sense that the Senate ought to be a polite place where lawmakers reach across the aisle to make deals. Why did Democrats, who have a majority in the Senate, decide to break with precedent and make the change?