Much of the Senate’s rules are premised on the notion that literally every single member of the Senate will agree to allow basic tasks to be performed. In the era of Ted Cruz and Mitch McConnell, that is no longer a viable assumption.
By allowing the majority of Senators to "advise and consent" on executive branch nominees -- without giving Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell a virtual veto, the Senate could allow major progressive change in an array of areas beyond just the federal courts.
Despite the massive step Senate Democrats just took to fix a broken Senate, Republicans still retain significant power to obstruct confirmations and block legislation under the Senate's arcane rules and practices.
Amid new calls to revisit the Senate rules that allow a minority of 41 Senators to block confirmation of judicial nominees with majority support, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee took to CNN Tuesday to defend his party's obstruction.