Trump Predicted What Has Come Back to Haunt Democrats in 2013

June 28, 2018
trump filibuster prediction democrats

Man, there really is a tweet for everything.

In 2013, Senate Democrats, led by then-Majority Leader Harry Reid, dramatically reduced the power of the minority party by eliminating the filibuster for most nominations by a president.

As such, federal judicial nominees and executive-office appointments would advance for confirmation votes via a simple majority, rather than a 60-vote supermajority that had been in place for forty years.

Reid boasted of the move on social media.

“Thanks to all of you who encouraged me to consider filibuster reform,” he said “It had to be done.”

Why? Because Democrats at the time viewed Republican opposition to some of Barack Obama’s judicial nominations to be obstruction.

Even Obama tweeted his agreement with Reid.

What if, however, the Democrats were in a position as the minority power and they found themselves only able to use the tool of the filibuster to stop a Presidential agenda?

Would Republicans be able to play by the same rules?

“Aren’t you worried Republicans will get rid of the filibuster on the Supreme Court?” one reporter asked.

“Let them do it!” scoffed Reid. “Why in the world would we care? If they want simple majority, fine!”

Republicans are now staring at a need for just 51 votes to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court, following his retirement announcement on Wednesday.

There was a private citizen at the time who warned Reid and the Democrats that such a drastic change in the rules could come back to bite them in the ass.

That man was Donald Trump.

“Since the Democrats decided to kill the filibuster, they now own it,” he said before presciently adding, “Republicans should keep the new rule when they’re in the majority.”

Trump wasn’t the only one who warned the Democrats that their brazen power grab would come back to haunt them.

Mitch McConnell, five years ago, warned Senate Democrats they’ll regret filibuster reform “a lot sooner than you think.”

“The solution to this problem is at the ballot box,” he added.

The ballot box solution occurred in 2014 when Republicans regained control of Congress, then later in 2016 when they won the White House. And the regret the Democrats are feeling happened yesterday, when Kennedy announced his retirement, leaving a vacancy for which Trump will now decide.

When the filibuster rule came up during the nomination of Justice Neil Gorsuch, the late Charles Krauthammer wrote, “God bless Harry Reid.”

“Reid was warned that the day would come when Republicans would be in the majority and would exploit the new rules to equal and opposite effect,” Krauthammer recalled. “That day is here.”

It’s here again. And we all saw it coming, especially the man who stands to benefit from it the most.

This isn’t the first time President Trump has played the role of Nostradamus.

He predicted the fall of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman:

He predicted Anthony Weiner’s role in the Hillary Clinton email scandal:

And he predicted getting tough with North Korea would work:

The prediction on the filibuster was a fairly easy one to see coming, but it still doesn’t soften the blow for Democrats who are wailing and gnashing their teeth over the fact that Trump will pick another justice for the Supreme Court.

And there’s nothing they can do to stop it. God bless Harry Reid, indeed.

By Rusty Weiss

Rusty Weiss has been covering politics for over 15 years. His writings have appeared in the Daily Caller, Fox... More about Rusty Weiss