Why the Senate Went Nuclear

First Read highlights what really triggered yesterday’s rules change in the U.S. Senate:

“It used to be that the up-or-down vote was what ultimately mattered. But over the last few years, interest groups and partisan media began holding senators accountable for their cloture votes. It was no longer good enough to simply vote against a nominee on final passage; you also had to vote to deny that nominee the 60 votes needed to even consider the nomination… Bottom line: This trend wasn’t going to end.”

“By the way, another reason Reid may have decided now was the time to
pull this trigger: If Republicans do take control of the Senate in 2014,
it would mean judicial nominations would probably come to a screeching
halt in 2015 and 2016, so this is essentially the Democrats’ last year
to impact the makeup of the federal courts.”

Wonk Wire: Two contrasting views of the nuclear option.