Sen. Bill Nelson/ The Shark Tank

By JAVIER MANJARRES

 Apparently, Nelson’s age may be catching up with him, as he seems to have forgotten that back in 2005, he stated that changing “the rules in the middle of the game is bordering on an abuse of power.”

 Yet it looks as though the majority leader, encouraged by the majority, is going to try to change the rules –not according to the Senate rules. In other words, it seems the majority is breaking the rules in order to change the Senate rules.

take our poll - story continues below

Do you think the 2nd Amendment will be destroyed by the Biden Administration?(2)

• Do you think the 2nd Amendment will be destroyed by the Biden Administration?  

• Do you think the 2nd Amendment will be destroyed by the Biden Administration?*
  • Yes.
  • Yes, but only parts.
  • Not a chance.
• Email*
• Phone
  This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Completing this poll grants you access to Shark Tank updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

  I don’t think that is right. I don’t think we ought to be changing the rules in the middle of the game. … I think this starts to verge on the edges of riskiness, if we start operating this Senate under those kind of rules, rules that are breaking the rules in order to change the rules. Another way you could put it is that we talk about the majority is threatening to break the rules to win every time. Is that what the Senate is all about?” (Sen. Nelson, Congressional Record, S.3770, 4/18/05)

 Levin, who is retiring after his term is up, put out a statement outlining why this move by Reid would leave a damaging mark on the Senate.

 “Changing the rules, in violation of the rules, by a simple majority vote is not a one-time action,” he warned. “If a Senate majority demonstrates it can make such a change once, there are no rules that bind a majority, and all future majorities will feel free to exercise the same power, not just on judges and executive appointments but on legislation.” 

Levin argued that the move opened the floodgates for the majority to change important rules on a whim going forward. 

 “Today, we once again are moving down a destructive path,” he said. “Pursuing the nuclear option in this manner removes an important check on majority overreach which is central to our system of government.” –Fox News

  “Senator Bill Nelson’s vote today broke the rules in order to change the rules. This was an abuse of power by Senate Democrats to distract from the failures of Obamacare and the rest of their liberal agenda. For someone who wanted to preserve the rights of the minority just eight years ago, only to take those rights away today, is the height of political hypocrisy.”-Susan Hepworth, RPOF Press Secretary

Follow the Shark Tank on Twitter and Facebook