First, what is the nuclear option?
The nuclear or constitutional option is a parliamentary procedure that allows the U.S. Senate to override a rule or precedent by a simple majority of 51 votes, instead of by a supermajority of 60 votes.
If this is enacted, Judge Gorsuch will easily be confirmed.
The GOP may not even need the nuclear option, as some Democrats, including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), do not want to obstruct Judge Gorsich because it may not bode well for them in the 2018 elections.
In the 2018 senate elections, Democrats are the incumbents in 23 races, 10 of which are in states that President Trump carried.
Now, why should the GOP do this if they can't get the 60 votes?
It was the Democrats who first used the nuclear option. This was back in 2013 under Harry Reid, and allowed President Obama to stuff the lower courts with nominees. Harry Reid, before his retirement said that he was confident that he laid the groundwork for the Democrats to nuke the filibuster for a Supreme Court nominee. The Republicans should not hesitate to use the nuclear option because the democrats can't criticize it without being hypocrites. The only democrats that can criticize it are Sen. Joe Manchin and the other Democrats that were critical of the nuclear option when Harry Reid first used it.
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