In just the same way, a future Senate majority, Democratic or Republican, will take what it can, eventually eliminating the filibuster for legislation and Supreme Court nominees as well. We will be left with a Senate ruled at all times and everywhere by a simple majority vote. Bipartisanship will be unnecessary, a mark of weakness rather than strength. Lost amid the rubble will be the center, the concept of coalition building, and the need for compromise.

Under a Republican majority, I led several efforts to stop legislation using the filibuster. In one case, a major energy bill included unnecessary subsidies and legal protections for gasoline additives like ethanol and MTBE. In another, we stopped action on the Patriot Act because it contained inadequate protection for civil liberties. In both cases, our bipartisan coalition forced revisions and changes to the bills that ultimately passed Congress.

Harry Reid’s reckless rule change presents us with a future where coalitions like that are unlikely if not impossible. Limited chances for bipartisan success, coupled with a dominant majority, will make it far less likely that members stray from the party line at all. That behavior is already the norm in the House, where rules severely limit the ability of members to offer amendments and debate at length — the very same changes invoked by the nuclear option. It’s truly ironic that Democrats protesting the partisanship in the Senate have responded by making the institution more partisan than ever.