PLEASE HURRY ”Senators have increasingly used holds, their ability to block consideration of a nominee indefinitely, as a broader partisan weapon to keep presidents from filling key positions, including many qualified and usually noncontroversial nominees . . . . The confirmation rate of presidential circuit court appointments has plummeted from above 90 percent in the late 1970s and early 1980s to around 50 percent in recent years.”

Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, It’s Even Worse than it Looks, 2012

Based on the text, which of the following statements would the authors most likely agree with?

A

Divided government has led to the Senate's decrease in the use of filibusters when confirming presidential appointments

B

Divided government has had little impact on the president’s ability to achieve presidential initiatives or get confirmation on presidential nominees

C

Divided government has led to an increase in congressional refusal to confirm appointments of presidents of the opposite party

D

Divided government leads to a more effective congressional process for negotiating appointee confirmations