If the senate votes to get rid of the secret holds and votes on the new rules regarding the filibuster on January 24th then the nominees will have a much better chance to get confirmed when they come up for a full senate vote.
More info here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x540184And also...
December 17, 2010
Bipartisan Support Building Around Three Changes To Senate Rules In New Congress
Excerpt:
"This is a two-step process," Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), one of the leaders of the effort, told The Huffington Post in an interview after the caucus meeting. "The first step is that we need to recognize that under the Constitution, we can...adopt rules with 51 votes and also cut off debate on rules that we want to adopt with 51 votes. ... The second step is building the consensus with 51 senators on what they want to actually be in the rules. ... And that's the tough business we're in right now."
According to Udall, bipartisan support is beginning to build around three proposals:
1) No longer allowing senators to filibuster the motion to proceed and instead allow a set amount of time for debate, 2) ending secret holds, and 3) stopping filibustering senators from hiding behind quorum calls and forcing them to speak up if they're blocking a bill.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/17/changes-senate-rules-filibuster-transparency_n_798523.html