Frist has necessary votes to change filibuster rules

Washington Times ^ | Monday, February 14, 2005 | By Charles Hurt and Stephen Dinan

[JohnHuang2]

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says he has the 51 votes needed to change Senate rules and make it easier for Republicans to overcome Democratic filibusters against President Bush's judicial nominees, but he hopes such a change won't be necessary. "We need to restore the over 200-year tradition and precedent of allowing every nominee of the president who has majority support an up-or-down vote on the floor of the United States Senate," Mr. Frist told The Washington Times on Thursday. "It's consistent with the Constitution, where we are as a body to give advice and consent, and the only way we can give advice and consent is an up-or-down vote on the floor of the Senate."

[ConservativeMind]

This is great.

I know there are those on Free Republic who think this step shouldn't be done, but this is what is right.

[California Patriot]

Frist has the votes but won't use the "nuclear option" right now.

So, the Dems let a few people through, the urgency of the issue peters out, Frist loses a few of his supposed 51 votes, and the rest of the nominations get blocked. Brilliant.

[the_Watchman]

In chess, as in warfare, the threat is sometimes as good as the execution of the attack. However, in this case, I think the Democrats will force the issue. They see themselves as gaining nothing by acquiescing.

They will resist. The Republicans have not demonstrated that they will pull the trigger. If Frist does get around to changing the rules, then the Democrats have bought time. Finally, they and the MSM [I realize that I am being redundant!] will harp on how unfair of the Republicans to change the rules.

I think the Republicans should go pre-emptive and change the rules right up front. In the long run it will save a lot of grief. The Democrats will be less likely to challenge them on other issues where the Dems can't win.

[JohnHuang2]

This is great.

Seconded ;-)

[Capitalism2003]

We need to FReep Frist and get this done THIS WEEK.

Imagine how much good can come...the next 3.5 years with NO OBSTRUCTIONISM.

[ConservativeMind]

The nominations cannot be blocked once this is in place.

For decades, Democrats owned the House and Senate. When minority Republicans tried to do a filibuster on different occasions, the Democratic leader would let the Republicans start the process and then by sometime the following day, perform a maneuver that would effectively scuttle the filibuster attempt.

This will happen now, too. The judicial nominees will finally get through without these "fake filibusters."

[dpwiener]

So, the Dems let a few people through, the urgency of the issue peters out, Frist loses a few of his supposed 51 votes, and the rest of the nominations get blocked. Brilliant.

You are misreading the political dynamics of the situation. It is the Democrats who are between a rock and a hard place. Every time a judicial nomination comes to the Senate floor, the Democrats have to worry that Frist might push the "nuclear" button if they choose to filibuster. And yet if they avoid filibustering, their core special-interest groups will scream bloody murder and accuse them of being spineless wimps.

Every time a nomination comes up, the Democratic Senators will have to try to calculate whether that person is so "extreme" (and can be depicted to the general public as so extreme) as to make it worth the risk of a filibuster which could result in the elimination of all future filibusters. I suspect that a lot of hard-core leftists will have trouble grappling with such nuances.

And every time that Democrats allow a conservative judge to slip through, they'll appear weaker and less unified. The perception will grow that Frist really does have the votes for the nuclear option. And in politics, perception is 90% of reality.

[JohnHuang2]

We need to FReep Frist and get this done THIS WEEK.

Couldn't agree more. Time's a wasting.

[ConservativeMind]

In case you still do not see why this is okay, you may want to read a brief article from the Cato Institute describing how these current "bad" rules are relatively speaking, new.

We need to get the rules back to more like what they were.

Senate Rule History on Filibusters:

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=3169

[EODGUY]

I have always contended that the nuclear option, once the outcome of the vote was assured, should take place immediately, prior to any nominations being considered.

Handling the issue in this manner would relieve the MSM and the left of a particular target upon which to focus their venom.

Making the change with nothing on the slate would force the media and the left to speculate on the impact of anticipated potential nominees having the opportunity to be voted upon by the entire senate......and as we all know, the MSM and the left make their living by speculating and never let truth or factual data alter their rhetoric.


EODGUY

[Jackal007]

I agree with you! Go ahead Senetor Frist...PULL THE TRIGGER!

[Randy Papadoo]

If Frist has the votes, he should go ahead.

The Dem filibusters have only one purpose: to deny a jucidicial appointee a vote. And that is evil politics, and they do it because they can.

Taking away the filibusters in no way damages the process of confirming a judge. As a matter of fact, taking away filibusters actually enhances the judicial selection process in that the process will have a chance to work like it's supposed to......where hearings are held and the nominee's strengths and weaknesses are scrutinized.

The Dems have presented nothing but open hostility to the 2004 Bush administration and the Rep Senate. I believe Frist is obligated to change the rules.

[thelastvirgil]

Is anybody keeping score on how many times this issue has been declared "settled" as opposed to how many times Zarqawi has been captured? I'll believe it when I see it. If the sissyboy, Frist, has the votes, he should use them or STFU.

[EQAndyBuzz]

"I think the Republicans should go pre-emptive and change the rules right up front. In the long run it will save a lot of grief. The Democrats will be less likely to challenge them on other issues where the Dems can't win."

I totally disagree. The Republicans should put up their nominees and as the Dems reject each one, the Republicans put out a press release about Dem obstructionisism and why America has fallen into the sewer. Remind the country how Republicans helped pass civil rights legislation and how they have become the party of ALL people.

After about five or six of these, the Republicans go nuclear, and put everyone up for a vote at one time. This can kill any RAT chances in 06 and 08. Force Hillary to vote on minority nominees.

[steveegg]

The question is, will he do it?

[steveegg]

Frist has the votes but won't use the "nuclear option" right now.

So, the Dems let a few people through, the urgency of the issue peters out, Frist loses a few of his supposed 51 votes, and the rest of the nominations get blocked. Brilliant.

Except for the part about the DemonRATs letting a few through, you nailed it. Can anyone name for me the last great Republican Senate leader, because I can't seem to recall any?

[OXENinFLA]

to change Senate rules and make it easier for Republicans to overcome Democratic filibusters against President Bush's judicial nominees

STOP and think about this real hard before you jump off this cliff. In the future, the far far future I hope, when the dems get back in power the repubs will not be able to do what the dems are doing now. Not that the repubs would hold up QUALIFIED judges like the dems are doing, but if an unqualified judge was appointed by a dem leader then the repubs would have less options at hand to stop him/her from ascending to the bench for life.

[af_vet_1981]

They will resist. The Republicans have not demonstrated that they will pull the trigger.

Saddam Hussein agreed with you.

Muammar Ghaddafi did not.