Just a reminder of some of what we're dealing with here.
Mr. Moderate himself
Posted on 05/26/2005 8:56:21 AM PDT by Matchett-PI
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: The Wall Street Journal editorial is with us to do on this whole mess, and it mentions a point that we touched on yesterday. The title of their editorial: "A Remarkable Exercise In Political Self-Protection." They call this compromise a charade.
"This ballyhooed 'compromise' is all about saving the Senators themselves, not the Constitution. Its main point is to shield the group of 14 from the consequences of having to cast difficult, public votes in a filibuster showdown," and I think that's right on the money.
We're talking about moderates here, who are scared to death to state a position. Moderates are scared to death to take a position.
This is... Well, you know, I'm sure I've angered many of you people over the many years I've sat here behind the powerful EIB microphone but nothing is ever going to make me change my mind about moderates as long as they stay moderates, and "moderate" is defined as it is, as it currently is: You wait for consensus, you wait for majority, and then go that way so nobody doesn't like you, so that you don't make any enemies.
And in this case, they were just scared to death of the consequences of voting one way or the other and so they took the issue off the table so that they wouldn't have to cast votes on it.
"Meanwhile, the statesmen and women are able to postpone any real fighting over the filibuster until the inevitable Supreme Court nomination later this Congress.
We don't often agree with North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan, but he had it about right when he called the deal 'legislative castor oil. It averts the showdown vote tomorrow, but I doubt it's over.
"All in all, we can't recall a more cynical Senate performance since the phony impeachment trial of Bill Clinton." This is the Wall Street Journal writing this. "[I]t's cynicism squared in the case of the three nominees who will now finally be confirmed. Yesterday, 81 Senators voted to give Priscilla Owen a vote on the floor, after four years of Democratic filibusters.
Apparently she isn't such a grave 'extremist' threat after all. The same also applies to Janice Rogers Brown (22 months in the dock) and Bill Pryor (25 months).
Monday's deal exposes the long Democratic campaign against them as 'extremists' as nothing more than a political sop to People for the American Way and their ilk.
Henry Saad and William Myers aren't so fortunate. They'll be denied a vote because the Republican Seven had to give their Democratic co-signers some trophies to take back to their Senate caucus..."
"But there is a cynical irony here, too. To defeat a Supreme Court nominee, liberal interest groups will now be obliged to manufacture the very 'extraordinary circumstances' that would give Democrats among the Gang of 14 an excuse to filibuster. Thus they will have even greater incentive than before to dig through a nominee's personal and professional life for any mud they can throw against him. In the name of consensus and comity, in short, these 14 'moderates' have increased the chances that the Senate will witness a future, bloody Borking."
That's what I would respond too to Morton Kondracke. I love Kondracke. We love Kondracke here on this program, folks. We love Hagel. Have you heard what Hagel said about this? Hagel doesn't like this deal at all. Hagel thinks this deal is rotten because it doesn't guarantee all the nominees an up-or-down vote. Hagel said this. Yeah, we love Hagel on this program. I always have. We've had our disagreements with Hagel over the years but we love Hagel on this program. You know, we love Kondracke. I mean, how can you not like Kondracke? He wears glasses. You gotta respect that.
The fact of the matter is -- and he thought he had them. A lot of people thought he had a good point, that the bar for 'extraordinary circumstances' has now been raised so high.
But that's it. This deal gives the People for the American Way license to go out and mine even deeper into people's lives and come up with all these 'extraordinary circumstances,' because, remember, this also makes the point that I made yesterday which I think is a key point here, that they now going to go out -- it's not Harry Reid or Chuck Schumer, Leahy or any of the usual crowd that's going to be out there crowing that some nominee is extreme.
They're now going to get one of these sap moderates.
Can you imagine Mary Landrieu out there making the case that this person is too extreme or Daniel In-No-Way? These people are far less offensive looking and acting than the Senate Democrat leadership is. I mean, it's just going to make it tougher because the press.
Folks, you talk about an orgy? The media the orgy over moderates today is just... You can't describe it unless you see it for yourself and, of course, Broder is orgying, orgasming over McCain. It's hard to contain it here, folks. I want to go get a condom when I read the papers today. It was just an amazing sight to on behold.
And of course all these guys think they're moderates, these far left-wing libs think they are moderates. You know, they don't look at themselves as liberals. They are just who they are; they are what is normal. It's been an amazing experience to read the papers today.
So anyway the Journal says, "The fervent hope of these 14 is that President Bush will spare them from such controversy by nominating someone acceptable to the left -- say, another David Souter.
"Their agreement therefore warns Mr. Bush that he is obliged 'to consult with members of the Senate, both Democratic and Republican, prior to submitting a judicial nomination to the Senate for consideration.'"
The Journal says, "We hope he ignores them. Mr. Bush is under no obligation to reward Senators who have mistreated his nominees in this fashion. He owes far more to the supporters who helped him win re-election and his party pick up five Southern Senate seats last year.
To vet his nominees with this Gang of 14 is a virtual guarantee of judicial mediocrity -- of a lowest-common-denominator choice or a philosophic cipher. Especially in the wake of this deal, our advice is the same as it was after Election Day last year.
If Chief Justice William Rehnquist retires, promote Associate Justices Antonin Scalia or Clarence Thomas, and replace him with a distinguished conservative jurist such as Michael Luttig, Ted Olson, Michael McConnell, Sam Alito or for that matter Miguel Estrada.
The President is granted the power to nominate judges under the Constitution because he is the only official elected by the entire nation. He shouldn't cede that authority to 14 Senators in desperate search of political cover," which is exactly right.
You've gotta bunch of moderates. If you people out there love moderates, you've just seen them in action here on Monday, just doing everything they can to avoid coming down one way or the other on this issue. Just couldn't stomach that.
END TRANSCRIPT
Read the Article... (WSJ: The filibuster deal is a remarkable exercise in political self-protection) http://opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110006734
It's time for Conservatives to stand and grow some backbone!
Be Ever Vigilant!
McCain needs to take a dirt nap. I am so livid at McCain that, at this moment, I would be tempted to vote for Hillary before voting for this vile traitor. These vile humans are so obsessed with the Presidency that they would sell their soul to SATAN to gain power. If SATAN said to McCain that the price of being President would be that he (McCain) would set in motions events that would destroy this Country and our way of life, McCain would not hesitate for one second to take that deal. ... God help this Republic.
24 posted on 05/25/2005 9:33:50 AM PDT by liberty2004
P.S. I would NEVER vote for Hillary, though. NEVER!
Did you hear about the charter school statistics from California Rush mentioned this morning and where I can find it?
You got those pictures right! Sad, but true.
The WSJ editorial RUsh is referring to is also interesting.
Senate Charade
http://opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110006734
"The fervent hope of these 14 is that President Bush will spare them from such controversy by nominating someone acceptable to the left--say, another David Souter. Their agreement therefore warns Mr. Bush that he is obliged "to consult with members of the Senate, both Democratic and Republican, prior to submitting a judicial nomination to the Senate for consideration."
We hope he ignores them. Mr. Bush is under no obligation to reward Senators who have mistreated his nominees in this fashion. He owes far more to the supporters who helped him win re-election and his party pick up five Southern Senate seats last year. To vet his nominees with this Gang of 14 is a virtual guarantee of judicial mediocrity--of a lowest-common-denominator choice or a philosophic cipher.
Especially in the wake of this deal, our advice is the same as it was after Election Day last year. If Chief Justice William Rehnquist retires, promote Associate Justices Antonin Scalia or Clarence Thomas, and replace him with a distinguished conservative jurist such as Michael Luttig, Ted Olson, Michael McConnell, Sam Alito or for that matter Miguel Estrada. The President is granted the power to nominate judges under the Constitution because he is the only official elected by the entire nation. He shouldn't cede that authority to 14 Senators in desperate search of political cover. "
Whoever McCain runs against I shall vote for. Just out of spite.
"It's time for Conservatives to stand and grow some backbone!"
You think it's possible?
Just a reminder of some of what we're dealing with here.
Mr. Moderate himself
Anything is possible, even that. ;)
Er uh.....hmmmmm.....Have you got any Blackie's Backbone Growing Compound in your garage??
You bet ~ send those spinless wimps over here ~ I'll whip 'em into shape. ;)
With Love, from Conservatives
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