Posted on 09/10/2003 5:55:20 AM PDT by truthandlife
A former presidential candidate says President Bush and the Republicans in the Senate should have done more to overcome the filibuster of federal appeals court nominee Miguel Estrada.
When Estrada asked the president to withdraw his nomination, Bush and the Senate Republicans expressed outrage. But many conservatives say that is not good enough. According to Gary Bauer, chairman of the Campaign for Working Families, several things could have been done.
"The president could make what's called recess appointments of these judges when Congress is out of session. He could address the American people and explain to them why these court appointments are so important," he suggests.
But the former presidential candidate says the most important thing Republicans need to do is change their strategy. "Republicans have got to stop fighting by one set of gentleman's rules while their political opponents are fighting by the rules of a back-alley brawl," he says.
Bauer also agrees with others who have suggested that the Republican Senate leadership should have forced the Democrats to actually stand up on the podium and conduct the filibuster the way it used to be done. He thinks the new idea that a politician can conduct a filibuster without actually going to the floor, but merely by saying so, is ridiculous.
"Forcing the hands of the obstructionists in the Senate by making them actually conduct the filibuster, instead of just threatening to conduct it, seems to me to be the very least that the Republicans ought to do," Bauer says.
Estrada didn't want a recess appointment. Appointments to the federal judiciary are supposed to be lifetime appointments, according to law. A recess appointment makes it a temp job.
Since Estrada himself made the choice to bow out, the rest of the fight now falls on those who are still being blocked by the Rats. Its clear the Rats aren't going to change their tactics, and, for all their blather, neither are the 'Pubs. And "getting them in the next election" is only so much whistling past the graveyard because in the vacuous minds of most of the sheeple, judicial appointments are off the radar screen and won't be a campaign issue of any importance.
Its time for the Pubbies, as the majority, to exercise what power they have as the majority party in the Senate, and do things to make it clear to the Rats that they will pay a price for blocking these appointments. What could that be? Well, it may seem petty, but things like perks and money for staff are important status symbols to lechers like Kennedy and power-mad meglomaniacs like Hillary!, so hit them where it hurts. Announce that the Senate will take the lead in reducing costs of government by cutting funding for something like, say 90% of the staff of the junior Senators of the minority party. Also, announce that further savings will be incurred by reducing square footage of office space, which saves on overhead and maintenance costs, so Hillary! must share office space with Teddy out on the loading dock. Cost for parking space is at a premium around the Capitol so the spaces reserved for minority party members will be converted to public metered spaces. Take a close look at all federal expenditures targeted for states represented by those who support the filibusters. Announce that henceforth such spending is subject to special scrutiny and "oversight" that may delay its implementation. For how long? Well, maybe as long as the filibusters last...?
Again, that may seem petty, but its time for the Pubbies to stop this gentlemanly "good loser" routine and start playing for keeps, like the Rats always do.
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