Posted on 12/18/2002 4:20:13 AM PST by Chairman_December_19th_Society
I'll be sure and tell LOTT your learned opinion.
Each party caucus adopts its own rules to govern its members. The caucus adopts those rules and elects officers for each senate before the session starts.
At the start of the session the senate as a whole must pass the rules that govern the Senate proper.. Those are two differnt set of rules.
Filibusters and the 60 vote rules are in the rules adopted by both parties to govern the operation of the senate proper. They have nothing to do with the rules adopted to run the party caucuses and elect Senate Party Leaders. The Republicans passed their caucus rules 3 weeks ago. They also elected Lott Majority leader. Those rules do not allow for a re-vote on the majority leader. The meeting on January 6th is to discuss the situation. That is all it is. A discussion.
Lott agreed to the January 6th meeting so that before the session starts on the 7th all the Republican senators know who is boss and who is playing hardball. Lott will preside and has agreeed to let senators offer Lott advice on how to handle the situation. Lott will then tell them how they had best behave. The opponents to Lott can offer a rule change. IF one senator says I object. The rule change can't be considered. That one senator could be Senator LOTT.
Go back and read all the news stories, not posters assumptions. All the ones written with knowledge talk about getting LOTT TO RESIGN when he had lost SUPPORT. If he does not resign he can't be removed. They have adopted the Caucus rules for 2003 and 2004. They can only use those rules to change the rules. Lott said he is not going to resign. That was the oppositions only hope.
Of course! And the rules that do not allow a revote can not be amended if a single caucus member objects to the amendemnt. Get the rules and read them.
After the concert, we went to my sister's house for hot chocolate. Her daughter had Nightline on, I never watch that show, but last night's show was about the National Guard and Reserves and their service to our country. It was excellent, showing everyday men and women serving our country, for more time than some realized they would have to. It showed the families and the sacrifices made, all for our freedom.
Hold out for the Red Ryder BB Gun ....gc....:-)
Accept nothing less!
Howdy all!
When Lott screwed up by praising his mentor, Rove and Bush decided to attack based on last years rules. But the Lott rules are in effect.What exactly did Bush do to try to force the old rules? Sorry if I missed this in the link you gave, or elsewhere.
If you are correct about the Bush/Rove challenge to Lott being smothered by the new rules, then this whole affair is meaningless to the current power struggle. Lott's excursion into Reconstruction politics came afterwards. As you tell it, Lott already beat Bush in this.
Nevertheless, this whole affair has only strengthened Bush. Lott is vastly weakened. His hold on the Leadership is one thing; publicly, he's toast. The President has done the right thing to step aside and let Lott walk in his own stench.
I see that Lott stays, and that he spends the rest of his time as Majority Leader playing patsy to the media. Lott can not be stronger; he can only be weaker as Majority Leader. Bush can now exercise more power through the rest of the caucus than he had before. No matter what happens to Lott, he has far less power than he had before Strom blew out 100 candles.
A similar situation occurred back in 1910 with Speaker "Uncle Joe" Cannon. Granted, the House is different from the Senate, but the dynamic was the same. Cannon had become a huge liability for the party, but he had the death grip on the House. All Winter of 1909 it was a fight in the press over his future. Finally, in March, 1910, Democrats and Republican "insurgents" teamed up to remove the Speaker's power to personally appoint the rules committee. That wasn't enough for the radicals, who wanted him out of the Chair entirely. The Democrats were fine with this, as it kept Cannon as an issue for the elections that November.
The President refused to get involved one way or another. Similarly to today's situation, he publicly said it was none of his business. He had already tried to get rid of Cannon the previous Autumn, and the plot failed. Nevertheless, he kept pressure on the inside, and kept quiet without. When Cannon was reelected, essentially, as Speaker in March, 1910, he kept the seat without the power. The President controlled the rest of the Congressional session, taking almost no losses in his agenda.
"There is now a substantial question as to whether Senator Lott has the capacity to move'' the GOP agenda in the new Congress, said Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., one of the new guard of Republicans whose election last month helped deliver a majority to the GOP.This is an awesome power struggle.
On camera, Harris (pictured) told Channel 10 News that despite what prosecutors say, she is the real thing and does have psychic abilities, which she calls the "gift of sight."
Glad she cleared that up...
MSNBC is saying Lott has only 9 confirmed votes to remain as ML.
Link please.
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