Mr. Chairman. Yesterday's involking of Rule 21 was an act of desparation on the part of the RATS.
The greatest danger is the reaction of the "conservative purist boo-birds" here in this forum screaming for blood...the blood of Frist et al for letting the RATS do it.
As usual, the single issue, Conservative Purist remains the RATS' secret weapon.
Good morning, Red. Delighted to see you.
Are you kidding? It was a dress rehearsal and warning to the Republicans about what the Democrats will do to block Alito's confirmation vote. Under the Senate Rules it is not the only weapon the Democrats have to block a vote on a nomination.
Last spring during Frists failed attempt to enact the Nuclear option, I went to the trouble of downloading and reading the Senate rules. According to my reading there are several more ways that the Democrats can use the rules to block a vote on Alito or any other bush nominee.
Unless Frist has a weapon to put to the Democrats heads that I've failed to see, and that is a possibility, the Democrats can prevent a vote even if the Republicans manage to invoke the nuclear option on filibusters.
I think the Senate rules will prove very effective for Democrats in their attempt to block confirmatin of conservative judges. Frist's voice was actually shaking yesterday when he went before the press after the Democrats pulled rule 21. That says to me that Frist was blindsided. Lott at the same press conference looked like the cat that had just swallowed the canary. Lott just made the point that such a thing never happened when he was majority leader and that the Democrats were acting within the rules. And they are.
Under rule 21 any two senators can at any time stop any process in the senate and put senate in secret session to discuss any "National Security Subject" the two Senators want to discuss. According to Rule 21 there is no time limit on that "Secret" discussion. Thus Rule 21 is a never before used method to block a vote on anything the Democrats want blocked. Unlike the regular filibuster Rule 21 does not take 41 votes to do it.. IT TAKES JUST TWO.. All it takes is ONE Senator to call for the secret session and another Senator to second the motion. There is no vote on holding a secret session. Under the rules it has to happen when any two senators call for it. The senate just drops what ever it is doing and goes into secret session on the national security item.
As long as the senate had two loyal Democrats they can use rule 21 to prevent an up or down vote on Alito or anyone else.
Just like a regular filibuster it will take a the execution of a nuclear option to stop Democrats from invoking rule 21. Remember Rule 21 allows unlimited discsussion of the national security matter in secret. Attempted cloture votes would be secret.
The question is can the Republicans get 51 votes including Cheney to change Rule 21. They could not get 50 votes last spring to end regular filibusters. Who wants to be they can do it to change or eliminate Rule 21?
A careful reading of the Senate rules reveals there are other Rules that can be used to block votes on nominees. It will take getting 50 votes plus Cheney's to pass several rules changes if the Democrats do as I for one believe they will do.
Bush went to great lengths to find a stealth conservative he could get Minority Leader Ried to agree to confirm. The right does not trust President Bush and blew that out of the water. No one can make me believe that Rove and Bush did not read the Senate rules and therefor anticipate what the Democrats would do in this case. Rove surely tried to advise the presidnet to circumvent it. That had to be considered many months or even years ago.
Rove like many bright people tends to think others are as bright as he is. Sadly they aren't. Bush took a gamble that the right would not shoot itself in the rump. After reading the Senate rules, I am convinced it was really his only chance to confirm a conservative.
You can bet Trent Lott understands the rules. He is chairman of the rules committee. It was apparent from Frists shaking voice that he did not see it coming or was naive enough to believe that Ried would not do it.
Anyone who took the time to read the Senate Rules should have known what the Democrats would likely do to keep the court liberal. Right wing pundits including Rush, Krauthammer and Coulter as well as Frist apparently believed the Democrats would never use the blocking tactics the rules clearly allow them to use. Or perhaps those brilliant pundits didn't bother read the rules either.