Senate GOP to counter Dems' filibusters with 30-hour talkathon

USA Today ^ | 11-9-2003 | Jon Frandsen, Gannett News Service

[snopercod]

WASHINGTON Medicare prescription drug legislation is in dire straits, annual spending bills are five weeks late, and a host of other measures are stacking up. So what is the Senate going to do this week? Talk.

Senate Republicans are planning to launch a 30-hour marathon session Wednesday night to protest Democratic filibusters of judicial nominees. Democrats, tongues at least partly in cheek, say that if the Republicans are going to spend 30 hours talking about four jobs, they want 168 hours to talk about the 3.5 million jobs they say were lost under President Bush. The 168 hours are equal to one for every judge that has been confirmed by the Senate.

[snopercod]

I didn't see this posted anywhere.

[samtheman]

This typical left-wing-slanted story from the mainstream-press totally ignores the importance of stopping the Democrats from hijacking the Senate with their misuse of filibusters.

The real story here is that the Republicans are only playing at breaking the filibuster. By limiting their talk to 30 hours, they've given the dimowits a clear strategic edge.

What the Republicans should be doing, if they had real backbone, is saying, "we talk until the talking is over and an up-or-down vote on these judges is permitted, and then we'll stop talking." And that means no going home for the holidays, and no other business concluded.

That would be real backbone. What we have here is showtime, not backbone.

[JoeGar]

Medicare prescription drug legislation is in dire straits ...

This is one piece of legislation I would like to see die. It encourages existing retirement plans to drop their present drug coverage for the less beneficial government model. Why would legislators vote for such a poor piece of legislation? The answer: because large unions, such as the United Auto Workers, have large unfunded pension obligations that would be reduced if they could drop drug coverage for their membership. Getting taxpayers to pickup the tab for drug coverage benefits them. (UAW benefits, extorted from manufacturers, add about $1800 to the cost of a UAW-made vehicle. This helps make UAW-made cars uncompetitive with non-UAW-made vehicles.)

[snopercod]

I agree. They should have forced the RATS to filibuster, then the RATS would be blamed for denying health care to the seniors.

Oh, I forgot, the press would call them courageous and principled for "blocking extremist judges".

[DeuceTraveler]

Yep, I think this can be to the Republican advantage. Try to break the filibuster and let the socialist bills die before the deadline.

[corkoman]

sounds to me like a 3-5 day delay in raising taxes and fees is a good thing.

[Brilliant]

They say Bush lost 3.5 million jobs. Last week, it was 2.5 million. The number keeps going up, even though the latest unemployment statistics show that 300,000 jobs were created in the last quarter. Typical liberal media propaganda.

[samtheman]

sounds to me like a 3-5 day delay in raising taxes and fees is a good thing

LOL!

[Arkie2]

Typical that the media wouldn't care if the Dems blocked these nominations in violation of the constitution forever but any talk of "shutting down the government" and holding up futher socialistic legislation infuriates them.

[knarf]

"This is one piece of legislation I would like to see die. It encourages existing retirement plans to drop their present drug coverage for the less beneficial government model."

If the drug plan goes through, and big business completes it's withdrawal from the benefits it once provided for workers ... who then would be the party of big business?

Could/would the Republicans be able to turn that table properly to the Dims?

[chainsaw]

"they want 168 hours to talk"

I say give them the 165 hours and make them stay there talking.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

I don't understand what the heck Frist and the rest of the GOP are thinking. What good is a GOP filibuster to "protest" a RAT filibuster?

Let the RATS talk 24/7 until they cave.

[ImpBill]

All smoke, mirrors, and theater. This way they (the GOP Senate) thinks they can go home and pump their chests that they actually accomplished anything.

There will be no "apology" and the Dems will still use the "gentleman's filibuster" to block nominees.

This is the same "theater of the absurd" the GOP Senate put on during the "Impeachment Trial".

Pathetic!

But of course that is just my opinion. And like Dennis Miller I could be wrong.

[sirchtruth]

The economy is definately rebounding, there is no doubt. The dems are not going to have a single issue to bash Bush come 2004. They keep digging themselves in a hole. Dems will end up being useless to America with no future.

Funny how the economy takes an upward swing when you give the people back THEIR money!

[randita]

What the Republicans should be doing, if they had real backbone, is saying, "we talk until the talking is over and an up-or-down vote on these judges is permitted, and then we'll stop talking." And that means no going home for the holidays, and no other business concluded.

Democrats will again claim the GOP is "shutting down the government" and people won't know any better.

The GOP will claim the same about the Democrats, but the charge won't stick. Bush will need to get out front big time on this and take the issue right to the people early and often or else it's going to be a rerun of the 1995 budget battle.

The RX plan is dead, thank goodness. Too many Republicans in the House have refused to sign on to the Senate bill and if the Senate bill is altered to accomodate those in the House, it will lost Senate votes.

Both parties dearly want the RX issue to run on in 2004.

[AMNZ]

"Let the RATS talk 24/7 until they cave. "

That would be to harsh. Pubbie "leadership" wants us all to get along.

[yoe]

We will still need Advice and Consent....Article II of the Constitution gives this power exclusively to the Senate - pity. They need to follow the U.S. Constitution. (help Frist)

[yoe]

Get Mad - Get Active - Get even!!!!

(link)

[samtheman]

I believe that if the Republicans did this right, they could win. Just keep talking, and never stop. And what should they talk about, tag-team-style, for hour after hour, day after day, week after week, month after month? Well, there's plenty. Let's make a partial list:

1. How the Democratic filibusters of judicial nominees are un-constitutional.
2. How things have improved in Iraq since Sadam is gone.
3. How things would improve in education if we instituted voucher systems.
4. How getting rid of the capital gains tax would actually help the working poor.
5. How the prescription drug bill takes money from young poor workers and gives it to old rich retirees.

And on and on.

Even if the idiot mainstream press only covers 5% of what's said...

Who knows, with all that talk, people might actually start LISTENING.