All Judges, All Night Long

The Wall Street Journal ^ | November 12, 2003 | Editorial

[OESY]

We hope 100 men and women in Washington got a good sleep last night because they aren't likely to catch a lot of ZZZs tonight or tomorrow. They'll be participants in the Senate GOP's plan to stage a 30-hour talkathon on the Democrats' unprecedented filibuster of President Bush's judicial nominees.

[OESY]

Left to right: Miguel Estrada, Priscilla Owen,
William Pryor, Charles Pickering, Sr.,
Carolyn Kuhl and Janice Rogers Brown.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The majority Repubs will talk for 30 hours to make their point, then go home and let the minority Dems continuing making the rules. BFD !

[nwrep]

What about the freaking nuclear option? Shouldn't we go for that directly instead of this 30 hour fiasco?

[cornelis]

What about the freaking nuclear option?

Do you also play one of those loser roles in a Clint Eastwood movie?

[Queen of Excelsior]

This will have no impact because the mainstream media will just ignore it.

[Gorjus]

This will have no impact because the mainstream media will just ignore it.

Perhaps. There are two elements to your statement, and they are not necessarily hooked together. First off, I think it's very likely that the mainstream media will try to ignore it. And even if they do pay attention, they will spin it as purely partisan politics - hiding the issue of the basic obstructionism.

But that may be the resolution as well, and so even if the mainstream media does ignore it, or at least try to ignore it and spin what gets through, there may still be an impact.

As the article states: This filibuster fight is about raw political power, and the only way to defeat it is to show Democrats that they will pay a political price for their obstructionism.

There are other venues to get news now, the ones that enrage the liberals so nicely. From the internet to Fox to talk radio, this exercise will get attention, and may have two major effects. One is that they may swing some moderate voters. There are polls now that indicate the obstructionism of the Dems is starting to irritate people. The second, and more important, is that it has a good chance of helping to motivate the conservative base. I think the parties are beginning to realize the most significant opportunity for votes is not convincing moderates (though that is important). It's getting your own base motivated to vote at all.

I've written on other threads that I think the Republicans in the Senate should force the Dems to hold a real, old-fashioned filibuster on this, until they cave. This 30-hour thing is a show, not substance. But even as a show, I think it may help to get out the vote next year, and that is worth while.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

That'd take some actual moxie. This way, the GOP gets a headline, then knocks off in time for the weekend (which starts Thursday night on the Hill).
Peggy Noonan said it best; The "GOP couldn't organize a BBQ."

[Auntie Mame]

Did you catch this?

The one thing that may persuade them to stop is the prospect that someday a Democrat might take the White House and a GOP Senate will do the same to her nominees.

Yikes!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Naah. It'll get 11 seconds on NBC News with Tom Brokaw. PBS will give it 11 minutes by having some government bow-wow in to interview about it.

[Auntie Mame]

I think that is exactly what the GOP Senate did to their favorite whipping boy- Bill Clinton.

You are misinformed. All Clinton's judges were given a vote. Where do you get your information?

There is a lower vacancy rate right now than in 8 years of Clinton.

I think you are also misinformed about this.

It seems to me the Dems have cooperated better than the GOP ever did.

It might seem that way to you, seeing as how you are misinformed on this situation, but I would ask that you arm yourself with the truth and then ask yourself if it still "seems to you" that the Dems are cooperating better than the GOP "ever did." In the face of the truth, if it still "seems to you" that the Dems are cooperating better than the GOP ever did, then you are probably a partisan Democrat, which is fine. However, in my world, when people insist on believing lies, and insist on giving voice to those lies, we call them crazy (or liberals).

Regards.

[Dave S]

What about the freaking nuclear option? Shouldn't we go for that directly instead of this 30 hour fiasco?

Frist doesnt have the votes for that. A number of the Republicans refuse to go that route...at least at this point.

[Revolting cat!]

What about the freaking nuclear option?

You mean ask our friends in North Korea to bomb the headquarters of DNC? Lemme think about it for a minute...

... Thinking... thinking ...

Mmm, reluctantly I say OK!