Posted on 04/21/2005 6:51:36 AM PDT by wjersey
Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), a leading advocate of the “nuclear option” to end the Democrats’ filibuster of judicial nominees, is privately arguing for a delay in the face of adverse internal party polls.
Details of the polling numbers remain under wraps, but Santorum and other Senate sources concede that, while a majority of Americans oppose the filibuster, the figures show that most also accept the Democratic message that Republicans are trying to destroy the tradition of debate in the Senate.
The Republicans are keeping the “nuclear” poll numbers secret, whereas they have often in the past been keen to release internal survey results that favor the party. David Winston, head of the Winston Group, which conducts Senate GOP polls, did return phone calls seeking comment.
Confirming public disquiet over the “nuclear” or “constitutional” option, Santorum said, “Our polling shows that.” But, he added, public thinking had been muddied by what he called false Democratic arguments that checks and balances were being eroded.
“People see checks and balances as Democrats checking Republicans, not the legislative checking the executive or the judiciary checking the legislative,” Santorum said. Filibustering presidential nominees was not something the Founding Fathers envisioned as a tool for balancing power between the branches, he argued. In other words, Democrats have managed to convince the public of their right to check Republicans in the Senate.
Santorum’s raising of reasons that Republicans should delay the constitutional option may surprise conservative activists who count him as one of the most passionate advocates for the tactic in the Senate.
“There is no doubt that Santorum was the backbone of this from the very beginning, and he continues to be,” said Manuel Miranda, head of the National Coalition to End Judicial Filibusters, an alliance of more than 200 conservative groups working on the judges issue.
Many Republicans and conservative activists had thought the Senate GOP leadership would trigger the tactic next week to end the judicial filibuster. The nominees considered most appropriate for such a historic procedural maneuver, Priscilla Owen and Janice Rogers Brown, are expected to be discharged from the Judiciary Committee later this week.
Conservative activists said they received word last week to ramp up their communication efforts on the constitutional option with the goal of having their activity peak next week, before the May recess. Also last week, a New York Times report citing senior Senate lawmakers bolstered the expectation that the showdown would happen next week.
Santorum said he has left the timing to Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.).
“I’ve been suggesting one way or the other we need to make a decision. I haven’t said [a] longer or shorter” timeframe should be followed, he said.
But GOP aides said Santorum has made known to the leadership reasons for why Republicans should not move forward on the nuclear or constitutional option.
“He was concerned that too many things are competing in the same area and you couldn’t get a clean shot at it,” a GOP aide said. The aide cited the “fallout” from congressional Republicans’ intervening in a Florida court’s decision to remove Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube and the subsequent controversy caused by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s (R-Texas) statement that “the time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior.”
Democrats portrayed that statement as an incitement against judges, and it resulted in a spate of media critiques of DeLay and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who made a speech on the Senate floor raising the question of why judges are targets of violence.
Senate and House Democrats have woven the Republican intervention in the Schiavo issue, DeLay’s statement about judges who declined to save her life, and GOP consideration of the nuclear option into a broad message that Republicans are abusing power. John Bolton’s stalled nomination to become U.N. ambassador has also become a distraction.
“There’s not a clean slate and backdrop” for the nuclear option, a GOP aide said, summarizing Santorum’s observations. “But while Santorum is saying too many things are competing in the same realm, others are saying they highlight the issue” of judges by demonstrating how the makeup of the judiciary affects national debates, for example.
Another GOP aide said Santorum is less concerned with the fallout from the Schiavo case than with addressing several more items on the legislative agenda before Democrats tie the Senate in knots, as they have threatened to retaliate against a rule change.
“There’s important business our guys have to get out of the way,” the aide said, adding, “Our guys want to give every chance for some negotiated compromise to be explored” to avoid gridlock.
Santorum said, “We have a lot of work to get done.”
But the aide denied that the “messaging environment” is giving Republicans second thoughts about the nuclear or constitutional option. Republicans would craft their message to their actions, not their actions to a poll-tested message, the aide added.
But GOP polling shows that Americans have swallowed the Democrats’ and liberal groups’ message on the constitutional option, the sources say.
“If anything is bad, it is that the American public has bought the misinformation campaign that we’re trying to take away the filibuster,” the aide said. “The campaign has caused misinformation, and that’s where we have a messaging challenge.”
I know what you mean. What are they thinking?
Lovers of Losers are reeealy effective. They effectively convince 1% of the voters to get into a snit and run to one inconsequental party or the other.
the senate goes into recess soon...bush can use his recess appointment rights...stick it to them bush
I'd rather get that fellow that lost to Arlen Spectator in there.
Yep. Why would anybody support this bunch of statist, weaselly bastards?
Frist has all the personality of a box of toenail clippings. It would be a pleasure for me to vote against him. He's never shown me anything to vote for! I'd sooner vote for Trent Lott.
I feel it...and I want to puke!
Dare I say it? Be ready for another President Clinton, starting on 1/20/2009. The momentum the Democrats will have after 11/06 will be palpable.
At this point, I have little faith that Frist and Hassert have the cojones to take the battle to the Democrats. I'm still waiting for Dubya to spend all that "capital" he says he has.
If the Pubbies can't get it done with the majorities they have now, when will they ever get it done?
No excuses! America needs action!!!
Or just do it! I'm sure those against it in the polls are either just Dems or people who neither know nor care much about the issue -- and won't remember a week from now!
The pubs on the hill have never made the rats pay for their shenanigans. The rats have reason to fear US, the Free Republicans (sounds like a good party name), but they don't fear the republican caucus. We do need a party, but I'm not sure it's the liberaltarian leaning constitution party.
DAMMIT! We had our boot on the neck of these rat finks, and now it would appear they are going to be allowed to get back up by the pubs disdain for the fight over the border and judges. SHAME!
Hopefully, the GOP wll wake the heck up after losing some seats in '06 for being whimps.
Go for 9 cents, they are allegely getting a lot of nine cent checks from angry Republicans.
If you send only 9 cents they will know you are mad.
Hopefully, the GOP wll wake the heck up before losing some seats in '06 for being whimps.
Margaret Thatcher: Consensus is the absence of leadership.
I hope so too!!
Because today, things don't look so good for them.
OK, thank you, I will. I don't have time to notate and return every danged request for money they send me.
Say goodbye to your Senate seat, Rick. If you're going to act like a loser and not lead, you don't deserve to remain in office nor do the Republicans deserve to remain in the majority in the Senate.
Why bother being the majority.
Yep.
To be sure, they won't be offended enough to switch sides. They'll still be inclined to vote Republican... if it's not raining on Election Day, and if they don't have an errand to run, and if there's nothing good on TV, and if the line at the polls isn't too long....
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