[katieanna]

Correction: Kay Hutchison currently speaking, not John Cornyn.

[Maria S]

"John Cornyn on deck"


I hope he will be plain-spoken and show some of his Texas backbone. I very much respect him (more than Kay Bailey Hutchison), and I'm delighted he's one of our senators.

[Nyboe]

I'd rather the Republicans were in the minority and fighting like hell, than in the majority and grabbing their ankles :(

I hope our guys in the Senate put a stop to this defeatest crap soon.

[Bahbah]

Watching. Thanks for the thread.

[OXENinFLA]

PING...

[NeoCaveman]

Can't wait to hear more Democrats whining today.

[tiredoflaundry]

*bump*

[lawdude]

I recall hearing that when the libs had control of the House, Rebublicans were not even allowed to go to committee meetings being told "since they were a minority, they had no say on any issue".

Can anyone cerify this?

[Cboldt]

What is Biden advocating now? That confirmation requires unanimity among Senators? ;-)

He seems unusually unstable.

http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/jlpp/Gold_Gupta_JLPP_article.pdf <-- Good article
Thanks to Freemyland for the link. A good history and explanation of Senate procedure.

[TomGuy]

Wonder whether Biden plagiarized his way through the Edward M. Kennedy School of Bloviating?

[TomGuy]

FoxNews Alert......

Michael Jackson has arrived at courthouse.




FoxNews Alert.....

Michael Jackson exiting vehicle at courthouse.





FoxNews Alert....

Michael Jackson walking under own power toward courthouse.

[TomGuy]

Biden is decrying the change of the Super Majority rule.


Pubbies should ask Biden which former President in history ever had his judicial nominees subjected to a Super Majority.


[Answer: None. That rule never existed until Daschle's last tenure as Majority Leader.]

[deport]

Has any of the following Senators repeated their comments from the past regarding a nominee getting an up/down vote on the Senate floor?

• Senator Leahy (past Judiciary Chairman and current Ranking Member): "If we want to vote against somebody, vote against them. I respect that. State your reasons. I respect that. But don't hold up a qualified judicial nominee. . . . I have stated over and over again on this floor that I would . . . object and fight against any filibuster on a judge, whether it is somebody I opposed or supported; that I felt the Senate should do its duty." (Congressional Record, June 18, 1998.)

• Senator Leahy: "I have said on the floor, although we are different parties, I have agreed with Gov. George Bush, who has said that in the Senate a nominee ought to get a [floor] vote, up or down, within 60 days." (Congressional Record, October 11, 2000.)

• Senator Daschle (Minority Leader): "As Chief Justice Rehnquist has recognized: 'The Senate is surely under no obligation to confirm any particular nominee, but after the necessary time for inquiry it should vote him up or vote him down.' An up-or-down vote, that is all we ask for [Clinton judicial nominees] Berzon and Paez." (Congressional Record, October 5, 1999.)

• Senator Biden (past Judiciary Chairman): "But I also respectfully suggest that everyone who is nominated ought to have a shot, to have a hearing and to have a shot to be heard on the floor and have a vote on the floor. . . . It is totally appropriate for Republicans to reject every single nominee if they want to. That is within their right. But it is not, I will respectfully request, Madam President, appropriate not to have hearings on them, not to bring them to the floor and not to allow a vote . . . ." (Congressional Record, March 19, 1997.)

• Senator Kennedy (past Judiciary Chairman): "The Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court said: 'The Senate is surely under no obligation to confirm any particular nominee, but after the necessary time for inquiry it should vote him up or vote him down.' Which is exactly what I would like." (Congressional Record, March 7, 2000.)

• Senator Kennedy: "We owe it to Americans across the country to give these nominees a vote. If our Republican colleagues don't like them, vote against them. But give them a vote." (Congressional Record, February 3, 1998.)

• Senator Feinstein (Judiciary Committee member): "A nominee is entitled to a vote. Vote them up; vote them down." (Congressional Record, September 16, 1999.)

Click

• Senator Leahy (past Judiciary Chairman and current Ranking Member): "If we want to vote against somebody, vote against them. I respect that. State your reasons. I respect that. But don't hold up a qualified judicial nominee. . . . I have stated over and over again on this floor that I would . . . object and fight against any filibuster on a judge, whether it is somebody I opposed or supported; that I felt the Senate should do its duty." (Congressional Record, June 18, 1998.)

• Senator Leahy: "I have said on the floor, although we are different parties, I have agreed with Gov. George Bush, who has said that in the Senate a nominee ought to get a [floor] vote, up or down, within 60 days." (Congressional Record, October 11, 2000.)

• Senator Daschle (Minority Leader): "As Chief Justice Rehnquist has recognized: 'The Senate is surely under no obligation to confirm any particular nominee, but after the necessary time for inquiry it should vote him up or vote him down.' An up-or-down vote, that is all we ask for [Clinton judicial nominees] Berzon and Paez." (Congressional Record, October 5, 1999.)

• Senator Biden (past Judiciary Chairman): "But I also respectfully suggest that everyone who is nominated ought to have a shot, to have a hearing and to have a shot to be heard on the floor and have a vote on the floor. . . . It is totally appropriate for Republicans to reject every single nominee if they want to. That is within their right. But it is not, I will respectfully request, Madam President, appropriate not to have hearings on them, not to bring them to the floor and not to allow a vote . . . ." (Congressional Record, March 19, 1997.)

• Senator Kennedy (past Judiciary Chairman): "The Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court said: 'The Senate is surely under no obligation to confirm any particular nominee, but after the necessary time for inquiry it should vote him up or vote him down.' Which is exactly what I would like." (Congressional Record, March 7, 2000.)

• Senator Kennedy: "We owe it to Americans across the country to give these nominees a vote. If our Republican colleagues don't like them, vote against them. But give them a vote." (Congressional Record, February 3, 1998.)

• Senator Feinstein (Judiciary Committee member): "A nominee is entitled to a vote. Vote them up; vote them down." (Congressional Record, September 16, 1999.)

[TomGuy]

Why are they going through all of this again? They had that rousing all-nighter session [snicker] last spring in which they gave all these speeches then.

Senator Frist, just get to the vote or turn control over to the Dems!!!!

Enough already!!!!!

[TomGuy]

On to other Senate business.


So this morning was nothing more than more bloviating by both sides.