Frist Hegins to Squeeze the Trigger

The Hill ^ | May 4, 2005 | Alexander Bolton

[West Coast Conservative]

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s (R-Tenn.) chief of staff has told conservative activist leaders and business-community representatives that Frist will soon trigger the so-called “nuclear option” to end threatened Democratic filibusters of President Bush’s judicial nominees this month.

The chief of staff, Eric Ueland, said the event will take place in “less than a month,” according to several people who attended a closed-door meeting late last week.

But social conservatives are anticipating from conversations with Frist’s staff that the controversial move will take place next week and are predicting a conservative backlash if Senate Republicans delay any longer.

A conservative lobbyist came away from a separate conversation with Frist’s staff convinced that the disaffected Republicans will make their move in “a matter of days.”

Socially conservative groups would be important potential allies for Frist should he decide to run for president in 2008.

The leader of a broad coalition of conservative groups fighting to end the Democratic filibuster of judicial nominees, Manuel Miranda, chairman of the National Coalition to End the Judicial Filibuster, said: “We all believe that it will be next week.”

“I believe it’s concrete,” Miranda said. “It must happen next week. It would be considered intolerable to delay any further than next week.” He added, “Were it to be delayed beyond the next week, the Senate GOP should expect tens of thousands of angry phone calls and faxes to tie up their lines.”

[West Coast Conservative]

Change title to Begins. Thanks.

[tame]

interesting. Put up or shut up, Senator Frist. i'm disgusted with the limp-wristed-chest-thumping.

[mo]

honestly!!...is there anybody on this forum who does'nt think her Thighness and Reid, if in the position Bush and Frist are, would not have accomplished this by 9:01am January 21st, 2005!!!! The Pubbies keep thinking the Senate is a country club and that rules are to be revered and respected.....while the Dems clean their clocks!

[CDHart]

I'll believe it when I see it --

Carolyn

[RushLake]

Ho-hum are they promising action on the judges again? Act like a real political party?? Maybe they can work on the Bolton confirmation in about a hundred years, or illegal immigration in about a thousand years too.

I'm proud to report that I have begun following the lead of other Freepers and returning the RNC and senate prepaid mail envelopes that come in the mail every other day with a note politely written on the payment slip--"No money until you act on Bush judicial nominations, act on Mr. Bolton, and do something about illigal immigration. I've talked a friend of mine out of sending money and acting likewise. I guess some of us are pulling the trigger too.

[nygoose]

Moderator too tuckered to correct title for you.

[conservativecorner]

"One GOP aide familiar with discussions on timing and strategy said that the drawback of executing the nuclear option before the congressional recess was that it would have denied Republican senators an optimal platform for responding to expected media criticism, as they would have been dispersed among their home states, away from the Capitol’s spotlight."

Complete BS. It's always some frickin' reason why it can't be done today or this week or next week or the week after that. Bottom line is that we have panty waists running the show. Let them screw conservatives again, and it will be to the Republican Parties detriment.

[jackbill]

Interesting PDF document from the Senate's Republican Policy Committee regarding the history of filibusters/"constitutional option" at:

http://rpc.senate.gov/_files/Apr2505ConstOptSD.pdf

Particularly interesting are the examples of how Byrd pulled it off several times.

[csvset]

Hegins? Haggis? Is hegins some sort of Scottish Law procedure?

[Nick Danger]

This just in... Senator Frist has now pulled the trigger about 14% of the way. Senator Rufus T. Foghorn said he expects that Frist will be almost 16% of the way there by this time next week.

[Nick Danger]

Oops. Senator Frist announced today that the gun accidentally went off while he was pulling the trigger. "Hell, I thought I still had about half way to go," he said.

[Lazamataz]

Frist Hegins

OMG! Old Frist Hegins! I haven't seen him since college! I miss old Frist Hegins.

[Yossarian]

I wonder if it's the same Frist Hegins who was a foreign exchange student from the Netherlands at my high school?

[Lazamataz]

I wonder if it's the same Frist Hegins who was a foreign exchange student from the Netherlands at my high school?

It must be! Did you attend Osoveri High?

I remember how scared Frist Hegins was of firearms! I'm glad to hear he's overcome that and is about to squeeze the trigger!

[PGalt]

You sure he's not about to cock the head of the Bill Clinton Pez dispenser?

[gathersnomoss]

The suspense is like a soap opera, going on and on and on. Whatever, Frist.

[SBprone]

Does Frist have the votes or not? He can't act until he has the votes. If he had the votes he'd use them.

[bmwcyle]

Duck tape that spine in and push him forward.

[Yossarian]

Yeah, Frist Hegins wasn't much to look at (and the 'dark socks with sandals' look didn't help him with the ladies), but it at least the football team had a good kicker for once....