LIVE SENATE THREAD: "Nuclear Wednesday" for judicial nominations: C-span 2 - 9:30 am EST

C-span 2 ^ | May 18, 2005

[ken5050]

Welcome, all you Freepers, to the continuing C-span soap operas about judicial nominations. "The Guiding SEARCHLIGHT, " "As the SENATE Turns, "One NOMINATION to Live" "GERIATRIC Hospital" (for all you Byrd and Lautenberg fans out there). Follow along with us, as the Dems raise the level of histrionics, bloviation, pontification, and all around bad acting to new highs, er, lows...

[Sacajaweau]

It has ALWAYS been recognized as a blackmail tool...You vote for my bill and I'll vote for yours. That's what they mean by compromise.

[Dad yer funny]

next time you see Sir Edmund Hillary Clinton at a rally , just close yer eyes , and when she starts .....

[OESY]

The Byrd Option II, Editorial, Wall Street Journal, March 30, 2005


Robert Byrd is an expert on Senate rules and procedures, on which he has written a four-volume history. So we paid notice when a friend called our attention to the West Virginia Democrat's latest pronouncement on the confirmation of President Bush's judicial nominees.

Shortly before Congress recessed for Easter vacation, here's what the Senator said on Fox's "Hannity & Colmes": "The President is all wrong when he maintains that a nominee should have an up-or-down vote. The Constitution doesn't say that. The Constitution doesn't say that that nominee shall have any vote at all. There doesn't have to even be a vote."

As the Senator says, Article II of the Constitution is silent on how the Senate shall exercise its "advice and consent" power in confirming judicial nominees. For more than 200 years, however, that body has interpreted the Founders' injunction to mean that a simple majority of Senators -- 51 in our age -- must vote to confirm. That's why we cried foul in President Bush's first term when Democrats filibustered 10 appeals-court nominees, thereby denying them an up-or-down vote on the floor -- even though every candidate had the support of a bipartisan majority. A vote to end a filibuster requires a super-majority of 60 Senators.

But now that Senator Byrd has expressed the view that the Senate doesn't have to vote at all, here's a better idea for ending the impasse over judicial nominations: Fifty-one of the 55 Republican Senators can simply send the President a letter expressing their support for his candidates. Under Mr. Byrd's Constitutional analysis, the Senate will have exercised "advice and consent" and the judges will be confirmed.

[KevinDavis]

In a way that could be good.. If nothing was done my wallet feels secure..

[KevinDavis]

In Illinois we have Eddie Haskell and St Obama.

[Fledermaus]

I do miss it out there...have a brother living near Sacramento and in the 60's we lived in the Ventura area when I was a kid.

[the anti-liberal]

I'm sure the MSM have something that says the GOP is causing all of this and are going to let old people starve while the debate goes on.

Remember the report on Canada's seal bashing- the bashing the was delayed after the reporter reported that hundred of seals were killed?

I'm sure they've already written their reports, even before today.

[Soul Seeker]

Well, I wouldn't say he would for certain if a gun were to my head but he owes santorum. My instinct is that while he might stab the President and conservatives in the back, he'll repay santorum with this vote as it is crucial to santorum's re-election.

[badgerbengal]

Wisconsin has Russ better hide all your Fiengold and Herb Kohl. I dont think Kohl ever even says anything but he always votes the wrong way.

[Txsleuth]

I have often wondered what men like Dorgan and Levin and others with extreme comb-overs look like when they wake up in the morning and ALL of their hair is hanging down to the shoulder on one side of the head---LOL

I have to say though, the worst comb-over I ever saw was a basketball coach for the Purdue Boilermakers--Gene Keady, I think, it looked like he had about 4 hairs and wound them up and around about 4 times!!!

[LisaFab]

Dorgan is making my head spin. 'Show me in the Constitution where it says minority members DON'T have a right...'

Says he will bring in remedial reading teachers to read the Constitution to the Pubs. Yuk, yuk.

Saying we are held hostage by Saudi Arabia due to gas prices...Hey Dorgan, pass the energy bill!

[Mo1]

Did Dorgan just tell the Pubbies that if they didn't know how to read .. he'd get them a course in remedial reading or they would get someone to read it (The Constitution) to them??

[Fudd Fan]

It's a massive comb-over

LOL! One of my husband's friends began to go bald quite young in his 20s. Instead of having a massive combover, he got a toupee that simulated a mild combover! No one has ever had the heart to tell him it looks dumb.

[Mo1]

Says he will bring in remedial reading teachers to read the Constitution to the Pubs. Yuk, yuk.

He is insulting the Pubbies and calling them stupid

[the anti-liberal]

Did Dorgan just tell the Pubbies that if they didn't know how to read .. he'd get them a course in remedial reading or they would get someone to read it (The Constitution) to them??

He's Gallowaying.

[Txsleuth]

I wish that would happen for your reason, but I would love to see Babs Boxer go over and beat up Byrd for giving the REPS the way to do it!!!

[Fudd Fan]

Where is Byrd? Where is our ADVERSARY?

[Bahbah]

Listening to Dorgan makes me feel like the Senate is already damaged beyond repair.

[Fledermaus]

Condenscending little puke

[Fudd Fan]

Oh yes- Obama Bin Laden!