Posted on 05/22/2005 9:36:11 AM PDT by wagglebee
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist reportedly has the votes to enforce the so-called "nuclear option" against judicial filibusters instigated by Democrats, despite claims to the contrary by Minority Leader Harry Reid.
After a Thursday meeting with Senate Democrats, Reid boasted he was ready for the coming battle. "It was one of the most pleasant experiences of my entire life," he told reporters. "We walked out of there so united. We talked about what's going to happen after Tuesday," when the filibuster showdown is expected to come to head.
But according to New York Times columnist David Brooks, Reid was blowing smoke.
"Harry Reid, told a small group of us Friday he was cautiously optimistic that he had the votes to defeat the nuclear option, but I think he's wrong," Brooks said Sunday.
"John McCain, Lincoln Chafee, John Warner and maybe Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe will vote against the nuclear option, but none of the other Republicans are likely to."
"Bill Frist has the votes," he predicted.
Brooks also reports that attempts by Senate moderates to hammer out a deal to avoid the filibuster showdown have collapsed.
"The talks stalled. Joe Lieberman didn't bother to attend the final meeting. Positions will probably harden over the weekend, making a deal less likely tomorrow," he said.
That is true and we'd have to go thru this same nonsense on every other nominee, but I believe that the Rats will vote against cloture to force Frist to change the rule thus making it an issue. They really running short of issues....imho.
what is he going to say when he runs for president? he won't be able to say anything about appointing judges who will reverse the current trends on the courts - he can't, if when given an opportunity to do just that, he voted the other way. he has to give up that issue totally in his presidential bid. and he will have to explain why any person of faith is automatically excluded from the federal bench, why he helped to make that policy possible. he isn't going to be able to dodge that by just talking about some preserving archane senate rules.
McCain may have his system in place here in Arizona, but he is finished nationally. Only places where Dims and Indy's can crossover would make this drek competitive. He should re-register as a Democrat, because that's what he is.
Brit Hume has predicted the opposite last week - said if the Dems don't have to votes to sustain the fillibuster, they will just let these judges through to the floor for the full senate vote. this way, they will come back and be able to use the fillibuster again to stop a SCOTUS nominee against whom they will have a scorched earth media campaign to smear.
I just received a call from the RNC - and I told them I'd be happy to donate when the GOP starts acting like the majority party. Why should we donate to and work for people who get to DC and immediately decide that deep down inside, they're Democrats?
We had a local GOP pol here who just got defeated because once he got to the City Council, he discovered his "inner liberal." And needless to say, when he was up for reelection, Republicans stayed home in droves. Will they never learn?
"They" being the pols, of course. I think GOPers are already learning.
I agree with you about McCain's service to our military.
He was honorable, in every way.
I respect the way he votes on many conservative issues, but he's just too much of a wild card to ever --- and I mean EVER --- get my support.
It all depends upon which side's base holds. Anderson was very liberal, and there were a lot of angry Ted Kennedy supporters who would not vote for Carter under any circumstances. The media tried to tell us that our side was made up of Gerald Ford Republicans who wouldn't vote for a nutty extremist like Reagan. They were dead wrong.
In 1992, our coalition collapsed because Perot appealed to veterans and white males at least as well as Bush did. Bush was left with the Christians and little else. Hence Clinton was elected, running as a "New Democrat" elected by "old liberals."
McCain as a third party candidate would not have the issues that could pull our people away from the GOP nominee, mainly borders and activist judges. In fact, we would be on fire against him because of this vote. Most of here in AZ know what a scoundrel he is, but he doesn't need conservative support to win. He gets all those Dims and Indy's to vote for him and the Democrats cooperate by not even running a race. They love the guy and know he's one of them.
I vote Libertarian against McCain every time. Does me a lot of good.
I hope you are right. I gave my guess as to odds of certain outcomes a few days ago ...
Posted by Cboldt to Semper Paratus - 05/19/2005 9:31:57 AM EDT · 144 of 3,737I put the odds at 0% that the Owen nomination will proceeed to anything but an up or down vote.
I put the odds at 50% that the DEMs will provide unanimous consent (no nuclear trigger) to take the vote on the nomination of Owen.
If the nuclear trigger is pulled (by the DEMs, who control it), I put the odds at less than 10% that the Senate will agree to let a minority of Senators table/scuttle/kill nominees as a matter of routine. I.e., there is a greater than 90% chance the nuclear option would be successfully implemented.
I put odds at 100% that DEM and GOP Senators will trade votes on nominees and all sorts of other stuff. They do that all the time, now. There is no way to stop it.
I already consider the RINOs goats - Judas' goats.
It is not Frist's fault that the hand that the American people dealt him to play includes so many RINOs - but it seems that their numbers are decreasing - if he doesn't have the votes this session, I bet he has them next session.
I certainly hope so. McCain is a disaster. He is no friend of Bush. He tries to undermine everything this administration tries to do. McCain is playing to his media friends and thinks he can swing enough support to win Presidential support. I think he is a loser waiting to happen again and again and again.
Heheheh. I doubt it. Just wild guesses. The contention I was responding to was a general contention of sell-out. I was aiming to illustrate that "sellout" can have various forms and appear at varius places in the voting process.
.. sigh ..
Let him. It would hurt the Dem nominee more.
Well, whatever, Tuesday is going to be a very interesting day on Cspan2 and in FR. I'm stocking up on junk food and taking the phone off the hook!!
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