Frist schedules Senate ‘all-nighter’ on judges

MSNBC ^ | May 23, 2005 | Tom Curry

[QQQQQ]

Cots were brought into the Capitol Monday as Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist scheduled an all-night session stretching into Tuesday to dramatize the debate over President Bush’s judicial nominees and the filibusters that Democrats have used to block votes on 10 of them.

The Senate debated the nomination of appeals court hopeful Priscilla Owen for four days last week and is set to vote on a motion to end the Owen debate on Tuesday.

Opening debate Monday morning, Frist reminded Democrats that he has offered them 100 hours of debate on each judicial nomination, an offer they rejected.

In Tuesday's vote, the key will be how many Democrats decide to join the 55 Republican senators in voting for the cloture motion. Under the current rules of the Senate, it takes 60 senators to vote to end debate.

If Frist does not win the cloture vote, he would seek a ruling of the presiding officer that further debate was dilatory. If the Senate sustained such a ruling by majority vote, then the filibuster-ending threshold would be lowered from 60 to 51.

Frist's proposed filibuster rule change would apply only to nominations, not to legislation.

[QQQQQ]

The Democrats could still avoid the change in the filibuster rule, just by voting for cloture. Actually, I am hoping they won't. Otherwise we have to go through this for each nominee.

[spokeshave]

Going to the mattresses

[andyk]

Frist's proposed filibuster rule change would apply only to nominations, not to legislation

Pleasantly surprised to see this little bit included...

[DainBramage]

Kennedy will be soused by 4:30p. Republicans should make a call for breathalyzers.

[IamConservative]

I don't mind if the Democrats filibuster anything, as long as it is done as it was meant to be done. The majority party sits quietly for as long as it takes the minority party to talk themselves out of their position and make fools of themselves.

[Sun]

Another friendly reminder.......

57% of Americans say that "Senate rules should be changed so that a vote must be taken on every person the President nominates to become a judge." That's unchanged from two weeks ago.

Maybe we ought to tell our U.S. senators about this poll, and also tell those "swing" senators.


http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2005/Judicial%20Nominations--May%2014.htm


Rush Limbaugh said that senators are wavering back and forth, partly because of pressure from the public - our phone calls, folks. Let's get more phone calls and/or e-mails than the other side does.

Even if none of these WAVERING senators is your own senator,
please call 'em, anyway.

The last I heard the key GOP Senators are John Sununu (NH), Collins (ME), DeWine (OH), Hagel (NE), Murkowski, Specter (PA), and Warner (VA). Frist can afford to lose only two, because McCain, Chafee, and Snowe have declined to end the judicial filibusters.

We can call toll-free at 877-762-8762 .


Fax or e-mail info can be found here (but phone calls are more effective):
http://www.conservativeusa.org/mega-cong.htm

Urge each to FULLY SUPPORT THE FILIBUSTERING
RULES CHANGE.

[jtminton]

Going to the mattresses

Is that where that phrase comes from?

[AmishDude]

I've got a simpler idea. Filibusters stop all Senate floor debate. Nothing gets done -- like the old days. Filibusters have to have consequences.

[upchuck]

Frist's proposed filibuster rule change would apply only to nominations, not to legislation.

Well, PMSNBC screwed up again.

[grobdriver]

then the filibuster-ending threshold would be lowered from 60 to 51.

"...for judicial nominees to be voted out of committee".

Get it right, boneheads!

[grobdriver]

Godfather

[Brilliant]

I'm sure they meant it in a bad way.

[wolfpat]

I think they meant going to the mats, as in those things you wrestle on.

[ErnBatavia]

It might be funny to see Robert Byrd shuffling around in his PJs in the middle of the night.

[sportutegrl]

Maybe we could slip Harry Reid a little Nyquil in his diet pepsi.

[grobdriver]

Frist's proposed filibuster rule change would apply only to nominations, not to legislation.

Pay attention, bonehead!

[Southack]

The filibuster power should *never* be allowed to be used for the same legislation or against the same nominee for more than one session of Congress.

Some of these judicial appointments, however, have been filibustered for FOUR YEARS, and the Democrats are going for 2 more right now!

2 years is long enough. Under no circumstances should the filibuster be allowed to be an infinite or indefinite blocking tool.

Block something or someone for 2 years (i.e. one session of Congress), fine. But no more than that. After that, the filibuster becomes abusive.

[Brilliant]

It's about time we did a few all nighters on this.

[blaquebyrd]

"Cots were brought into the Capitol Monday as Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist scheduled an all-night session stretching into Tuesday..."

This whole charade is past stupid now! You're telling me that so-called adults can't come to an agreement without resorting to another photo op stunt? Didn't they do this a couple of months ago? You know hauling mattresses in while cameras were rolling. Only never to use them once the cameras were turned off. The entire senate leaderhsip should be squarely kicked in the ass for wasting so much time pandering and threatening before the cameras. I say thrown them all out into the street and I'm not talking about the mattresses.

[jtminton]

Oh yeah, that's right. I should have known, I own it.