Posted on 04/21/2005 6:51:36 AM PDT by wjersey
Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), a leading advocate of the “nuclear option” to end the Democrats’ filibuster of judicial nominees, is privately arguing for a delay in the face of adverse internal party polls.
Details of the polling numbers remain under wraps, but Santorum and other Senate sources concede that, while a majority of Americans oppose the filibuster, the figures show that most also accept the Democratic message that Republicans are trying to destroy the tradition of debate in the Senate.
The Republicans are keeping the “nuclear” poll numbers secret, whereas they have often in the past been keen to release internal survey results that favor the party. David Winston, head of the Winston Group, which conducts Senate GOP polls, did return phone calls seeking comment.
Confirming public disquiet over the “nuclear” or “constitutional” option, Santorum said, “Our polling shows that.” But, he added, public thinking had been muddied by what he called false Democratic arguments that checks and balances were being eroded.
“People see checks and balances as Democrats checking Republicans, not the legislative checking the executive or the judiciary checking the legislative,” Santorum said. Filibustering presidential nominees was not something the Founding Fathers envisioned as a tool for balancing power between the branches, he argued. In other words, Democrats have managed to convince the public of their right to check Republicans in the Senate.
Santorum’s raising of reasons that Republicans should delay the constitutional option may surprise conservative activists who count him as one of the most passionate advocates for the tactic in the Senate.
“There is no doubt that Santorum was the backbone of this from the very beginning, and he continues to be,” said Manuel Miranda, head of the National Coalition to End Judicial Filibusters, an alliance of more than 200 conservative groups working on the judges issue.
Many Republicans and conservative activists had thought the Senate GOP leadership would trigger the tactic next week to end the judicial filibuster. The nominees considered most appropriate for such a historic procedural maneuver, Priscilla Owen and Janice Rogers Brown, are expected to be discharged from the Judiciary Committee later this week.
Conservative activists said they received word last week to ramp up their communication efforts on the constitutional option with the goal of having their activity peak next week, before the May recess. Also last week, a New York Times report citing senior Senate lawmakers bolstered the expectation that the showdown would happen next week.
Santorum said he has left the timing to Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.).
“I’ve been suggesting one way or the other we need to make a decision. I haven’t said [a] longer or shorter” timeframe should be followed, he said.
But GOP aides said Santorum has made known to the leadership reasons for why Republicans should not move forward on the nuclear or constitutional option.
“He was concerned that too many things are competing in the same area and you couldn’t get a clean shot at it,” a GOP aide said. The aide cited the “fallout” from congressional Republicans’ intervening in a Florida court’s decision to remove Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube and the subsequent controversy caused by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s (R-Texas) statement that “the time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior.”
Democrats portrayed that statement as an incitement against judges, and it resulted in a spate of media critiques of DeLay and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who made a speech on the Senate floor raising the question of why judges are targets of violence.
Senate and House Democrats have woven the Republican intervention in the Schiavo issue, DeLay’s statement about judges who declined to save her life, and GOP consideration of the nuclear option into a broad message that Republicans are abusing power. John Bolton’s stalled nomination to become U.N. ambassador has also become a distraction.
“There’s not a clean slate and backdrop” for the nuclear option, a GOP aide said, summarizing Santorum’s observations. “But while Santorum is saying too many things are competing in the same realm, others are saying they highlight the issue” of judges by demonstrating how the makeup of the judiciary affects national debates, for example.
Another GOP aide said Santorum is less concerned with the fallout from the Schiavo case than with addressing several more items on the legislative agenda before Democrats tie the Senate in knots, as they have threatened to retaliate against a rule change.
“There’s important business our guys have to get out of the way,” the aide said, adding, “Our guys want to give every chance for some negotiated compromise to be explored” to avoid gridlock.
Santorum said, “We have a lot of work to get done.”
But the aide denied that the “messaging environment” is giving Republicans second thoughts about the nuclear or constitutional option. Republicans would craft their message to their actions, not their actions to a poll-tested message, the aide added.
But GOP polling shows that Americans have swallowed the Democrats’ and liberal groups’ message on the constitutional option, the sources say.
“If anything is bad, it is that the American public has bought the misinformation campaign that we’re trying to take away the filibuster,” the aide said. “The campaign has caused misinformation, and that’s where we have a messaging challenge.”
Tease. ;)
Well, that AND his ridiculous presidential aspirations......
Sad. I really did like him.
"That is not leadership."
Leadership is apparently being able to be cowed by the liberal media.
Santorum is old news. He is as inastute as a Dimocrat.
rotfl
made me snort coffee out my nose :P
Don't bother lecturing me on blinders. I have been warning everyone that Hillary wasn't the threat to the base that lack of action by Republicans in Congress is, well, beyond the curve.
I simply disagree on where to pin the blame. I put it squarely on the heads of Congress. That same Congress that consistently avoids responsibility for everything that goes wrong in Washington even though they are among the most stable forces in Washington. President's last one, two terms tops. These Senators are the reason why we have high spending. They are the reason for the defunding of the military. they knew the terrorists threats and did nothing. they are allowing the Judiciary to become the Supreme authority of the land. They are the main obstacle to controlling immigration.
No, I am putting the blame where it really belongs. On the people that usually avoid retribution because president's take the heat for their actions. Not this time. This time that light is going to be shined on them and Republican Senators either lead or they are going to find themselves tossed out on their butts in '06.
At this point unless it's Delay or Tancredo that's running for President, the GOP can kiss my rebel arse for a vote in 08.
They already don't get my money anymore. Got tired of seeing my cash go to support them only to get more dimocrap style legislation from the very people I was putting into office.
Grow a Spine for heaven's sake people.
Ted Olson wrote in the WSJ that a toning down of the political rhetoric about the judiciary is necessary to restore and preserve the rule of law. He also stated that the politicization and policy of personal destruction of judicial nominations is contributing to the break down of respect for the rule of law and is an abuse of the Senatorial advise and consent duty. My guess is that Santorum is backing off the rhetoric, not the end of the filibustering of nominations.
Mealy mouthed answer. I'm not allowed to speak for the Senator.
Suggested he stop worrying about polls and Casey and start worrying about doing the right thing.
"If anything is bad, it is that the American public has bought the misinformation campaign that we're trying to take away the filibuster," the aide said. "The campaign has caused misinformation, and that's where we have a messaging challenge."
I wonder if the GOP can compose any effective message. No question, the media is an active foil against getting an honest message out, but geez, Louise, what the Senate DEMs and weak-sister GOPers are doing is contrary to some simple Constitutional principles.
Rove could help too. It's a White House power that is being diluted by an activist Senate.
The Republicans should make the case against the filibuster by...
1. Pointing out that it is NOT in the Constitution.
2. Showing how, historically, it has been used to defend a racist agenda.
3. Reminding people that no such rule exists in the House of Representatives.
If they are not willing to make this case then they ought to at least insist that the "unlimited debate" be a real debate. The filibusters ought to be required to continue debating the topic. Then they would have the audio & visual of weeks of blather to use in citing Democrats refusal to allow a vote even after X days or X weeks of talk. Get the public to say "shut up" and "get moving" to these guys.
Posted by Republican Red to Redbob
On News/Activism 04/21/2005 11:17:56 AM EDT · 8 of 8
I just called the Senator's DC Office and asked if it was truen that the Senator is backing off the constitutional option of stopping democrat fillibusters.. The lady answering the phone said "I can't speak for the Senator". Hello! That is your job! Considering she can't speak for the Senator I take that it is true.
Washington, D.C. Office:
511 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Main: 202-224-6324
Ding! Ding! Ding! Thank you folks, we have a winner!
Instead of judges and tax cuts, we got the Irresponsible Lenders Protection Act and the Terribots got their way. Nothing, nothing I say, was done for the majority of citizens. So they are not now going to support the Republicans' efforts.
La-de-da-de-da-de-da-de-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da.
Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Rick Santorum's got to go!
Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Rick Santorum's got to go! Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Rick Santorum's got to go!
Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Rick Santorum's got to go!
WOW! Are we ever about to get our clocks cleaned in '06. Can anybody else feel it?
It's been less than six months since the November election, and Republicans are caving. I thought Pres. Bush was willing to spend his capital, but I guess that's just strategery talking.
Laura Ingraham did a great job of expressing our frustration with Sen. Cornyn this morning. I hope my senator takes that message to heart.
If Frist, Hassert, Bush, et.al. don't get their butts in gear, 2006 will make Little Big Horn look like a picnic.
And to think they had a chance to set the tone by taking Scottish Law Specter to the woodshed. To me, their failure to lead was an indicator that our leaders were only paying lip service to us.
If they think they can keep up this BS, and expect us to go to the mat for them every election, they are seriously deluded.
I'm so pissed I've been tempted to make a $0.50 cent donation to them so I can cost them postage and credit card fees. I'm furious. It;s not that I'm going to hand it back over to the deathrats, it's that they seem to be making the right moves to TAKE it back. Who's orchestrating this?
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