Posted on 05/18/2005 5:48:45 AM PDT by 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...
Someone posted that on Hannity's radio show today that Reid had been reported to the Ethics Committee for his remarks about Saad's FBI file. No mention of WHO did the reporting, BUT several days ago, Senator Allen said he would do so. Can you spell PRESIDENT Allen? LOL
"The other reason to invoke cloture is to force a vote - but maybe the vote can be forced with political pressure, an appeal to the public with reason, and an appeal to the chair."
I am betting we can expect a long hot summer in the Senate. Little will get accomplished if each nominee is going to be a rehash of the previous one. Doesn't bother me. I wonder what the public will conclude.
Are we going to get up or down votes yet or is this still getting debated?
In return, they think up this slimy way to undermine the President and pull the rug out from under Frist and the majority.
TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!!!
President Allen
President Allen
President Allen
By gosh, I think I can!
The up and down votes will probably happen sometime next week, after many hours of debate time, so the demos can't complain that there hasn't been any debate.
We don't even need new Trolls. There are old timers here that hate this Administration...despise Republicans..claim to be conservatives...trying to use this issue to make us destroy them. Acting like we've had an epiphany of sorts about the GOP and are now on the same side. Not hardly.
I'm completely serious about punishing Republicans that betray us, but I am not a tool for those that hate them either. Their motives are quite clear. We aren't going to leave for a third Party. We are going to clean up THIS Party.
LOL---You might be right?
Think about it---one of the pending issues that ISN'T getting done while the dems have the Senate shut down is, the Transportation Bill---it is in conference and now it won't---which I am sure Bush doesn't mind, since they added so much to it, and he promised to veto it!
Bush is prolly not too upset that it sits there for awhile!
I like it! YES! President Allen has a great ring to it!
That's also my take:
Filibuster Anticlimax?
For months now the battle over judicial nominations has been one of maneuver rather than engagement. Republicans and their core supporters are trying to remold the courts with conservative and originalist appointments. Democrats and their core supporters are trying to preserve what is left of their last bastion of strength in terms of activist judges who will defend and advance liberal policies. The stakes are incredibly high, and everyone knows it.If Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist can keep 50 Republicans on board to support the nuclear/Constitutional option and abolish filibustering of judicial nominees, the road will be clear to confirm virtually everyone President Bush nominates. Most pundits now seem to believe that Frist has sufficient votes, and that the showdown is finally at hand.
Difficult negotiations rarely reach the serious stage until a deadline is staring everyone in the face. We can see the evidence in the intense last-minute negotiations which are underway among many Senators. Most Senators would just as soon avoid the issue rather than risk a metaphorical nuclear war. But indefinite avoidance is not possible; judicial nominees eventually must start coming to the Senate floor for a decision.
Then again, maybe indefinite avoidance is possible.
If Frist really does have the votes, and all compromise negotiations fail, the Democrats are left with only two choices: (1) Filibuster a nominee until Frist asks for a ruling from Vice-President Cheney which will abolish all future filibusters, or (2) Don't filibuster any nominees.
It seems to me that option # 2 is the obvious option to take.
Either way, Bush is going to get his nominees confirmed. Democrats can easily go back to their core constituencies and make that case, that they simply didn't have the votes AT THIS TIME to block the nuclear option and prevent the confirmations.
But this at least leaves open the door to future filibusters after the 2006 elections. If Democrats pick up even one seat in the Senate, it may be enough to neuter the nuclear/Constitutional option. Who cares if Bush replaces Renquist with another conservative? This gives Democrats some hope of blocking Supreme Court nominations during Bush's final two years in office.
My guess is that six moderate Democratic Senators will get together and announce that they are taking the path of avoidance, and for now they will vote with Republicans to close debate on pending judicial confirmations even if they subsequently vote against the nominees. The nuclear showdown will be avoided. Democrats will lose this battle but live to fight again.
And let's face it, avoiding difficult decisions would truly be in line with the great traditions of the United States Senate.
Yup. Short statement of agreement since I am completely exhausted :)
I think we're going to get one; they are "discussing" the nominees; well, the GOP is; the Dems are talking about how awful and mean we are. You know, the usual.
By Jove, you've got it! (said in Professor Higgin's voice to Liza Doolittle).
OK, that makes sense.
I like what Dennis Miller said.
"If they want to filibuster, make them go back to doing it without going home like they used to"... Like the old Mr. Smith Goes to Washington movie.
No Cloture eh.............sounds like some strategery.
Make the dims debate till they are blue in the face.
And hold the schardenfreude.
I will take our awful and mean over their sick and demented any time!
Well you know that during campaigns the pundits are always talking about the "coattails" of the President---
How many of these RINOS owe at least part of their election to President Bush? We KNOW that Specter does, but they don't hesitate to stab him in the back?
That makes them dems---kick them off, as soon as we can!
I just have to say this: your posts today have been outstanding.
Agree!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.