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

C-span 2 ^ | May 18, 2005

[MamaLucci]

That's why RINOS like Specter tick me off to no end.
WE all know that the democrats are applying an anti-christian,
anti-conservative "litmus test" to the President's judicial nominees,
so what is Specter's excuse? The only answer is,
he either AGREES with such a litmus test, or he is a
democrat useful idiot. Either way, he is BAD NEWS for the GOP.

[Howlin]

Every single thing the Democrats say HAS to be factchecked, IMO. Every single thing.

[Carolinamom]

Heaven forbid that Rather replace Moyers at PBS. He'll land somewhere, no doubt, because MSM rallies round one of their own. They NEVER leave Washington.

[maggief]

ATTENTION EDITORS - CAPTION CLARIFICATION FOR NYK801D. CLARIFYING THAT KAMI THE MUPPET IS FROM TAKALANI SESAME NOT SESAME STREET. Broadcaster Dan Rather (L) gets a kiss from Kami (the HIV positive Takalani Sesame muppet) after receiving the prestigious Peabody Award for the '60 Minutes II: Abuse at Abu Ghraib' in New York, May 16, 2005. The 64th Annual George Foster Peabody Awards presented by the University of Georgia honors excellence in electronic media.

[Howlin]

He is leading the floor fight for her! Amazing!

[ken5050]

Hey...maybe he can have Rita Cosby's show on FOX..

[Semper Paratus]

Maybe so, but to me it's unseemly for the Judiciary Chairman to be undecided at this late date

Another Scottish Verdict?

[jackbill]

When, where did you hear that the Senate is taking Friday off?

I believe that Kathy Kiely (USA Today) said it on C-SPAN this morning.

[Howlin]

Is that why they keep saying "these nominees have had a floor vote?"

[ken5050]

Arlen: Please blow your nose...

[Raycpa]

THe argument about "what happens when the Reps are in the minority" is so bogus because everyone knows that Reps are either too principled or too spineless to filibuster a judicial appt.

We never used it before.

[GB]

I think Specter is going to do everything he can to come up with a compromise here, but if there is no compromise when it gets to gonad-cutting time, I think he'll vote to end the filibusters.

In fact, I would not be surprised if his painstaking, judicial presentation here is deliberate and intentional and has been signed off on by Frist.

Again, I think people here are upset that this is not going to be decided five minutes from now, that Frist is not going to immediately prime the bomb and push the button and call for a vote five minutes from now.

This is not going to be decided five minutes from now, he's going to let people talk and talk and talk and talk until we're all bored silly, just to have it on record how much debate was permitted on this.

Nothing is going to happen until next week, and I don't see a whole lot we can do about it.

[Soul Seeker]

My argument is not that Spectre is justified in behavior.

What I am stating is that Spectre is Spectre. It's pointless to fume over the man remaining true to self. My only interest is that he vote correctly and so far his argument, while being full of the usual Spectre-isms we expect, is making the case against the Filibuster.

People are overreacting (so far).

[Pukin Dog]

He must somehow feel my gun pointed at the Television. My Toshiba is in serious jeopardy this morning.

[Howlin]

I wonder how long he can keep this up.

[AFPhys]

LOL: thanks for that '60 min' ping... I won't leave this thread much these days, I 'spect.

[verity]

LMAO!

[CharlesWayneCT]

Spector is simply calling for a "never mind". Rather than eliminate the filibuster, just have the democrats stop using it, and we don't vote on it.

And later, if the democrats decide someone is "extreme" and filibusters, if the republicans think the nominee is not extreme, they could vote down the filibuster at that point.

In other words, he is simply telling the democrats to stop filibustering the nominees.

Of course he also keeps telling them that he thinks a majority of the senate will vote against one of the nominees if they just let if come to a vote.

BTW, I have to say that while I think all the Bush nominees should be confirmed, I also think that as a matter of principle the parties should release senators from party votes on judges.

Here is the "check and balance". Judges are not selected by one party and modified by the other party. Judges are instead selected by on BRANCH and confirmed by another BRANCH. so the BRANCH should vote as a whole, it shouldn't be a compromise between different parties IN the senate.

Therefore, on judicial nominations, each senator should be free to provide or withhold consent on a nominee, regardless of which party is in the majority, or which party has the white house.

I will also note that the senate has traditionally followed this rule, with many republicans voting for far-left judicial nominees because they had no character flaws.

[Carolinamom]

Naw...I'm rooting for Tony Snow to take Rita's place. He did say on his radio show that he would be doing MORE on FOX in the future.

[LisaFab]

Dog: LOL! I hate to say it, but if you're right, there's going to be a lot more victims!