LIVE Senate Filibuster Thread ~ Day 4

C-span ^ | 5-23-05 | US Senate

[OXENinFLA]

Senate Debate on Nominations Today the Senate resumes debate on the nomination of Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen to the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. The Senate will conduct its first roll call vote of the week at 5:30pm. Follow the C-SPAN networks & C-SPAN Radio for the debate on Senate rules & judicial nominations. MON., 11:30AM ET, C-SPAN2

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ORDERS FOR MONDAY, MAY 23, 2005 -- (Senate - May 20, 2005)

[Page: S5714] GPO's PDF

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Mr. CORNYN. I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 11:30 a.m. on Monday, May 23. I further ask that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved, and that the Senate then return to executive session and resume consideration of the nomination of Priscilla Owen to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, provided that the time from 12 noon until 1 p.m. be under the control of the majority leader or his designee and, at 1 p.m., the Democratic leader or his designee be recognized; provided that floor time then rotate between the two leaders or their designees every 60 minutes until 4 p.m., at which time the majority leader or his designee be recognized until 4:45 p.m., to be followed by the Democrat leader or his designee from 4:45 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.

The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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PROGRAM -- (Senate - May 20, 2005)

[Page: S5714] GPO's PDF

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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, on Monday, the Senate will resume consideration of the nomination of Priscilla Owen to serve as a circuit judge on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Monday will be the fourth consecutive day the Senate considers the Owen nomination.

Over the past 3 days, a number of Members, on both sides of the aisle, have come to the floor to speak on the nomination. We have conducted over 25 hours of debate, and we will continue on Monday. Moments ago, we filed a cloture motion on the nomination, and that will ripen on Tuesday of next week.

On behalf of the majority leader, I remind my colleagues the leader has announced our next rollcall vote will occur Monday afternoon at 5:30. That vote will be on a motion to instruct the Sergeant at Arms to request Senators' attendance. Senator Frist will have more to say about next week's session on Monday.

[Milhous]

Sheets et al returns to speak sadly. Be back in 60 minutes.

[Soul Seeker]

Byrd's about to cry on the floor! ROFL!

[hobbes1]

I love this guy...lol

[OXENinFLA]

this will be goooooooooooddddddddddddddddd.

And painfully sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow.

[LisaFab]

He's going to cry, just watch!

[maxter]

He is in his 53rd year in Congress? We definitely need term limits.

[Chuck54]

Giving out numbers, times and dates. Digging up the dead now! LOL

[af_vet_1981]

Thats not defeatism. Thats their strategy.

Despite their strategy the Democrats continue to lose ...

[defconw]

Byrd has served 217 years? No wonder!

[AFPhys]

AS far as the "one judge per week" item: What is to prevent Sen.Frist from holding the Senate in session continuously until each of these judges gets brought up for a vote?

[alwaysrepublican]

Good point Milhous.

[rwa265]

"Why not make the democrats actually filibuster? Why is it in the last congress that they would call up these several cloture votes to end debate on something that was not even being debated. Only in the fake counter filibuster was there any kind of debate. And during all of that, as now, a quorum is not present in the chamber to force the other senators to sit and listen. Why not call for a vote on this option sooner and even if it failed, to call a point of order over an over to draw attention to this. We had Zell Miller and John Breaux in the last congress who would have voted for it. How about denying Specter his chairmanship so these nominations would move to the floor faster. How about putting the democrats on the spot for a change."

Wow, so many questions. There has been considerable discussion on the pluses and minuses of a true filibuster. I don't think it would have caused one Democrat to change his/her vote. With Miller and Breaux gone, the are more solid than ever.

My take on the activities of the past two years, the cloture votes, the quorum calls, the pseudo filibusters, were all done to call attention to the Democrat obstinacy. Only after going through all of these efforts could the Republican leaders convince the RINO's to join them in invoking the constitutional option. We do not want this option to fail.

I do agree with you that Specter should be replaced as judiciary chairman.

[Mo1]

Add to those totals Orthodox Jews and those minorities within the protestant religions and the Dems are in trouble.

Yes indeed!!

[Fudd Fan]

Oh dear, he's been in Congress longer than I've been on earth.

[You Dirty Rats]

Yeah, but NY is a Lefty state that's bigger than Ohio. We're right in the middle of the political spectrum, yet we generate more nutballs.

I left Dick Celeste out of my last list, not to mention his wife, Dagmar the Dyke. Sorry about that!

[daybreakcoming]

Does Sheets doze off inbetween sentences or is it just me?

[vollmond]

Did I hear Diane Feinstein right? Did she say Orrin Hatch suggested Ruth Bader Ginsberg and one other judge to Bill Clinton, for the Supreme Court?

Yes. Radical gender feminst and former council to the ACLU Ruth Bader Ginsburg was recommended as an acceptable choice by Orrin Hatch.

Would you rather have a President of the opposing party appoint an old Ginsberg or a young Breyer? I think I'd recommend all the 60 year old jurists I could find.

[kjam22]

Sounds like he's been partying with the swimmer this morning....

[tiredoflaundry]

Here we go with Byrd!

[Mo1]

FYI .. Sheets is on the Floor .. he's sad