LIVE Senate Filibuster Thread ~ Day 4

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

[You Dirty Rats]

Bookmark for when I get home

[LisaFab]

Well Byrd started off like he was going to cry then channeled a dozen or so dead senators. He then spoke of worms turning on turnip trucks or some such before Biden took the floor and spewed spittle around the room.

Later on Madame Rodham spoke for nearly ten minutes on something but couldn't hear with the mute button depressed.

They are now voting on whether the Sgt At Arms should call all senators to the floor. It seems to be passing unanimously.

After this, there supposedly will be debate till 9:00AM tomorrow, with a noontime vote on Judge Owens comfirmation or cloture.

There's a coven of Dem senators in a circle on the CSPAN2 screen right now. Dinner plans?

[Cboldt]

What Frist has to say will be important, but I think will be brief. He wants to frame the issue, yet again. DEMs need to have the issue framed often, because they are inclined to twist it up.

Noon is the time for cloture vote.

Debate scheduled for the night, as previously agreed by unanimous consent.

[mowkeka]

I go by Hatch's voting record and his ratings by respected conservative groups. Hatch is no RINO by any accepted measure. He is one of the more conservative members of Congress. That said, I agree he talks to much and is too civil to the Democrats. Civility is a virtue. There is a time to be civil and a time to kick butt. Now is the time to kick butt. Besides, I think we can all agree that Hatch is a million times better than that the other Mormon Senator.

[small voice in the wilderness]

Byrd is squirreling away his Depends. He sees the handwriting in the snow, so to speak.

[OXENinFLA]

Call of the chair???


When are they coming back????


And who was the 1 that voted NO?

[xsmommy]

how in heaven's name is Sheets Byrd, just this side of a dirtnap, going to pull an allnighter?

[El Gato]

It seems to me that the "nuclear option" gives the Supreme Court to whichever party can win the Presidency with enough coat tails to get 50 or more Senate seats. I'm not entirely sure that's always a good thing.

The nuclear option has been SOP, just not codified, from 1789 the 1960s, and even that one wouldn't have turned out any differently because there were not enough votes for even a 50% + 1 vote for the nominee. Only since the second "W" term has the filibuster been used to keep nominees from getting a floor vote when there were clearly enough votes for the nominee.

Since the rules allow for the Byrd option, the Dims would just invoke it should they wish to put She-who-will-be-obeyed onto the Supreme Court if they were to gain the Senate majority before SWWBO becomes too old for the nomination.

[LisaFab]

It wasn't Byrd. He voted aye.

[tiredoflaundry]

The cspan dude said it was a "short break" Dinner??

[LisaFab]

I was a the last all-nighter in November 2004. Very few Dems had to stay in the chamber (only one required IIRC).

And for those who think Hatch is a RINO (on judges), they should have seen him fighting all night on this issue.

[ken5050]

As I understand it.Senate is in recess, if anyone wants to talk all night, the chair will return...Cloture vote will be at noon tomorrow..if, as expected, it fails, then Senate recesses for caucus meetings..will return at about 3PM for the nuclear option...We're gonna have a loooooooong thread tomorrow..

[El Gato]

90-1 Quorum is present. (but 9 senators not present/voting) Cloture vote is around noon tomorrow. Senate stands in recess subject to call of the chair. Supper break I imagine.

[defconw]

I had to step out what the heck is going on?

[Soul Seeker]

Watching Brit's show reviewing the latest decision from the Supreme Court and it just re-inforces my opinion that any GOP Senator that thinks they survive breaking the Party on this issue is delusional. Ditto any red state Dem that thinks they survive by engaging in 'compromise' talks are voting no.

[kabar]

the other Mormon Senator.

I agree. I presume you mean Harry Reid. There are other Mormon senators besides Reid and Hatch. Robert Bennett, R-Utah; Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Gordon Smith, R-Ore are Mormons.

[nj26]

"I come back from lunch and who do I see? She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"

I saw an undertone in her speech.

What she said: getting rid of the filibuster would eliminate checks-and-balances against any President.

What she meant: there'll sure be hell to pay if me and Billy trick the American people into electing us again.

[Yardstick]

It would be interesting to compare the percentage of Reagan appointees five years after his presidency with Clinton's present percentage. That would give some perspective.

[ken5050]

FWIW, I think few senators will speak tonite...

[Cboldt]

The recess is a chance for the DEMs to give unanimous consent to vote on the nominee. Likely won't happen, but would make for some high drama. If they emerge from the recess and announce a unanimous consent agreement (which would include voting on at least the nominees that are now on the Executive calendar), the Constitutional Nuclear Byrd Option (CNB Option, for short), will be deferred.

... a "live quorum" call stands in contrast to the those used to delay or suspend the Senate' floor proceedings; here Senators names are called more quickly. The Senate's rules require that live quorum calls occur immediately before a cloture vote or before the Senate acts on a unanimous consent agreeement to set a date and time for voting on whether to pass a bill or joint resolution. Also, the Senate Majority leader occasionally suggests the absence of a quorum and announces a live quorum call because he wishes to bring the Senators to the floor. At the end of a live quorum call, if a majority of the Senators have responded, the Senate resumes its official business.

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/votes/senvotehelp.html