Posted on 05/23/2005 4:18:39 PM PDT by jern
Announce Filibuster Compromise
"He's dead, Jim!"
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS
We respect the diligent, conscientious efforts, to date, rendered to the Senate by Majority Leader Frist and Democratic Leader Reid. This memorandum confirms an understanding among the signatories, based upon mutual trust and confidence, related to pending and future judicial nominations in the 109th Congress.
This memorandum is in two parts. Part I relates to the currently pending judicial nominees; Part II relates to subsequent individual nominations to be made by the President and to be acted upon by the Senate’s Judiciary Committee.
We have agreed to the following:
Part I: Commitments on Pending Judicial Nominations
A. Votes for Certain Nominees. We will vote to invoke cloture on the following judicial nominees: Janice Rogers Brown (D.C. Circuit), William Pryor (11th Circuit), and Priscilla Owen (5th Circuit).
B. Status of Other Nominees. Signatories make no commitment to vote for or against cloture on the following judicial nominees: William Myers (9th Circuit) and Henry Saad (6th Circuit).
Part II: Commitments for Future Nominations
A. Future Nominations. Signatories will exercise their responsibilities under the Advice and Consent Clause of the United States Constitution in good faith. Nominees should only be filibustered under extraordinary circumstances, and each signatory must use his or her own discretion and judgment in determining whether such circumstances exist.
B. Rules Changes. In light of the spirit and continuing commitments made in this agreement, we commit to oppose the rules changes in the 109th Congress, which we understand to be any amendment to or interpretation of the Rules of the Senate that would force a vote on a judicial nomination by means other than unanimous consent or Rule XXII.
We believe that, under Article II, Section 2, of the United States Constitution, the word “Advice” speaks to consultation between the Senate and the President with regard to the use of the President’s power to make nominations. We encourage the Executive branch of government to consult with members of the Senate, both Democratic and Republican, prior to submitting a judicial nomination to the Senate for consideration.
Such a return to the early practices of our government may well serve to reduce the rancor that unfortunately accompanies the advice and consent process in the Senate.
We firmly believe this agreement is consistent with the traditions of the United States Senate that we as Senators seek to uphold.
And after a lifetime of paying attention to this stuff,I stand by what I said.
You got thru then? Well, at least you got thru to hear that message. I got nothing but busy signals.
Try a FAX at:
202-228-2862
Well.... the Dems just preserved their ability to philibuster our next Supreme Court nominee. How does that make you feel?
Or how about these headlines from Democratic Underground. Just look at how THEY are reacting and you should have a clue as to which side "won" and which side wimped out and ran home with their tail tucked under their @ss.
Just look at this, if you can without throwing up:
These are the headlines live from DU forums
McCain Pulls A Staged Interview On Tweety - Brokers Judge Deal?
The connection between election fraud and the "nuclear option"
We Just Preserved the Filibuster for the Supreme Court Nominee
ABC Breaking News: 14 SENATORS ANNOUNCE DEAL THAT MAY PREVENT 'NUCLEAR OPT
Wormhole 'no use' for time travel (my bad, that one has nothing to do with the compromise on judges, but it's too funny to pass up) :-)
Bottom line: If the "DEAL" includes agreement by Dems to NOT filibuster
Reminder; We can impeach ALL of Bush's Judges if we win in '06
MSNBC:Tweety et al - Any Deal means Frist is Toast!
The House will have something to say about Social Security, at least.
Actually, hysterics on our side are just what is needed now: if the Senate Republicans get the message that the base is not only mad, but not going to support them any more because of this, perhaps they will get the backbone to say "ok, we made a deal with our colleagues, but the next time they filibuster a nominee, NUKE TIME without further ado"
And Leader Frist can and will roll out the Constitutional Option once again.
Though the histrionics posted here are fun to watch, we should allow a measure of common sense to prevail:
- We get our judges confirmed
- The Democrats will have much trouble blocking nominees for being "too conservative" when the three most conservative judges were voted through by them
- The Consititutional Option is still alive for future filibusters, whereas a no vote by these RINOs could have created precedent preventing its use in the future.
Let us not grasp defeat from the jaws of victory. Only the MoveOn types lost in this deal.
I was good till 15 minutes ago now im pissed
Idiots. You can't impeach judges without reason.
I GOT IT! I GOT A CONSERVATIVE SOLUTION TO THIS SELLOUT!
HAVE A SINGLE GOP CONSERVATIVE FILIBUSTER BROWN!
Make the RINOS go on record as against or for filibustering the folks we KNOW will play in Peoria and embarrass them at home. DeWine and other iffy RINOS will cave--McQueeq won't, but the Gang of Fourteen is NOT solid on this when faced with a minority nominee.
C'mon, Frist, grow a pair! Fight this! The RINOS want to make the filibuster about a white nominee for P.R. purposes. F `em right over!
The Republicans in the Senate haven't convinced me of anything beyond being gutless, and never having lifted a finger for this President when he needed the heavy lifting done in Congress.
No money - not a dime. And stay home election day. Let them all go down.
***
I promised my father I would vote in every election I could...even when the pickins' are slim to none. Far too many people fought and died so I and everyone else in this country could have that privilege of voting.
Just don't think this is worth losing that privilege over.
Suppose Brown is nominated to the Supreme Court. Can they filibuster her after allowing her nomination to go through?
DITTO, but you know, he's enjoying it. He's so very proud of himself.
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