You just wait until the Supreme Court nominations take place. Filibuster dead? You ain't see nothing yet.
Posted on 05/25/2005 6:28:42 AM PDT by GaryL
All you conservatives out there – listen up! Take a deep breath! Climb down from the ledge! Chill out! Things are not as bad as they seem! As a matter of fact, things are downright rosy!
In spite of what all the conservative pundits are saying – including Rush Limbaugh, Bill Bennett, Laura Ingraham, Thomas Sowell – we did not get rolled in Monday’s deal with the Democrats. As a matter of fact, it’s just the opposite. The Democrats have been taken to the cleaners…only they don’t know it yet! As usual, they have followed Teddy Kennedy’s advice and he has led them into another political disaster.
The problem is that no one – including our side - is looking at the big picture. What actually happened as a result of this deal is that, for all practical purposes, the filibuster as a means to obstruct judicial nominees is dead! Isn’t that what we wanted in the first place? And like Reagan winning the Cold War without firing a shot, we achieved this goal without having to initiate the so-called “nuclear option,” and thus avoided taking the huge hit from the mainstream media. The MSM was waiting with bated breath, ready to pounce on the Republicans like a cat on a cornered mouse. Can’t you just hear them repeating the mantra “…and the Republicans actually changed the rules in the middle of the debate!”
In the first place, we now will get confirmed the three nominees deemed by the Democrats to be the most “extreme”: Pricilla Owens, Janice Rodgers Brown, and William Pryor. OK. Follow me on this. If these three are the most “extreme” - by the Democrats own definition - what does that make the others? That’s right…moderates! Does anyone really believe that the Democrats will now resurrect the filibuster to obstruct “moderate judges”? Of course not! Majority Leader Frist has vowed that all of the remaining judges will be put forward for votes promptly, possibly within a week or two. Should the Democrats be foolish enough to filibuster any of these “moderates,” he has also vowed again to ignite the “nuclear option.” All the centrist Republicans who supported the agreement – including Susan Collins and Lindsey Graham – have likewise vowed to support Frist should it become necessary. Let me see…they give up the filibuster while we retain the right to use the “nuclear option” against the filibuster and have become united in our opposition to it. Sounds like a victory to me!
How about the seven Democratic “centrist” senators? I doubt very seriously that any of them would support a filibuster at this stage of any kind, most especially against the remaining “moderate” judges. Guess what. These people have been looking for a way to dissociate themselves from the Teddy Kennedy wing of their party… and now they have found it. Trust me…THE FILIBUSTER IS DEAD! Without these seven senators, the Democrats couldn’t filibuster Attila the Hun!
And don’t you see how silly the Democrats are looking already? What was all the fuss about Pricilla Owens in the first place that they had to block her for four years? This so-called “extremist” will be confirmed today with a sizeable number of their own party voting for her! That’s some “extremist!” In other words, they’ve proven again for all to see that you can’t trust their judgment on who is really “extremist” and who isn’t. Like the little boy who cried wolf, their use of the label “extremist” has a definite “hollow ring” to it.
Let’s recap: the Republicans have effective eliminated the filibuster without taking the huge media hit, while letting it be know that they retain the threat of the “nuclear option,” with their seven senators on record as supporting Frist should the Democrats be foolish to try the filibuster again. In addition, the Republicans appear as the “moderates” in the debate, willing to try compromise to avoid a senate showdown. As an added side benefit, John McClain – by taking the lead on this and being so willing to side with the Democrats – has shown once again that he can’t be trusted and for all practical purposes has committed political suicide. Can anyone imagine him winning a single Republican primary in 2008? As usual the media has got it wrong again, making McCain the winner and Frist the loser.
All in all, not a bad day’s work!
McCrazy was not in on anything. He's just the chump. It's possible that Rove hatched the plan, but I doubt it - - but I do think that the GOP leadership has been taking notes. It's all about political "judo".
I happen to believe that Graham is in on the scheme, and I am fairly certain that the last-minute, out-of-the-blue arrival of DeWine was part of the play. Sending in DeWine was a masterstroke!
Somebody posted on another thread that they thought part of "the deal" was that the conservatives had to act like they lost. There may be more truth to that bit of sarcasm than meets the eye. The irony is that many conservatives DO think they lost - - and it's no act! But of all the people who were apparently fooled by "the deal", Rush is the most disappointing. Rush, of all people, should understand that the act being played out is not for the benefit of any "base" - - it is for the benefit of that huge mindless chattering class of people who get the sum total of their news from top-of-the-hour CBS sound bites on their car radios during the drive home from work.
Think for a minute about the ramifications of calling for a vote to go nuclear and LOSING that vote.... Rush and some other conservatives sound like they were willing to take that risk as a matter of PRINCIPLE! No thanks. In this game, winning is the ONLY thing. Losing while proving that you are "principled" is like being a good driver who gets killed in a car crash that was the other guy's fault.
The fact is, Frist DID NOT HAVE the votes to go nuclear. A few fence-sitting Senators needed cover - - they needed a stronger reason to "nuke" the Senate than a distaste for a Democrat filibustering tactic that had been successfully sold to the masses by the dying socialist "mainstream" media as the only weapon "the little guy" had against "the tyranny of the majority". Add to that all the baloney about the "staid tradition of the Senate", etc., and it was easy to paint the Republicans as bullies. The Democrats were winning the PR war, plain and simple, thanks mainly to their allies in the liberal newsrooms.
But now, thanks to "the deal", the fence-sitting "moderates" have all the cover they need. Any frivolous filibustering of nominees who are NOT as conservative as Priscilla Owens will be viewed as a breach of contract - - a betrayal. Not only have Graham and DeWine stated that they will have little tolerance for Democrat obstructionism, but now EVEN SUSAN COLLINS has joined in with that same refrain! Thanks to "the deal", Frist now has the votes. In the bag.
And it will now be much tougher for the rats and their allies in the press to paint the Republicans as unreasonable bullies - - they "compromised" didn't they?
Game, set, match.
It is a beautiful thing.
Wow. The spin is reaching perfection.
My friend, brilliant analysis and right on. Bingo. You cleared everything up. Thank you.
Does it leave you speechless?
Does this mean Rush Limbaugh is wrong, and John McCain is right?
No.
modelbreaker- you are so right about how this group of nitwits, including the head of the Cockroach Republicans, Lindsey Graham, DO NOT WANT a conservative Supreme Court.
Can't recall the exact language Graham used on Sean's show the other day, but I definitely came away with the message that he---the All Powerful Him Upon Whose Cojones The Fate of the Judiciary Now Rests (now that all deals must come through him---did not want "those people" on the Court.
And you know Frist did not have the votes how?
Because he kept delaying the vote to go nuclear. Next week.... next week.... next week for sure.... Finally, on the eve of the vote (for sure!) this "deal" was struck. Maybe you think it was just a coincidence? Not me. Not in a million years.
But it doesn't matter now, because Frist still has his finger hovering over the button and he WILL have the votes when he is finally forced to push it. And now, there is no way the rats can look good when that day comes. (And it will come.) The compassionate, majority Republicans "compromised" - - they TRIED, they really TRIED, to be nice to the minority Democrats. But the Democrats showed their gratitutde by up and stabbing the nice Republicans right in the back....
I hope I am right, too.
As far as Gonzales is concerned, I will put my trust in Dubya for the time being. I need to find out more about Gonzales. But I do think the first Hispanic to get a seat on the SCOTUS should be a Hispanic version of Clarence Thomas and nothing less.
At first I wasn't too sure about this, but upon further thought this may be true. Reminds me of what Dirty Harry used to say to the perps, "Did I fire 5 or 6 shots? Do you feel lucky Creep!" I think the Dems were staring down the barrel of nuclear option and they blinked big time.
I was so flamed for suggesting the same on Tuesday.
You said.."But I do think the first Hispanic to get a seat on the SCOTUS should be a Hispanic version of Clarence Thomas and nothing less."
A ballsy move is to nominate Scalia to replace Rehnquist as CJ, and Estrada to replace Scalia.
Thats for starters.
You just wait until the Supreme Court nominations take place. Filibuster dead? You ain't see nothing yet.
I'm glad you found my analysis of the situation of value. Thanks.
The battle over the next Supreme Court nominee will probably be the biggest news story of the year aside from the Terri Schiavo case.
Thank you! You are absolutely right.
I rarely get to hear Severin these days, but I am convinced that he is nothing more than "entertainment." I'll never take him seriously again.
Jay has been undermining the morale of our Troops for years now, and I would personally like to kick his ass for such.
He is a serious BS artist.
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