LIVE THREAD Senate Debate on Nomination of Samuel A. Alito

C-Span2 ^ | Jan 26, 2006

[katieanna]

Debate continues in the Senate today on the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. At present no time has been announced for a final vote. Stop by and discuss.

[Cboldt]

Did you get the impression that Reid appeared chastened after Frist announced cloture?

He's just beat. He can't be chastened. Frist is okay with the way things are unfolding, as long as the vote goes ahead in relatively timely fashion, he won't prevent DEM posturing for their constituencies.

[Soul Seeker]

Inhoffe is one of the few Senators I actually like. :-)

[BreitbartSentMe]

So, should we keep stirring the pot over at DU so they try and get someone to object to the UC so the cloture vote happens anyway? Could there be a downside for us if that happens?

[Kozak]

Let em yammer. The more they talk, the deeper the hole they dig. Especially those up for election in Red states. They may talk themselves right out of the senate. Getting this nominee in for the SOTU is just the cherry on top of the whipped cream and cake, we can still have it and smile...

[STARWISE]

Gotcha .. thanks. I guess Lindsay's threat set the dye.

[maggief]

Inhofe ... naming names, (Kennedy, Schumer, Biden, etc.), and inaccurate statements.

Excellent!

[Mo1]

Frist filed Cloture motion!

DANG! .. I missed it

What else did I miss?

[Cboldt]

So, should we keep stirring the pot over at DU so they try and get someone to object to the UC so the cloture vote happens anyway? Could there be a downside for us if that happens?

I don't see any downside to the GOP or a GOP Senator in holding the cloture vote. In fact, it might make a nice counterpoint to the cloture vote of Fortas.

The problem for the DEM leadership is thre will be more DEM votes for cloture than DEM votes for the nominee - cloture will fail worse than the nomination does. Then all of those Senators have to explain to their moonbats, why they didn't filibuster the nomination.

[maggief]

I see your question was answered.

Here's the Gang of 14 list:

Republicans

* John S. McCain III, Arizona
* Lindsey O. Graham, South Carolina
* John Warner, Virginia
* Olympia Snowe, Maine
* Susan M. Collins, Maine
* R. Michael DeWine, Ohio
* Lincoln Chafee, Rhode Island


Democrats

* Joseph I. Lieberman, Connecticut
* Robert C. Byrd, West Virginia
* E. Benjamin Nelson, Nebraska
* Mary Landrieu, Louisiana
* Daniel Inouye, Hawaii
* Mark Pryor, Arkansas
* Ken Salazar, Colorado

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 be
filibustered only 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.

[STARWISE]

Thanks, Maggie.

[small voice in the wilderness]

I love kerry threatening a filibuster! He thinks he's found support among the masses at DU. Doesn't he recognize Tahrayzuh's rants on DU yet?

[BreitbartSentMe]

And, another plus side for us is, if the barking moonbats on the left manage to peel off one or two votes for cloture, then we can 'pull the trigger' on the constitutional option for an imminently qualified candidate like Alito, making the next opening that Bush might get even easier to get confirmed... Justice JRB anyone??

[Mo1]

LOL .. The rich and powerful .. and then Innofe points out that Kenedey said that

[A Citizen Reporter]

Let's see, nothing else really. Snowe was supposed to speak but she was a no-show. I stopped watching when Hume's show came on.

[Mo1]

Innofe keeps quoting Kennedy and pointing out how Kennedy was wrong with this facts .. LOL!!

[maggief]

Excellent! :)

[fatima]

Thanks Cboldt.

[pillut48]

Uh, oh--the DCer's are getting upset with Katie Couric now--
they are soooooo in trouble, and they know it!!! :-)

I keep hearing the death march in my head when I read the posts over there.

[Bush gal in LA]

They are still yammering at DU! Congratulating themselves on the SUCCESSFUL filibuster of Kerry. HUH!?Are these people delusional or what?!..... When I think of all the stupid things that have all blown up in their faces its pathetic. This is just a short list of all the DUmmy stunts that have gone nowhere , that I can remember,starting with election day 2004........Ohio voting'' irregularities'', turned out there were some long lines,...... then ''Gitmo atrocities'' real story was those people were eating better than I am. Then the famous ''Downing Street memo'' a bust,,,then Cindy SHehans ''vigil'' on Crawford to stop the ''illegal'' war now. Then the ''outing of Valerie Plane, than the NSA ''illegal spying on Americans'' LOL! and now John effin Kerrys filibuster to'' stop Alito for the good of the country''........I have serious concerns for the mental well being of these people, but then again they are probably over the edge already, cause they say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again.........

[Cboldt]

And, another plus side for us is, if the barking moonbats on the left manage to peel off one or two votes for cloture, then we can 'pull the trigger' on the constitutional option for an imminently qualified candidate like Alito

Yup. The constitutional option is much easier to execute in the context of Alito, than it would be in the context of a truly controversial nomination. And I think Frist would tailor the point of order narrowly, pertaining to ONLY SCOTUS nominations, making it even easier to pass. I would disagree with that approach, but expect that would be the one taken.

... making the next opening that Bush might get even easier to get confirmed... Justice JRB anyone?

President Bush is a moderate Republican. He wouldn't nominate a Justice with the world view of JRB for SCOTUS. It took a bunch of wailing to get Miers withdrawn.