Posted on 05/23/2005 9:40:18 PM PDT by Choose Ye This Day
To: Bill Frist, US Senate. From: Mitch Berg, Schmuck Citizen and pissed-off former GOP contributor Re: Your Infinite Cretinism
Senator Frist,
Mitch Berg here. You probably don't know who I am; I'm a typical schmuck. I write a blog, and I try to pitch in on GOP activities around Minnesota.
And on behalf of the entire GOP, I'm having a hard time walking right now - because you just boned your party up the a**.
No, not just the party; not just the assembly of suits and climbers and hangers-on that no doubt surrounds you at work every day. No, I'm talking about all of us who busted our asses overcoming a full-court media press (and continue to do so), and gave of our time and money until it hurt - hurt our wallets, our families, our relationships, our equilibrium. We gave them all with enthusiasm because we knew what was at stake; a whole generation of Supreme Court decisions.
So we gave. And you took.
And today, you looked us all in the face, and spat.
Reading Michelle and John and Ed, I'm about as depressed as I can be.
We won you a majority, pinhead. What the hell good is it? You think the Democrats are going to abide by your little gentleman's agreement? You got conned. You entered into an agreement with a Klansman, a drunk machine hack and a party bag man. You are the Neville Chamberlain of my generation.
I don't believe in Karma, but I believe what goes around comes around. And I guess you demonstrate it, Frist. The Democrats elect a pinhead doctor to lead their party - I guess it's only fair we did, too.
Thank God for Tom Delay. The least you could do is make it hard for the Dems to neutralize you, rather than walking off the cliff into the kool-aid vat on your own.
Captain Ed is right. Not one more dime. You have made me ashamed to be a Republican.
Oh, I'll bounce back. We all will - most of us, anyway. We'll have to. Because you showed us today - the grass roots have got to do it for themselves; we'll get no help from hamsters like you.
Sincerely - go back to medicine.
Mitch Berg Saint Paul.
What are we going to do about these spineless Republicans?
As expected, Dingy Harry Reid was crowing about the Democrat 'victory' in front of the microphones right after the "compromise."
Nothing, nothing, is off the table, and three of the most "extreme" judges are going to sail through the Senate.
Frist can keep his powder dry for the Supreme Court battle.
I knew he had no balls.
He also will not have my vote should he run for any higher office.
He has a radio show in MN. on Saturdays. It rocks. You can listen online. You can get a link on his website. He is spot on.
I agree with him. I, too, must be "stupid" and "drunk"?
What good is having anything on the table when there are no balls under the table?
Sometimes all I can say is "wow."
I listen all the time. (I'm still in MN, haven't sold my house and moved yet.)
The Norther Alliance show is excellent.
Sometimes there's nothing left to say.
They keep repeating the fact that it is based on 'Trust' - Trust whom? The Dems with their history! Give me a Friggin Break!
McCain is a senile A$$wipe IMHO.
Frist has no powder. He has no balls.
All we heard for months on end was..."we have the votes......next week...next week"
Frist is the dang majority leader. Anybody who thinks he did not know how this deal would go down is blind.
IF FRIST REALLY HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE DEAL MADE TODAY....
Then he'll bring up a vote on Saad or Meyers right after Owen........and force the 7 Little back stabbers to actually have to vote agains their own constituents and for keeping a filibuster....or cave and vote against a filibuster.
SOMETHING TELLS ME.....WE'LL NEVER SEE FRIST DO THAT!
Well, you said it. Everybody needs to cool off and have another look at this deal in the morning.
Except for one thing. The "exceptional circumstances" clause. This is the Demorats' opening to control the whole Judicial process.
No, actually YOU said it. Do you believe I am stupid and/or drunk?
Well, then you need to take it up with the seven Republicans who made the deal.
These fourteen Senators have leverage now. Frist and Reid are going to have to deal with them. The only alternative is 60 GOP Senators.
The Powerline guys opine:
JOHN adds: This is the key language. It is absolutely sickening. It promises the Democrats that the Republicans will not stop the filibuster during this Congress. It recognizes the filibuster of judges as a legitimate tool. And it blames President Bush for the Democrats' obstructionism. I've seen worse documents, I suppose, but it's hard to think of one offhand:
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.
It would be hard to overstate what a disaster this is for the Republican Party.
DEACON adds: In a worst case scenario, it could rank along side the first President Bush's agreement to raise taxes. But at least in that case the president shot himself. In this case, seven Republican Senators shot him. The good news is that, one day, the practice of filibustering judicial nominees will be banned. The bad news is that this will not occur until the Democrats control the Senate and the Republicans are the ones filibustering.
Still spewing GOP talking points, I see.
The better alternative would have been to go thru with the 'nuclear option". But that's what happens when you elect RINOs and not real Republicans.
AMEN!
Still adding nothing to the discussion, I see.
2. Also in 2006, Snowe, Chafee, and Mike DeWine are up for re-election Primary time....
3. Take out the democrats in 2006. Stabenow for one.
Frist can still go through with it, if he chooses.
It would appear he doesn't have the votes now, but he can still try.
This was done outside of Frist's purview. He simply doesn't seem to have the ability to do a deal.
WHY would the Democrats have even compromised? The only reason for them to compromise is that they KNEW they didn't have the votes.
Why don't our Senators ACT like we have a majority?
Agreed.
We always accuse the left of being led by emotion rather than reason. We all need to digest this deal, watch what happens with the pending nominations, and reserve judgment.
some of us have seen the releases of contents already.
it's crap. Graham and McCain decided to be dem gimps.
Frist let this crap happen by waiting forever and year to pull the trigger.....which he never really pulled.
THERE IS A SECTION IN THE AGREEMENT THAT "ENCOURAGES" the Executive office to speak with the body (Senate) before deciding to nominate a judicial pick.
THEY ARE BASICALLY SAYING THAT THEY THINK THE PRESIDENT SHOULD SEEK PERMISSION FROM THE DEMS BEFORE EVEN NAMING A PICK!!!!!!!
Take a look at the US Constitution......that just aint right.
This little agreement was nothing more than another play for dems to thwart the will of US voters by keeping judges who rule with no regard for the constitution on the bench.
That's all this filibuster crap was for them......they know they can't win in the market place of ideas....or the ballot box. So they try to pack the courts with commie minded freaks.
GRAHAM...AND ...McCAIN were more than happy to help them.
Graham is a lawyer.....so no shock there.
Captain Ed summarizes:
What does all this tell us?
1. Saad got tossed under the bus, although it may come from a failed confirmation vote rather than a filibuster, no matter what Reid says. If Reid demands a filibuster and all seven Democratic signatories support it, it will qualify as "bad faith," resulting in a resurrection of the Byrd option. I think all seven GOP signatories agreed to oppose Saad in a floor vote.
2. Myers may also have been tossed under the bus, although it looks from this that it may still be left to the individual conscience of the Senators.
3. Other than that, it appears that we have returned to status quo ante with an implicit admission from the GOP that filibusters are legitimate, and a matching one from the Democrats that they abused it. "Extraordinary circumstances" will probably be deciphered as ethics problems and not ideology, although the language after Part II-B seems to warn the White House about nominating strict ideologues to the bench from now on.
What we don't know is how this affects the rest of the nominees in the pipeline. One has to assume that the agreement explicitly names all those considered to have issues, and that all other nominees will be treated in accordance with the new rules from the centrists. That will prevail for as long as they can remain united in defense of their agreement.
In short, this could be merely objectionable and not a debacle, depending on how the GOP signatories interpret "extraordinary circumstances". One must suspect that this has already been defined confidentially within the group, and like Sean Rushton surmises, ideology doesn't play a part in it any longer. Under no circumstances can this be seen as a good deal for the Senate majority or for Constitutional rule. The net effect is that an even smaller minority in the Senate has hijacked the confirmation process than we saw during the filibusters -- and like all tyrannies, we can only hope for benevolent despotism rather than disaster.
And we can thank Bill Frist for his lack of leadership and resolve for taking a majority and turning it into a minority. Not One Dime for the NRSC as long as Frist remains majority leader, or for the Seven Dwarves ever.
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/004545.php
"Why don't our Senators ACT like we have a majority?"
Because we don't. These 7 Senators are not real Republicans, so the Demorats have as much control as we do.
The only solution is to nominate conservative Senatorial candidates in EVERY state and take our chances. I'm sick and tired of operating under the illusion that we have a Senate majority when we really don't.
That is absolutely true. Anybody have a link for the 7 Dwarves, when they're up for re-election, and likely conservative primary opponents?
For starters, the 'RATS NEVER compromise on anything. They have the Media behind them 150++++%.
...The Beltway Republicans, on the other hand, want the 'RAT Media to like them, so therefore they go on the Sunday snooze shows and suck up to the likes of Tim Russert and Wolf Blitzer. They also clamor to get a quote or two in the New York Times, Washington Post, or any other 'mainstream' publication that will print anything dinegrating about the Bush Administration. And the really sad and disgusting part about it all is, as Rush Limbaugh has said many times on his show, it makes little or no difference to the Liberal press: no matter what these RINOs do or say, they STILL...DO...NOT...LIKE...ANY...KIND...OF...REPUBLICAN...PERIOD.
Until these fools get this through their thick skulls of mush, we'll keep getting the same garbage over and over. They'd sure as heck had better wake up.
-Regards, T.
Yep. At its core, this agreement does all the things Hinderaker identifies, and yes, that is sickening.
Plus, I don't think for a minute that any of the subject nominees who are now filibuster-proof will sail through confirmation in the Senate. Nobody can trust any of the signatories to this agreement to vote to confirm the nominees. In reality what we're seeing is an attempt at a power grab by disloyal mavericks on both sides of the aisle. But because it solves nothing eventually it will blow up in their faces.
GREAT post. Very well said. You're absolutely right: We'll never be 'friends' with the Dems or the MSM. They'll never 'respect' us or 'like' us, so long as we maintain our conservative ideals.
Sorry--I ment to index this article to Editorial. Can this be moved?
The only hope I can derive from this stupidness is that the moonbat left isn't happy either.
Course they could be playing possum.
"Them bones, them bones gonna rise again, gonna tax us up to our eyes again"
I believe he has subbed a couple of times for Hugh Hewitt. I wonder if Hewitt agrees
According to Hugh's website, he's neutral. He's not real happy, but he's waiting to see all the particulars.
Yes, Mitch and all the other Northern Alliance guys are much more exercised than Hugh, so far.
Capitulation, not compromise
This deal is a load of cr@!` It is not compromise, but capitulation. And I say that as somebody who did agree that a certain form of compromise was acceptable. But this comrpomise treats a couple of nominees, Saad and Myers, as pawns. It makes them not people, but expendable objects. And that is unconscionable. When BOTH of those men were nominated, years ago, there was no reason to believe they would be denied up-or-down votes. Their expectations, based on 214 years of history, were that they would be afforded up or down votes. I’ve seen, first-hand, the torment that judicial nominees go through. They don’t deserve to be treated like expendable pawns. That’s why ANY agreement that failed to afford fair votes for all the already pending nominees is not a compromise but a sell-out. Now, if the deal had been fair votes for all pending nominees, PLUS filibusters only in “extraordinary circumstances” for FUTURE nominees, then anybody who is asked to have his/her name submitted would know in advance what he is getting into. Everybody would understand the rules going in, and, while not optimal (optimal is killing all filibusters), it would have been better than an attempt that fails (fail because of gutless GOP senators) to kill all filibusters. I should be rejoicing right now because Bill Pryor, the guy I’ve most championed, will get a fair vote. But my heart goes out to Saad and especially Myers — Myers, because I see no way that he would fail to get 50 votes plus Cheney if he actually was afforded a fair chance.
All this talk about “preserving the Senate” is bunkum. Senators would have adjusted. Most senators have too high an opinion of their own legislative body anyway. The Senate NEEDS reform, not preservation in its current form. Way back when, two years ago, before the Estrada filibuster began, I was an advocate of a three-way deal ON PROCEDURES, between the White House and the two parties in the Senate, to head off the filibuster and maintain the dignity of the institution of the Senate AND maintain fairness to nominees. The White House had no interest then in such a deal. Now I bet the WHite House folks wished they had listened. But, having come to this point, the White House was absolutely in the right to demand up-or-down votes for all nominees. The Senators, ON BOTH SIDES, who fail to provide such a vote for pending nominees have sacrficed fairness (to Saad and Myers) for expedience and political advantage. I guarantee you there was horse-trading in there concerning pork and other matters. And I guarantee you that not a one of them gave a thought to the havoc they have wrecked on these nominees’ lives. Shame on them all. Fie on them all. Disdain for them all.
Senate RINOs opposing the nuclear constitutional option
Next Election.... Name.... State.... Phone#
2006..... Snowe.... ME.... (202) 224-5344
Snowe, Olympia- (R - ME) Class I 154 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
E-mail: olympia@snowe.senate.gov
2006..... Chafee.... RI.... (202) 224-2921
Chafee, Lincoln- (R - RI) Class I 141A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form: chafee.senate.gov/webform.htm
2006.... DeWine.... OH.... (202) 224-2315
DeWine, Mike- (R - OH) Class I 140 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form: dewine.senate.gov
2008.... Graham... SC... (202) 224-5972
Graham, Lindsey- (R - SC) Class II 290 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form: lgraham.senate.gov/index.cfm?mode=contact
2008.... Warner... VA... (202) 224-2023
Warner, John- (R - VA) Class II 225 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form: warner.senate.gov/contact/contactme.cfm
2008.... Collins.... ME... (202) 224-2523
Collins, Susan- (R - ME) Class II 461 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form: collins.senate.gov/low/contactemail.htm
2010.... McCain.... AZ.... (202) 224-2235
McCain, John- (R - AZ) Class III 241 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
He should have pushed for a vote and exercised the constitutional option long ago, before the Squishy Middle Caucus formed their cabal and signed their agreement, for starters.
We should have had a showdown.
Iago: "Thou art--a SENATOR!"
Othello
Some things just have not changed.
The Bard has spoken. Good post.
Today's events ensures the opposite in 2006.
This is the equivelent of if Bush had postponed attacking Iraq in March of 2003 to give the UN another six months work out a solution in good faith with Saddam. Of course nothing would be "off the table". But in reality the opportunity would be past. It took months and months to get to the wobbly Pubs to actually schedule a vote on this. It won't happen again. By the end of the year the RATS will fillibuster another judge and the cowardly RINOs will have their excuse not to support breaking the fillibuster.
The Nuclear Option now no longer exists.
we agree on that.
Backdoors politics making secret deals without the voter hearing who made what deal. ALL IN THE NAME OF DEMOCRACY. For us, (the majority) who voted for President Bush and a Republican House and Senate on the grounds that his judicial nominees have an up or down vote have been betrayed. It's plain and simple.
They will never wake up because they know that 99 percent of the voters in this country will only ever vote for one of two parties, repubs and dems. So as long as they are on the republican ticket on election day they know that people who identify themselves as conservative will vote for them.
Garbage like this will only continue and get worse until people realize that they can actually vote for someone in a true conservative third party. Do you honestly think that the repubs will change when all they have to say to people is "vote for us because dems are worse"? That arguement actually worked for me until it just very recently became painfully obvious to me that they are basically no different than the dems when you get right down to it.
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