Posted on 04/25/2005 8:39:39 PM PDT by FairOpinion
WASHINGTON, April 25 - Maneuvering in advance of a Senate floor showdown on judicial nominees intensified Monday as Senate Democrats prepared a compromise offer to Republicans that would allow votes on some judges and showcased new tactics for confronting Republicans should filibusters be barred.
Congressional officials said Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, could make a proposal as early as Tuesday to allow votes on two of three Michigan nominees for a single appeals court. It could be coupled with other guarantees to Republicans, potentially including a vote on one of four candidates drawing the deepest opposition. In return, the majority would have to forswear any rules changes that prevented filibusters.
"There is a way to avoid the nuclear shutdown, and I'm working with my colleagues to put that plan in place," Mr. Reid said in a statement issued Monday evening, though he and his aides refused to provide details.
At the same time, Democrats, fearing a backlash, suddenly abandoned talk of using the chamber's arcane rules to bring the Senate to a standstill in the fight over judges. Instead, they said they intended to call up their measures on health care, education and veterans benefits with the hope of making Republicans take what could be politically awkward votes.
"What we are going to attempt to do is move to items that we think are of real importance to the nation," said Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat. He said Democrats had in recent weeks placed 13 measures on the Senate calendar and would not follow the tradition of allowing the majority simply to proceed to legislation of its choice but would force Republicans to reject the Democratic-sponsored measures.
Republican officials dismissed the Democratic change in tone as window dressing and said the result of their planned actions would still effectively bring the Senate to a halt.
"A shutdown by any other name is still a shutdown," said Bob Stevenson, spokesman for Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader. "The American people expect senators to do their job, not drag their feet. We don't need a new agenda; we need to move on the one already before us."
Mr. Frist has also been putting together a compromise offer to Democrats, though aides say it is not yet ready. Congressional aides said Mr. Reid had been actively discussing his ideas with both Republicans and Democrats.
In some respects, the Democratic offer would be intended most directly for wavering Republicans who are eager to avoid the filibuster fight but are calling for some acceptable alternative. Senate Republicans say it is unlikely that Mr. Frist could agree to any compromise that stops short of a vote on every nominee because he has vowed to force votes on all of President Bush's choices. It would also leave open the prospect of a filibuster of a Supreme Court nominee should a vacancy occur, a filibuster that conservatives are determined to avoid.
Senators of both parties have been discussing the contours of a potential compromise for weeks. Under the possible Democratic offer, there could be votes on some of the Michigan judges nominated to the United States Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit, in Cincinnati, who have been opposed in part because of a dispute over how Republicans handled vacancies in the Clinton years. One official said the compromise could also include a vote on one of the four judges whom Democrats say they oppose for ideological reasons: Janice Rogers Brown, William G. Myers III, Priscilla R. Owen and William H. Pryor Jr.
Democrats said they believed that the compromise offer as well as their changed tone on a Senate shutdown could put the burden back on the Republicans. But some of their own members and allies are also likely to balk at a plan that allows any of the judges who have been blocked in the past to receive a floor vote.
Nan Aron, president of the Alliance for Justice, which works with liberal groups to fight conservative appointees, expressed alarm that Democrats were even talking about confirming some of the judges, predicting a backlash if they followed through. "Judges who serve lifetime appointments have too much of an effect on our everyday life to simply be horse-traded for political compromise," she said. "This was not a political game."
The Democratic positioning illustrated how anxious members of both parties are over the political and policy consequences of the potential confrontation over rules governing the filibuster. Republicans are also approaching the issue more gingerly, delaying any floor fight until at least about mid-May.
As Democrats refined talk of their response to any Republican decision to ban filibusters of judicial nominees, they clearly had in mind the 1995 government shutdown that resulted from a budget clash between President Bill Clinton and the House speaker then, Newt Gingrich. That shutdown drew an angry public reaction and Republicans said Senate Democrats faced the same fate.
"I am not Newt Gingrich," Mr. Reid said.
In addition to trying to push their bills, Mr. Reid and Mr. Durbin said that if Republicans changed the filibuster rule, Democrats would hold the Senate to the letter of the rules on other matters, like forcing the reading of all legislation on the floor.
"If they go forward with this, the Senate will change," Mr. Durbin said.
THIS IS NOT COMPROMISE!!!!!!!!
This is buckling under for the Democrats.
If Frist agrees to that, he is toast. The Dems will roll over the Republicans in Congress for the next 100 years.
Frist said he had to votes to eliminate the filibuter, Cheney said he would break a tie, if there is one, and now Frist is going to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory!
Amen to that! Those liberals are making it sound like they want peace but what they REALLY want is their way. We can't compromise with them.
Come on, Frist, don't betray us! Keep up the fight. You've got the support.....act on it!
"Mr. Frist has also been putting together a compromise offer to Democrats, though aides say it is not yet ready. "
I just can't believe this. It makes me sick.
Instead of pushing through the rule changes, and getting up and down votes on Bush's nominees, he is working on a compromise offer to the Democrats!
As I said, snatching defeat out of the jaws of a sure victory.
Frist fizzled.
Republicans bail on this then they deserve to be sent home since they obviously lack the brains, let alone the will, to manage Congress.
I don't know who is advising Frist, but he has to be a plant.
I asked this question in the thread I started on this issue with the initial AP story I saw ... Frist is scared of his own shadow, would he do something like this without the knowledge of the White House? Could we be fussing at the wrong target here?
Ummm .. wasn't it the Michigan judge seat that Kennedy delayed on, according to the Memo that was leaked?
"If the Republicans role on this and Delay they are toast in 2006."
They are also backing off on investigating the judges -- despite what DeLay promised -- they are all running scared.
House GOP Doesn't Plan Probe of Judges (Schiavo, DeLay)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1391046/posts
"House Republicans say they haven't opened and don't plan any new investigations of federal judges after Terri Schiavo's death despite Majority Leader Tom DeLay's promise to examine the judiciary's conduct. "
Everyone just relax. One of these days the Republicans will control the House, Senate and White House. Then we will not have to put up with Democrats running everything the way they want to.
I hope all those who were screaming for Lott's head, are happy now.
Frist has been getting grief for a week before his appearance on Sunday in the church rally---he is now getting grief for doing it--
If Frist was of a mind to compromise, do you think he would have gone ahead with his appearance last night?
I am just asking, but it seem to me that he wouldn't have done it if he knew he was working on a compromise, because if he DOES do it now, he not only will make us mad, but all of those thousands of people that attend the Justice rally which is what the whole thing was held for!
Besides, I read the article and it is all rumors about what Reid is supposedly offering--
They are going out on recess next week, I think, so I don't thing anything will get done yet---so there is still time to bombard Frist with calls and e-mails ---
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