Posted on 04/26/2005 6:45:53 AM PDT by Houmatt
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid is quietly talking to the Senate's chief Republican about confirming at least two of President Bush's blocked judicial nominees but only as part of a compromise that would require the GOP to end its threat to eliminate judicial filibusters, officials say.
Reid also wants a concession from Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, officials said speaking on condition of anonymity: the replacement of a third Michigan nominee with one approved by that state's two Democratic senators.
At the same time, these officials say Reid remains opposed to four conservative candidates for other appellate circuits, Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown, William G. Myers III and William H. Pryor Jr.
Senators would not confirm details Monday, but Reid said that he has had had numerous conversations with senators in both parties in hopes of avoiding a showdown. "As part of any resolution, the nuclear option must be off the table," Reid said in a statement referring to the GOP threat to change filibuster rules.
The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity, citing the confidential nature of the conversations between the two leaders.
But Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said Sunday there had been a "a lot of negotiations to try to get three judges from Michigan" confirmed. Other senators have referred vaguely in recent days to discussions surrounding Bush's nominations to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, whose jurisdiction includes Michigan.
This comes as senators try to negotiate their way out of a looming confrontation over whether Democrats can block Bush's judicial nominees through filibuster threats.
Republicans have threatened to use their majority to change long-standing senatorial rules that Democrats used to block 10 of Bush's first-term appeals court nominations. They fear a Democratic blockade could affect a Supreme Court vacancy if a high court seat opens in Bush's second term.
Democrats, who argue the nominees are too conservative to warrant lifetime appointments to the nation's highest courts, have threatened to block the seven nominees Bush sent back after winning re-election and any others they consider out of the mainstream.
Officials said as part of an overall deal, Reid has indicated he is willing to allow the confirmation of Richard Griffin and David McKeague, both of whom Bush has twice nominated for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. At the same time, the Democratic leader wants the nomination of Henry Saad scuttled. Democrats succeeded in blocking all three men from coming to a vote in 2004 in a struggle that turned on issues of senatorial prerogatives as well as ideology.
Sen. Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record), D-Mich., has led the opposition to all three men. He said Republicans had refused even to hold hearings on two of former President Bill Clinton's nominees to the 6th Circuit.
Democrats drew criticism when they threatened to stop or slow the Senate's business if Republicans eliminate judicial filibusters. Democratic leaders began stressing an alternative approach during the day, attempting to force debate on their own agenda rather than the president's.
"I've always said that we'd make sure the Senate went forward, but we're going to do it on our agenda, not their agenda," Reid said.
Republicans can essentially eliminate judicial filibusters by majority vote, and Democrats concede Frist may be only one or two votes shy of the necessary total. At the same time, internal GOP polling shows lagging public support for such a move, and no showdown is expected until next month at the earliest.
Senate Republicans have been warning Reid that Democrats could face a backlash if they stopped routine Senate business, noting that House Republicans and then-Speaker Newt Gingrich suffered politically after forcing a government shutdown in a 1995 budget fight with Clinton.
But Reid and other Democrats say they will let vital legislation out of the Senate. "I'm not Newt Gingrich," Reid said. "I understand how the body works. We're not going to close down the Senate. Far from it, we're going to have a very active Senate."
"Anything that's vital, we will continue to move forward on: money for our troops or a highway bill or a transportation bill," added Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., in a conference call. "But on other issues, what we are going to try to do is utilize the Senate rules to start focusing on issues that we think matter to the American people, whether it's gas prices or education or health care."
If Frist does this, my check book just closed for a long time.
I see this as the Dems positioning themselves for the aftermath. They know Frist won't blink, and they know they're about to lose. This little play allows them to claim (at least with a compliant media) that they extended the hand of reasonable compromise, but the hardline extremist Republicans caved to their Jesusland overlords and slapped the hand of friendship and concord away. Blah, blah, blah...
Senator Frist, repeat after me: We are the majority. We are the majority.
Reid is bluffing and looking to buy respectability like an old whore in order to appear reasonable when USSC vacancy opens up.
Wrong. Reid is playing his friends in the MSM, and hot-heads like you, like violins. a. Consider the source. b. Just because you and I "discuss" the idea of having you mow my lawn tonight, that clearly does not mean it's going to happen. c. the latest public statement from the Majority Leader, who probably isn't too happy about the way the Democrats demonized him recently is: "no deal". When that changes, feel free to worry. Until then this is all just Harry Reid pandering to the "moderates" amongst us.
But Frist, in a rare news conference conducted on the Senate floor, said he would not accept any deal that keeps his Republican majority from confirming judicial nominees that have been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee."Are we going to step back from that principle? The answer to that is no," Frist said.
NO DEALS FRIST! IT'S UNCONSTITUTIONAL! UP OR DOWN FRIST OR FILE TO RUN FOR OFFICE IN THE NEXT ELECTION ON A LIBERAL TICKET!
WE WANT ALL LIMP WRISTED, SPINELESS RINOS OUT OF OUR PARTY NOW!!!
REPUBLICAN OR LIBERAL! PERIOD!
NO FENCE SITTING!
NOT WITH A MAJORITY YOU DON'T!!!!!
GOOD! Thanks for posting this! I haven't seen this!
EXCELLENT SITE!
THE JUDICIAL CONFIRMATION NETWORK
Working to ensure a FAIR appointment process.....
http://judicialnetwork.com/
Does anyone have any scoop on the judges Carl Lenin and Stab us now want to ram through?
This is copied directly from a DU post:
"If Reid caves he needs to go as minority leader. nt"
I agree totally. I saw the headline today. This is a feint to loosen up GOP unity and determination. MSM always puts out a headline about some GOP leader on the fence just to see if any of the others bite.
Regardless of how this fight turns out, maybe we Freepers need to get behind a nationwide effort for the 2006 elections known as "Recall the RINOs!" The focus would primarily be on recalcitrant Senators, but I can think of a few House members who need to be thwacked as well.
Can you imagine a better tool for excising obstructionists? It would also be a great way to energize and enlarge The Base for the mid-terms!
Here is a list of the 14 Republican Senators up for election in '06..... Maybe you can provide a list of those that you feel need to be targeted and put out to pasture along with a list of some of the Representatives...
Allen, George- (R - VA) Burns, Conrad- (R - MT) Chafee, Lincoln- (R - RI) DeWine, Mike- (R - OH) Ensign, John- (R - NV) Frist, Bill- (R - TN) Hatch, Orrin- (R - UT) Kyl, Jon- (R - AZ) Lott, Trent- (R - MS) Lugar, Richard- (R - IN) Santorum, Rick- (R - PA) Snowe, Olympia- (R - ME) Talent, James- (R - MO) Thomas, Craig- (R - WY)
Among those up for reelection in 2006, Chaffee and Snowe certainly need to be jettisoned. Frist too if he caves on the constitutional option
Please keep in mind though that I'm suggesting a broader effort. Let's leverage the resources required for the midterm election to *also* pull the plug on senators such as McCain and Collins and Hagel who are midway through their terms. Would this pose an organizational and fundraising challenge? Absolutely. But we're mobilized like never before. We have the will and we have the way.
As to House members who need to have their tickets punched, here are a few of the more obvious choices:
California--Drier (he's a queer)
Connecticut--Shays (he's been disloyal to Tom DeLay and he's shaky on personalizing retirement accounts)
Iowa--Leach (betrayed us on The Death Tax)
New York--Boehlert (need I say more?)
Ohio--Regula (sides with the abortionists)
Without a doubt there are others. But taking out these House RINOs would go a long way towards enforcing ideological discipline.
Of greatest importance is the need to demonstrate that we have power now and we aren't shy about using it. This is what Winners do. It's the key to woeing more Winners into our camp.
Exactly what are you implying?
Well it sounds like I was correct. Listening to Rush play the sound bites from Reid BLAMING Republicans for the crisis by not compromising.
The 'rats think they have the votes against SS private accounts and they are not dealing.
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