How the Senate majority leader played a game of filibuster chicken

Dr. Frist's periodic E-mail/National Review ^ | 6/7/05 VOLPAC E-mail (6/20/05 publication) | Byron York

[chiller]

...speaking of DeWine...his son was catching hell for dad's indescretions....when is that election?

[johnny7]

Hey... I may be wrong but as of 9:40 AM today, we only have ONE.

[Coop]

Hey... I may be wrong

First substantive post from you I've seen on this thread.

[PMCarey]

Hey... I may be wrong but as of 9:40 AM today, we only have ONE.

By the end of this week we'll have three. Look that's how the Senate works. The Senators have to yak-yak-yak before every vote. Unless it's for something trivial, you won't get a dozen of votes per day. Get real.

[Allosaurs_r_us]

While I agree the Pubbies came away with an up or down vote for these judges, this still does not SOLVE the problem. This practice of filibustering judges needs to just STOP. The majority of the American people have had enough of this!

 

It is nothing but an obstructionist tactic and does nothing but waste the time of every Senator in DC. It is high time both parties put this to bed and change the rules so it cannot be used at all, period. We sent these people to Washington to work for the people. When they pull this petty B.S. they are not doing the job we the people elected them to do,  and are preventing other Senators, who do not agree with them, of doing what is clearly the will of the people. Our constitution is set up so that the majority of the people call the shots. If you want to live where the minority controls the government, move to Cuba.

 

We should have the votes to change this so it never happens again. If not, we need to know the traitors to the party so we can remove them and get somebody in office that will stick to party lines and accomplish the business of the country. It is time these folks, who make their living off the public dime, go to work everyday and do their jobs, just like we the people, who pay their wages, have to do. When was the last time any of us could go to work and sit on our hands all day?

 

I am sick and tired of obstructionists tactics on both sides of government. The constitutional option needs to be exercised in order to put and end to this practice once and for all.

 

 

[johnny7]

Sorry if I didn't partake in your circle-jerk.

[Coop]

this still does not SOLVE the problem.

You're in agreement with Bill Frist.

[Coop]

Sorry if I didn't partake in your circle-jerk.

Okay, you caught me. I'm Byron York.

No, I'm a staffer for Bill Frist, yeah! That's it!

Oh, okay. I am Bill Frist, but you can call me "Doc."

[Coop]

Sorry if I didn't partake in your circle-jerk.

Oh, don't sell yourself short. You're participating more than you'll ever know, and I extend my sincere thanks.

[deport]

Thanks for the ping and posting of the article. As usual once things aren't always the way as first described. But that doesn't keep the screaming and 'the sky is falling' mantra from being preached as gospel.

[Allosaurs_r_us]

You're in agreement with Bill Frist.

100%........Now if I could just get him to do it! Hopefully the Dimwits will pull another one and force the issue back onto the table. I would rather he told McCain to go fly a kite and refuse any DEAL whatsoever that left the judicial filibuster even remotely accessible.

[Coop]

Me too, but I don't think that was a viable option, honestly. Frist would have likely lost the squishy votes and been blasted publicly for being hell-bent on nuking the Dems (not a bad thing in our eyes, but for the general public...). The critical thing is he didn't take the option off the table, and he gets some judges while waiting for the Dems' next move since he controls the schedule.

[deport]

LIVE SENATE THREAD: 9:30am est C-span 2 - The cloture vote on the nomination of Janice Rogers Brown

Assuming the vote happens as scheduled.

[grobdriver]

On it. Thanks.

[rwfromkansas]

Yes he has. He has stated he would vote with us.

There is no doubt at all that we have the votes with Dewine and Graham.

But, those two better come through if the Dems filibuster on the SCOTUS.

[Zechariah11]

That's a nifty thought. Give your throw-away vote to Hillary and Schumer. That will show the Republican Party you mean buisness. I think it's time to blame ALL of Free Republic because there are people around who have the "take the ball and go home" attitude.

[rwfromkansas]

Bolton is not a judicial nominee; his situation would not have been stopped by the nuc option.

[AFPhys]

That is what some of us were trying to say - we kept attempting to calm people about this "deal"...

The ONLY one who lost here was McCain - especially given that the very next day the Demodogs filibustered Bolton. That was really a McIdiotic thing to do.

[GulfBreeze]

Yes we gained alot in this deal but I would akin it much more to hedging our bets than winning a battle.

We let the Dems do the same (taking their losses where it hurt the least.) They gave up six judges that they had no chance of stopping anyway.

We lost some of the inertia that would have overwhelmed anyone standing against cloture.

They gained a better position when filibustering judges who might not actually make it once the up or down vote is given.

In the end. The seven repubs sold out the leadership. but, it's not the catastrophy it looked like.

The big loser I beleive it is the reputation of the Senate by stretching out (YET AGAIN) one of those long drawn ordeals tha makes both sides look like inneffective BAFOONS!

Much better would it have been for the whole thing to just come to a head.

[TBarnett34]

Admittedly, I'm still in a 'wait and see' mode on this whole compromise deal. It's great that the libs have gone and completely exposed themselves as hypocrites in this compromise -- "THEY'RE ALL EXTREMISTS!!!...but we'll let some of them get on the bench I guess!" -- but, of course, this is all contingent on every member of the gang of 14 keeping their word.

And, of course, I don't trust KKK Byrd to keep his. Ever.