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The Base is Wrong About the Gang of 14
American Thinker ^ | January 30, 2008 | Richard Baehr

Posted on 01/30/2008 7:19:07 AM PST by ECM

When conservatives lay out their long list of apostasies committed by John McCain, one of them is always his role in the Gang of 14, the 7 Democrats and 7 Republicans in the Senate who agreed to a judicial compromise in 2005. The deal that was struck eliminated the use of the "nuclear option" by the then-GOP-controlled Senate, and also limited the Democratic minority's ability to use the filibuster to block certain judicial nominees (at the time the deal was stuck, there were no pending Supreme Court nominations, only Appellate Court nominations were being held up).

To put it plainly, the critics of the deal are flat out wrong. Conservatives should thank John McCain and the other Senators who were part of the Gang of 14 for getting three Appeals Court nominees who had been held up, Janice Rogers Brown, William Pryor, and Priscilla Owen, approved quickly and Brett Kavanaugh approved a bit later, and for Samuel Alito making it onto the Supreme Court without a filibuster blocking his way. And they should thank John McCain for preserving for the Republican Party the use of the filibuster on judicial nominations that might be made by a Democratic President beginning in 2009 or later.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 109th; 110th; confirmation; gangof14; judges; mccain; rinos; supremecourt
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To: ECM

If I could speak spanish I would tell you in spanish, NO I WONT! Now that McCain needs us, its our turn to show him how we can be mavericks.

He won’t get to the WH with my help.


41 posted on 01/30/2008 7:40:00 AM PST by dforest (Don't even ask me to vote for McCain, Rudy, or Huckster.)
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To: ECM

McCain has been stabbing conservatives in the back for years. Now he wants our support? I can’t say what I’d like to say, in polite company here, but suffice to say all I can muster is one long stream of curse words - many of them new and original and which I have invented just for McLame.


42 posted on 01/30/2008 7:40:26 AM PST by Boagenes (I'm your huckleberry, that's just my game.)
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To: DM1

Either of the lousy RINOS will accomplish more harm than the screeching Harpy.


43 posted on 01/30/2008 7:40:47 AM PST by the gillman@blacklagoon.com (And close the damned borders!)
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To: savedbygrace
Once again, McCain stood on the side of a violation of the Constitution.

How did the 'gang of 14' violate the constitution? I realize that you are saying fillibustering where Advise & Consent is supposed to take place was a violation (and I concur). But the 'gang of 14' was put together as a 'peaceful' way to stop the fillibustering from happening.

Maybe I'm missing something here, so please enlighten me.

44 posted on 01/30/2008 7:41:44 AM PST by MEGoody (Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.)
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To: the gillman@blacklagoon.com

“Either of the lousy RINOS will accomplish more harm than the screeching Harpy.”

good lord how do you figure that?


45 posted on 01/30/2008 7:42:58 AM PST by DM1
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To: ECM

You can be certain that McCain did not do it to help the conservatives. He’s not a conservative.


46 posted on 01/30/2008 7:43:26 AM PST by Brilliant
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To: ECM
This piece is filled with half truths and leftist propaganda. The Gang of Fourteen let a handful of judges through the system while preserving the leftist tools to block conservative judiciary nominees. Thanks to McCain, most of these conservative nominees still sink in the quagmire.

Some of the nominees were appointed three years ago! Frist was going nuclear and the leftists were scared. Backstabbing McCain didn’t want conservative justices so he came to the leftists rescue. He threw Bush a bone, gave the conservatives the finger, and preserved the leftists obstruction. To date one third of the judgeships on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals are VACANT! The credit is all due McCain!

47 posted on 01/30/2008 7:43:27 AM PST by MBB1984
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To: MEGoody

Simple. The Gang of 14 stopped the Nuclear Option from being put in place, which in turn leaves the Executive appointments filibuster still in place as a Dim option.


48 posted on 01/30/2008 7:44:08 AM PST by savedbygrace (SECURE THE BORDERS FIRST (I'M YELLING ON PURPOSE))
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To: WhistlingPastTheGraveyard

And THAT is the unvarnished bottom line.


49 posted on 01/30/2008 7:47:18 AM PST by Obadiah
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To: DM1

After about two months, the entire nation will grit their teeth every time the beast howls. She’ll get no where.

Frauds in elephant costumes will just cruise right along, installing universal health care/socialized medicine, granting amnesty to the invading hordes, all the good stuff.

And idiots will cheer them on.


50 posted on 01/30/2008 7:47:22 AM PST by the gillman@blacklagoon.com (And close the damned borders!)
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To: the gillman@blacklagoon.com

ah i see your rationale
i thought you meant in terms of policy or something


51 posted on 01/30/2008 7:48:42 AM PST by DM1
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To: ECM

I’d say something....but we’re within the free speech blackout period.


52 posted on 01/30/2008 7:48:46 AM PST by ElectricStrawberry (1/27 Wolfhounds...cut in half during the Clinton years.)
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To: tlb
If the nuclear option passed we would have several more conservative judges than what we have today. We have FIVE vacancies, one THIRD of the entire Fourth Circuit absent due to McCain’s backstabbing Gang of Fourteen tactics. Several nominees were nominated before the left won Congress!

Every judge deserves a vote. Conservatives rightly do not typically filibuster judges. McCain preserved the leftist tool to block conservative appointments. And, it worked, unfortunately.

53 posted on 01/30/2008 7:51:53 AM PST by MBB1984
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To: the gillman@blacklagoon.com
We’re down to four treacherous left wing creeps to choose from and they’re all about the same.

True, but I can't see handing this election to liberal creeps in the other party, who we disagree with more. Remember that. This is going to be a hold your nose and pick your poison election. Sending messages to the Republican party has always cost us in the long run. They don't respond to threats.

Where we can have the biggest impact is supporting real conservatives in primaries for House and Senate seats and carrying it thru to the general election. This will work to move the Republican party back to the right of center.

On the positive side, our left wingnuts will probably appoint some of their buddies in the house and senate to cabinet spots and other jobs causing them to have to find replacements (through appointments and special elections). Those are the spots we have to go after to ensure we get real conservatives.

54 posted on 01/30/2008 7:52:45 AM PST by OrioleFan (Republicans believe every day is July 4th, but DemocRATs believe every day is April 15th. - Reagan)
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To: OrioleFan

New tagline bump.


55 posted on 01/30/2008 7:55:23 AM PST by Nascar Dad (President Barack HUSSEIN Obama?? Probably, b/c I'll never vote for McCain.)
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To: Obadiah

Looks like me and the Maytag repair guy will be pretty lonely on November 4 as we both sit home with nothing to do.

No, you’ll probably have a lot of company. I may leave briefly to vote for other things on the ballot, but will definitely skip the top spot if McCain is on it.


56 posted on 01/30/2008 7:55:39 AM PST by Primetimedonna ( It's SAN FRANCISCO, not Frisco. Charter member of the San Francisco Snowflakes. New MITTen)
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To: ECM
President Bush did not applaud MacCain over getting judicial appointments through that house of LORDS... he said there was a LONG list of appellate vacancies waiting for even up or down votes....

There are toooo many purveyors of deceit and deception to number these day.

57 posted on 01/30/2008 7:55:39 AM PST by Just mythoughts (Isa.3:4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.)
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To: org.whodat

Speak for yourself...no wait, you are, and yes indeed you are [wrong]. Did you read the article? How about the last three paragraphs? Do you really think, that if the Republicans had pushed to change Senate rules, over-riding any chance for a minority party (which the Republicans are now) to filibuster a nominee which they loathed enough, that the Democrats would agree to change the rules back, when they hold the majority?

The only difference is, Republicans rarely in the past blocked appointments by filibuster. The Jack-ass party did it all the time.

What if we lose the White House? It's possible this election cycle. Would you really want nominees selected by the Marxist witch to, each and every one of them, need only face a "Party line" dominated, up or down vote?

That's what this is about, in part. The other part, the first part, has already been accomplished!

We got some (many of them significant) of the nomineees seated as judges.

Meanwhile, the Rat party dominated Senate, has been dragging their feet on Circuit Court level nominees, throwing the U.S. Courts into scheduling turmoil, while they wait for her thighness to be coronated...

Should we pin that one on McCain, too?

58 posted on 01/30/2008 7:58:21 AM PST by BlueDragon
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To: DM1

Same policy all around.


59 posted on 01/30/2008 7:59:23 AM PST by the gillman@blacklagoon.com (And close the damned borders!)
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To: OrioleFan

I’d rather the enemy be clear and obvious. It makes them weaker.

The traitor is far more dangerous.


60 posted on 01/30/2008 8:00:26 AM PST by the gillman@blacklagoon.com (And close the damned borders!)
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