Miguel Estrada withdraws nomination

FOXNEWS | 9/4/03

[Thane_Banquo]

Per Fox News, Estrada has withdrawn his nomination.

[steveegg]

I've been wondering alot lately about this need for 60 votes in the Senate to pass something. Or is it 60 votes needed to confirm a judicial nominee?

This particular rant-fest is about the latter (an extension of the filibuster to judicial nominees). The 'RATS refuse to allow certain nominees (any conservative) to come up for a vote, and the RINOs (sorry, there just isn't any other kind of Pubbie in the Senate) go along with a relaxed version of the fillibuster in a failed attempt to "get along".

[MamaLucci]

Today was a defeat for the Constitution.

Your post #252 is right on the money.

[Merdoug]

All of your passion means nothing to the people in Washington. Do THEY sound outraged? Do THEY fight like the people who sent them there do? It is a SHOW. It is a GAME. Most of the sheeple are too uncaring to even notice the charade and those of us who do are too little in number to bother those in Washington. Does Bush LOOK like someone who wants what you believe in or does he look like someone wanting to win his next election? If the Republicans ACT like spineless cowards, do you suppose that they DON'T CARE what you think? I've watched this all of my modest 41 years and nothing ever changes: Government gets bigger, takes over more of your lives and our rights and our money. Nothing changes. Yes; I am a pessimist. It's not a quick death; it dying slowly, ever so slowly, from a thousand cuts. Every Government term pushes it a litle more upon the next generation. How much longer can it go on before the sheeple finally wake up? When it's too late. And now that America is turning into New Mexico, the collapse is coming sooner.

[Cboldt]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/976173/posts <-- Good article relating to the politicization of the judical branch.

[WOSG]

Yes you are a pessimist and pessimism, even on a day like today when this happens, is bunk. Bunk as in "false". No it is NOT a game, what happens in DC is the difference between freedom v. slavery, prosperity and despair, life and death for many people, here and abroad. No Game. LIFE.

This loss is just a part of the puzzle.
"Does Bush LOOK like someone who wants what you believe in or does he look like someone wanting to win his next election?" Bush nominated people we can believe in, while Clinton nominated people who advocated the destruction of the Constitution and are actively pursuing that goal today (to wit, Justice Ginzburg, the ACLU's favorite ____). Bush spoke out many times, and when Dems clucked at him re-nominating Estrada, he went ahead and did it.

What ticks me off is not Bush, he outmanouevred the Senate Dems on a number of issues ... it's the Senate Republicans. They are the ones showing lack of grit and legislative skill. The need to skewer the Demos for their obstructionism. But they havent. For you to pretend that 'nothing changes' as if the battle is not worth even fighting is IMHO total and utter defeatism.

"Do THEY sound outraged?" Tom DeLay called it a 'hate crime'. Good for him, I feel the same. It seems you need to be from Texas to "grow a pair" and teach the Dems a thing or two.

"nothing ever changes" The most ignorant attitude to take is one of indifferent cynicism. A lot changes. You forget that while we lost Estrada, we have gained some other good posts. Again, if you dont understand the CHASM of difference between the Socialists today and the Conservatives, you've lost total perspective.
I dont disagree a lot is gong wrong, but a lot is going RIGHT too.

[WOSG]

"One thing I've learned about politics; once "Senator" gets appended to a Pubbie's name, he automatically loses his spine."

that wasnt true of Jesse Helms or Phil Gramm and is not true of Santorum. ... but these today are the exception, not the rule. ... It is certainly clear that the Senate even with the bare R majority is far from a Conservative institution.

[WOSG]

Priscilla Owen is on the Texas Supreme Court. So the good news is she is not going anywhere and has no NEED to withdraw her name.

[WOSG]

Thanks!

[Zack Nguyen]

I agree. Texas is an excellent example. Thus far they have followed through.

Months ago, I would have laid down a simple but quiet rule - no Democrat gets a dime to take back to their districts until every justice gets a vote. No projects, nothing. But this is hardball and Republicans are immune to it.

[steveegg]

that wasnt true of Jesse Helms or Phil Gramm and is not true of Santorum. ... but these today are the exception, not the rule. ... It is certainly clear that the Senate even with the bare R majority is far from a Conservative institution.

I'll gladly grant you those exceptions. It is sad that Senate Pubbies who aren't RINOs are, by far, the exception.

[steveegg]

I believe I have no more business telling Frist where to draw the line on this issue than I do of telling Ned Yost how to handle in-game decisions for the Brewers against the Cubs this weekend in Milwaukee.

Slight difference between the Brewers (who somehow, despite my dire prediction, are showing a lot more heart than the Senate Republicans) and Senate Republicans; we don't elect who is on or who runs baseball teams. While that is the case, we do have the ability to affect the strategy used to get the runs and wins used to keep score; attendance (full-disclosure; ever since the All-Star fiasco last year, as long as a Selig is involved with baseball, I won't step foot inside Miller Park). If attendance dips because of lack of performance, either the strategy changes or the personnel changes in order to start winning again and get those fans back in the seats.

In politics, it's harder to keep score, but by any measure, the Pubbies lost big today. That continues a trend of caving to the Democrats that began in earnest in 1999. That trend withstood President Bush's election in 2000 and the elections of 2002. Indeed, it flies in the face of the message sent in 2002 that we didn't want the 'RATs running the Senate.

Let's take a look at everything that I can recall the Senate doing this year:

• Tax cut - they cut the White House/House of Representative proposals in half and skewed them even further toward those that already paid next-to-no taxes.
• Medicare - an expansion far beyond what either Bush or the House wanted
• Judicial nominations - complete failure to correct the imbalance brought on by 8 years of Clinton and 6 years of Pubbies allowing the approval of nearly everything he sent down the pike

We could've gotten the exact same result with Cave-A-Lott and almost the same result with Daschle. The big question is what to do about it. There are essentially 3 options; do nothing of note and hope the RINOs realize that conservatism is good, bolt the GOP, or seize control of the GOP.

Option 1, which has been dominant since 1988, hasn't worked. The First Maxim of Washington is, "Left to one's own devices, one will drift leftward."

Option 2 was tried to a small degree in 1992 (before Perot's looniness was apparent to all), and that begat us S(l)ick Willie. We don't have the time to get a minor party like the Constitution Party to the point where it can challenge the Dems, even if the Pubbies fold completely like the Whigs did before them. If the GOP would still exist as a minor party after all the conservatives left, then it would be impossible.

That leaves Option 3. It worked for Reagan, and it worked in 1994. The problem was that we forgot the First Maxim of Washington. We've done it before, we can do it again.

Yes, that means that we'll have to forgo party unity in the primaries. So be it.

[arasina]

I agree with every single thing you stated in your well-written post. Apparently you're too rational and subdued for some others.

[tgslTakoma]

I am pretty much sick and tried of going to bat for his party and getting my teeth kicked in when they knuckle under to Democrats!!!

You're not the only one that feels that way, Tbm. I'm beginning to think there is a severe testicle shortage on the (R) side of the aisle on Capitol Hill.

[tgslTakoma]

P.S.

Sean Hannity is pretty PO'd at the R's, too.

[tgslTakoma]

I'm furious!

No, I can't take away the good of the tax cuts and the war on terror. Those are wonderful accomplishments and things for which I'm thankful.

But I'm also looking at the way the supposed MINORITY party is acting like they're in charge. I'm looking at the way that the DEMOCRATS are in there setting policy. I'm looking at the way that the President sits back and fiddles while Rome burns.

"Let's spend more money," I'm hearing. What happened to cutting portions of the budget? Huh? That's been simply frustrating, but this bit with Estrada is over the line.

Frist AND THE ADMINISTRATION let this happen. They ALLOWED the Democrats to set the terms of the game, and then they payed the price.

And all I hear is that the GOP is being HONORABLE!? When did it become honorable to go down in defeat due to inaction? When did it become honorable to ALLOW your opponent to change the rules in midstream? When did it become honorable to roll over and play dead while the other side wins the race?

Don't give me this "honorable," get the job done.

Well worth repeating.

[AMNZ]

You are right re: Frist. I thought he was going to be better than Mr. Nice Lott. These guys have apparently had to fight in life and therefore they are useless to us.

[AMNZ]

I think I recall cases where recess appointments were made that stuck. May be wrong, hope we have an expert out there that can clarify.

[AMNZ]

Someone is going to set us straight on this, but I seem to recall it was done at least once by Klinton.

[viaveritasvita]

>>"Clearly, Bush was given fully opportunity to exercise his powers to make the appointment during the recess but failed to act. It is a shame."<<


Bush's failure to act in this regard is sickening! "Shame" is an understatement of Biblical proportions!!

[redangus]

Unless you are a Democrat. They practice it all the time and never seem to get hurt, because the Republicans never make them pay. H*ll the Republicans didn't even punish Jeffers for jumping ship. I personally am real tired of the getting re-elected argument. What good does it do to win elections if you do nothing with the power that conveys?