Dems start filibuster

CSPAN | 1stFreedom

[RAT Patrol]

The demorats won't want it to appear they are shutting down the Senate, so the GOP must hammer it home that that is what they are doing. The call should be look what the democrats are all about......shutting down the govt and nothing more, no ideas no nothing just rats! Yeah, but our side never gets the help of the three monkeys: Tom, Peter, and Dan. In the media, this issue will circle the drain the rat way. Still, it's worth a shot. The people aren't as dumb as the media think.

[RAT Patrol]

I was being facetious.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Rudy does a fair job de-bunking the Dem. arguments, but so have Sens. Hatch, Sessions, Allen, Cornyn, Frist, the ABA and the Washington Post...the Dems. have NO case. The media has NO excuse for not exposing these liars.

Some note that Estrada lacks judicial experience. Yet five of the eight judges now on the D.C. circuit had no previous judicial experience - including Chief Judge Harry Edwards, who when President Carter appointed him in 1979 was even younger than Estrada is now. Indeed, several Supreme Court justices - including Byron White and Chief Justice William Rehnquist - had never been judges when they were named to the land's highest court.

Estrada no rookie. He has argued 15 cases before the Supreme Court and was a highly respected Assistant U.S. Attorney in my old office, the Southern District of New York. And the American Bar Association unanimously gave him its highest rating - "well qualified," a designation that some of the very senators who now oppose him have called the "gold standard."

Some object that the Bush administration won't produce memoranda from Estrada in the Solicitor General's Office. Bear in mind the Solicitor General's function: His office represents the United States in court - in other words, the government is his client. Why would a client or his attorney choose to reveal their private and privileged communications?

The zeal to read a nominee's private memoranda seems to apply only to this nominee. Seven past nominees to the Courts of Appeals had worked in the Solicitor General's office - yet not one was asked to disclose attorney-client memoranda. And every living former Solicitor General - including Democrats Archibald Cox, Seth Waxman and Walter Dellinger - signed a letter to the Judiciary Committee stating that sharing these confidential memos would damage the Justice Department's ability to represent the United States before the Supreme Court.

Some civil-rights groups complain that in private practice, Estrada defended anti-loitering laws. In truth, he was retained by the Democratic City Solicitor of Chicago to defend the constitutionality of the anti-gang ordinances of Democratic Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Miguel Estrada brings a proven ability to work with others in a fair and constructive way, and his appeal is not limited to any set of ideological backers. President Clinton's Solicitor General, Seth Waxman, called his former colleague a "model of professionalism and "competence" and described his "great respect both for Mr. Estrada's intellect and for his "integrity." Ronald Klain, former Counselor to Vice President Gore, wrote: "Miguel is a person of outstanding character, tremendous intellect, and with a deep commitment to the faithful application of precedent."

The Senate must fulfill its duty to consider the appropriateness of judicial nominees. But that "advice and consent" was never meant to empower special-interest groups to hijack the appointments of abundantly qualified, eminently decent nominees.

If senators who feel it's their right to let special-interest agendas derail Estrada, the judiciary will lose a wonderful opportunity. Far worse, the entire system will have fallen victim to narrow and misguided attempts to thwart the Constitution.

The stalling of Miguel Estrada's confirmation has been not only unseemly and demeaning, but a perversion of the system of judicial selection. It is also the escalation of a dangerous trend. In their first two years in office, Presidents Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan saw more than 90 percent of their nominees to federal appeals courts confirmed. In the first two years of this administration, the figure is barely 50 percent.

Some say that's because President Bush isn't nominating qualified individuals. But Miguel Estrada clearly puts the lie to that suggestion.

I urge the Senate to allow this worthy man a vote. I urge the Senate not to underestimate what a fair vote will mean to Hispanic all across America.

I feel certain the result will be a confirmation - another wonderful chapter in a true American success story.

An Ugly Stall, Rudy Giuliani.

[NEWwoman]

If it is going to be, this would be a great time for the war to start. The dems rantings will be drown out by the turn of events.

[LisaFab]

Do the Dems realize how much money will be raised by the National Republican Senatorial Committee if they hold a filibuster against Estrada?

I bet the PayPal at nrsc.org is going crazy right about now. The US is in one war and about to begin another and all the Dems can do is waste time filibustering the first Hispanic nominee to the DC Circuit Court.

How right you are on all of the above. They just don't get it and hopefully they won't for quite a while.

Dontcha just love the way Hatch constantly refers to Estrada as 'Hispanic'? That must be killing the Dems. The Pubs need to resurrect the Dem line leading up to Impeachment when the i42 bombed the aspirin factory:

"How dare the Congress waste time with such trivialities while American servicemen are IN HARM's WAY!

That one always made me think of John Wayne!

[spokeshave]

So Dashole can get to read some of those phone books he carries around....makes a change from standing on them.

If we are lucky we won't see his ugley mug over the podium...(gravitationally challenged and all that)

[nicmarlo]

What is a Filibuster?

[usmc_chris]

I will not disagree with you, but I warn all on this forum against attacking the Left as racist for not approving this nomination. If they want to fight it out let's take off the gloves and see who has the intestinal fortitude to ride it out, but to say the Democrats are racist in this case is preposterous. They fear that the power of their favorite agent of advancing cultural Marxism, the judiciary, will be diluted with the addition of an intelligent, articulate man such as Mr. Estrada.

However it turns out, do you want the Left to reduce the discussion to personal invective when we raise objections because we don't approve of his judicial philosophy?

[RAT Patrol]

LOL

[OXENinFLA]

So Let me get this straight.

The Dems want Documents that are of a Private nature having to do with cases and personal thinking of Estrada during a case right?

If so How about releasing all the congressman's internal Memos that go around everyday?

[TLBSHOW]

It's the only way.

MARK MY WORDS THEY DO NOT WANT TO APPEAR TO BE SHUTTING THE GOVT DOWN......

Of course the GOP must stand together and hammer it home every single second. From talk shows to press releases and I mean HAMMER IT HOME!

The DEMOCRATS Will be doing this at a time of WAR and they are going to look RACIST to boot which they are.

[WorkingClassFilth]

"...make them filibuster 24 hours a day, 7 days week until the country gets tired of seeing the Dems stop a fricking judicial appointment for the mere reason he was appointed by Bush..."

100% ABSOLUTELY RIGHT-ON!

Do unto them what the rats & media did to the Republicans during the House budget wrangles under Gingrich. A presidential address that highlights a week or two of obstruction, especially during a critical time on the brink of war, would be a sure hit with a jittery public. If enough legislation aimed at publically sensitive issues were shown to be backed-up due to the Democratic obstinacy, so much the better.

[Aaron0617]

YES...my cable is back. Keeps cutting out :(

What I miss. RAT Chris Dodd is speaking.

[YaYa123]

Hatch has been fabulous all day...and I've criticized him for years as being weak.

I sure hope someone will speak up and educate us on what's happening, and what the Republicans can do.

The democrats are getting a free day to do this...there's so much other news, and people haven't had the chance to see them fiddle while Rome burns. Think about it...our country is in peril and these asshole democrats are wasting the senate, thoroughly denegrating their office and the United States Senate.

I called Zell Miller's office today to find out his vote. "Senator Zell Miller has not decided how to vote on Miquel Estrada's nomination", said the fone flunky. I'll call back tomorrow and ask again...I wish everyone would call their senators, republican and democrat and demand that the senators let this nomination go to a vote on the senate floor so that they can get back to business.

[Jim Robinson]

Maybe we can send the good Democrat Senators some appropriate material to read during their filibuster.

How about this one for Senator Dodd:


Dodd Waves Off 'Waitress Sandwich' Query

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., nearly got busted Tuesday morning when talk radio host Don Imus queried him about the notorious 1985 "waitress sandwich" incident, in which he and Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., allegedly sexually assaulted a waitress at Washington's trendy La Brasserie restaurant.

Dodd, who has never commented on the story, was discussing the newfound friendship between President Bush and Kennedy when Imus veered off into uncharted waters.

IMUS: Somebody told me, who would know, that [Bush] actually genuinely likes Ted Kennedy.

DODD: Yeah, no - this is not the George Bush - I don't know him very well. I mean obviously Teddy knows him better. I mean, this is a new, strange, you know - you've picked on me for years about Teddy and I. Now it's George and Teddy. That's an exciting couple of guys ...

IMUS: Well, I don't think they're ...

DODD: ... staring at their desks, choking on pretzels? I mean, what do they do in the evening, these guys?

IMUS: But I mean, I don't think we're gonna have George Bush and Ted Kennedy going after ...

DODD: Don't go there. Don't go there.

IMUS: You know what I'm gonna say ...

DODD: They're getting older. These are older guys now.

IMUS: [Unintelligible] you know.

DODD: But anyway, I think they legitimately like each other. (End of Excerpt)

Reports over the years have chronicled the dynamic liberal duo's La Brasserie exploits, like this one in the Hartford Courant:

"Dodd and Kennedy were also reported to have made a 'human sandwich' with a waitress at La Brasserie, another Capitol Hill restaurant. The report had it that Kennedy threw the woman on Dodd, who was slumped in a chair, and then jumped on top of her. She was said to have run screaming from the room."

The victim herself detailed the attack for Penthouse magazine in 1989, which was summarized by the Washington Times:

"When she put in an appearance in their private retreat - 'The Teddy Kennedy Fun Room' - the Massachusetts senator picked her up and heaved her onto a table. The crystal candlesticks and champagne glasses shattered as he grabbed her again and flung her on top of Dodd.

"Then Kennedy threw himself on top of the woman. The waitress implored Mr. Kennedy to 'Get off me!'

"Another waitress entered to find 'things all tipped over and Kennedy was on top, [the waitress] was in the middle and Dodd was on the bottom.' At that point the sandwich was disassembled."

No wonder Sen. Dodd doesn't want to "go there."

[11th_VA]

Here's how the Republicans can get back:

Do this about 1:30 AM, and every 2 hours there after:

3. If, at any time during the daily sessions of the Senate, a question shall be raised by any Senator as to the presence of a quorum, the Presiding Officer shall forthwith direct the Secretary to call the roll and shall announce the result, and these proceedings shall be without debate. 4. Whenever upon such roll call it shall be ascertained that a quorum is not present, a majority of the Senators present may direct the Sergeant at Arms to request, and, when necessary, to compel the attendance of the absent Senators, which order shall be determined without debate; and pending its execution, and until a quorum shall be present, no debate nor motion, except to adjourn, or to recess pursuant to a previous order entered by unanimous consent, shall be in order.

[Aaron0617]

Hey...Orrin Hatch is speaking again.

This isn't a filibuster. Crap cable is out again. Oh, its back. nope

[OXENinFLA]

What is this GOING HOME stuff if you Dems Start a Filibuster you'd better be able to stay all night.

[TLBSHOW]

the filibuster is the rats plan for everything if we don't call em on it now it will never end and they must be held accountable for it to the American people!


Let em shut the govt down and do not move on to anything else. It will be their downfall and they will stop once they know the people know that it does indeed appear like this is what the democrats are doing.

Which they are, but they are scared to death of looking like it.

[OXENinFLA]

What is this GOING HOME stuff if you Dems Start a Filibuster you'd better be able to stay all night.

GO HATCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!