South Dakota Senators To Tom Daschle: Stop Obstructing the Estrada Nomination

South Dakota Senators To Tom Daschle: Stop Obstructing the Estrada Nomination
SD state senate passes resolution requesting Sens. Daschle and Johnson to allow Estrada vote.

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, the South Dakota State Senate passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 9, a stinging resolution requesting that U.S. Sens. Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) to allow a vote on the floor of the United States Senate on the appointment of Miguel Estrada. The resolution passed by an overwhelming 28-3 margin, with four abstentions.

Estrada is President Bush's nominee for the federal Court of Appeals based in Washington, DC. His nomination has been held up for well over a year.

Senator Daschle is the Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate, and the person most responsible for filibustering a floor vote on Miguel Estrada, and thus shutting down work in the legislative body. Since February 6th, the Senate has spent nearly 100 hours debating the Miguel Estrada nomination. Daschle's obstruction comes at a time when the country is on a verge of war, the economy is slumping, and the War on Terrorism is heating up. Meanwhile, the Senate cannot go about daily work until the filibuster is either defeated by a vote to end floor debate or the nomination is pulled.

"Senate Democrats have undertaken a style of raw, vile, snakepit politics at its worst," said taxpayer advocate Grover Norquist, "and all at a time when the United States is on the verge of a two-front war against terrorism and Saddam Hussein - not to mention that the economy is in the doldrums." Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), the nation's leading taxpayer advocacy organization, and a critic of the politicization of the judicial nomination process.

On February 18th, The Washington Post called on Senate Democrats to "Stop These Games and Vote," and even Mr. Daschle himself is on record supporting up-or-down votes on judicial nominees during the Clinton Administration. (Congressional Record, 10/5/99)

"The South Dakota Senate has it right," continued Norquist, "but South Dakota's elected U.S. Senators are between a rock and hard place: do they listen to their voters or to the special interests who don't want to see a Republican President nominate a qualified Latino to a high bench?"

Americans for Tax Reform is a non-partisan coalition of taxpayers and taxpayer groups who oppose all federal and state tax increases. For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Jonathan Collegio at (202) 785-0266 or by email at jcollegio@atr.org.

1 posted on 03/08/2003 9:37:45 AM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

How can South Dakota elect intelligent state senators and imbecilic U.S. senators?

2 posted on 03/08/2003 9:39:30 AM PST by TruthShallSetYouFree

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

3 posted on 03/08/2003 9:39:33 AM PST by ken5050

To: Howlin; PhiKapMom

Great idea!........ Maybe this idea needs to catch on in other states!

4 posted on 03/08/2003 9:44:30 AM PST by hoosiermama (Prayers for all)

5 posted on 03/08/2003 9:44:34 AM PST by MEG33

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Good find....hope this puts some pressure on little Tommy!

6 posted on 03/08/2003 9:45:40 AM PST by JulieRNR21 (Take W-04........Across America!)

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

The Daschle (and H Clinton, et al) action has little to do with Estrada's qualifications/nomination. It is a power play for effective control of the Senate. If Daschle succeeds in getting the Estrada nomination haulted or pulled, he has, effectively, gained control even though he represents the minority party. If the Estrada nomination is pulled or never gets a floor vote, the minority party wins and the Senate is effectively under Minority Rule.

7 posted on 03/08/2003 9:46:09 AM PST by TomGuy

8 posted on 03/08/2003 9:48:22 AM PST by deport

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Remember the Good Old Days before the 17th Amendment, when US Senators were selected by the States, not a popular vote?

The Founders had a good reason for doing that. It was forgotten about 90 years ago.

9 posted on 03/08/2003 9:49:27 AM PST by Gritty

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

"Senate Democrats have undertaken a style of raw, vile, snakepit politics at its worst,"

It seems they all work for Hitlery now, it is obvious to me that the once proud democrat party has been reduced to sniveling rodents who don't give a damn about our troops, our country or their own integrity. They are busy right now taking positions DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED to their own views just a few years ago when slick Willie was Prez

10 posted on 03/08/2003 9:51:32 AM PST by Mister Baredog ((God Bless GW Bush))

Exactly right and well-put! I was listening to the Governor of Hawaii - a female and the first Republican in almost 40 years!!! She is awesome - articulate, straightforard, etc. She said that after so many years of being under one party (and we know what that is), we need to kick out the 'cronyism' and dictator mentality. We all need to contact the RNC and our elected officials and remind them THEY WON - THEY ARE THE MAJORITY NOW!! They act like deer in the headlights when they should be putting 'mini-me' in the dunce corner with duct tape. Grow some cojones, pubbies!!

11 posted on 03/08/2003 9:53:44 AM PST by ysoitanly

Hey, thanks for the ping!

12 posted on 03/08/2003 9:54:05 AM PST by Howlin (Only UNamericans put the UN before America!)

But I thought nobody out in America was paying any attention to this!

13 posted on 03/08/2003 9:59:07 AM PST by p_n_m

So we've been told. Obviously SOMEBODY is.

14 posted on 03/08/2003 9:59:32 AM PST by Howlin (Only UNamericans put the UN before America!)

To: TruthShallSetYouFree

How can South Dakota elect intelligent state senators and imbecilic U.S. senators?

Simple, the U.S. Senate candidates bribe the Native American population to vote early and often. One only needs to look at this Johnson-Thune matchup and the fraud that went on there that got the Dim elected. Dashole has done the same thing in elections past. The State Senate Dims can't be all so lucky to be on a reservation.

15 posted on 03/08/2003 10:00:49 AM PST by GAGOPSWEEPTOVICTORY

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

I have been praying for sometime now that the dems would open their mouths and show their true faces and wake up the latent conservatives in the democratric party.

Thank you Lord Jesus for answering my prayers. AMEN and AMEN.

16 posted on 03/08/2003 10:04:09 AM PST by Slyfox

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

17 posted on 03/08/2003 10:04:12 AM PST by jmstein7

Tommy's name:

Little Tommy Troubled, Frustrated, Bothered, Disturbed, Puff Daschle. He's through. Boy, he just can't let go of that "gargoyle" look he has. He was really hit hard in those elections and he's someone that can't let it go. All the times he said he was troubled, frustrated, bothered and disturbed about something Pres Bush did or said is now showing on his face but not because of anything Bush has done or said but because he LOST and can't get over it.

18 posted on 03/08/2003 10:08:47 AM PST by cubreporter

Arkansas State Congress has been working on a similar resolution. Our US Senators also voted against ending the Estrada filibuster.

19 posted on 03/08/2003 10:12:58 AM PST by pulaskibush

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

While this may get some attention from the South Dakota voters, it's no big deal considering that the Republicans outnumber the DemocRATs by 26 to 9. So probably only two DemocRATs crossed over and voted with the Republicans.

20 posted on 03/08/2003 10:25:07 AM PST by jackbill

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