Up All Night: Bill Frist gets serious about judges (FR mentioned!)

Townhall ^ | 11/13/2003 | Andrew Grossman

[Lancey Howard]

Did you happen to catch Rick Santorum last night around 3:00am? His speech staggered me. The best speech on this issue I have ever heard - - I could only sit with my jaw dropped.

And speaking of the "mainstream", Janice Brown was reelected with 76% of the vote - - the California vote. Yet Barbara Boxer says that Brown is "out of the mainstream". One Senator (I wish I could remember who) asked if Boxer considered the 24% who did not vote for Brown to be "mainstream".

[#3Fan]

Up! all night.

(Rhonda Shear - USA network)

[Dolphy]

NOW he/she knows that the Democrats have obstructed the appointment of judges when the country is suffering because of the shortage of same.

You are right. Those who think that there is some easy way around this if the Republicans would just get a backbone aren't paying attention, don't understand the rules of the Senate and have no long term plan to handle a SCOTUS nominee (which is what this is all about anyway). And recess appointments are absolutely no answer. Not only don't the nominees want them under these circumstances, they actually would just put off the real confrontation. The Republicans are going for public opinion, bringing the Dems out from the shadows.

[onyx]

Hey, we're part of history. A BIG part. We were history in the making. Ta-Da!

[hoosiermama]

I'm envious. Wish I lived closer!

[Xthe17th]

are we not rabid right-wingers???

I pefer "Radical Rightest".

[My2Cents]

liberals in everything but name..."CINOs!" (conservatives in name only)

[Eagle74]

Personally, I think modifying the senate rules would not necessarily be a good thing. Sure, it would take a lot of testosterone and all, but would it hurt them any more than it hurts us, in the long run? The article itself mentions that option, and the downside. I definetly think that this is a better option to go with for now. I'm of the opinion that you don't go "nuclear" until you've exhausted all other conventional measures. This was a "conventional" measure that hadn't been tried. If this doesn't work, then there'll be a whole lot more popular support if and when the nuclear option IS tried later, because many more swing voters would agree that everything else had been tried. Qwinn

From a political point of view, the Democrats have handed the Republicans a big stick with which to beat them with. It's clear a the moment that the Democrats are obstructionists, but if the Republicans engage the nuclear option, they burn their nice big stick, and in turn hand the Democrats a nice big stick with which to beat them with. The Republicans would then be accused of tyranny of the majority, and unfairness etc.

Personally, I prefer to use the nice big stick until all that's left of it is tooth picks.

[Jim Noble]

30 hrs of debate does NOT equal "getting serious" about conservative judicial nominees

Correctamundo.

The minority can survive any amount of debate, as long as they know it is going to end.

They would be crushed by true unlimited debate-they could not block these judges for a week.

[Lancey Howard]

WELL, WELL, WELL!!!!

Lookee Here!!!

[Howlin]

Excellent, eh??

[GOPrincess]

I'm just rejoining the threads, does anyone know more about the "whys and wherefores" about the extension of the debate past 30 hours? Think it's a great move. Just learned about it when I logged back on to CSpan2 and saw it was running till Friday a.m., which puzzled me, then I came here. Must have made the Democrats mad as all get-out :) :).

[Future Snake Eater]

It's also arguable that FR is no longer right-wing, and hasn't been for quite some time. Middle-of-the-road is more like it.

Ha ha! I love FR and conservative ideals as much as the next FReeper, but I could not possibly call FR "middle of the road." It is very much conservative.

However, the majority of my experience shows that conservatives are generally more open to honest, calm debate than our liberal, ah, "counterparts."

[wardaddy]

is this forum the King of acronyms or what...lol

I find myself letting this stuff get into my everyday vernacular....folks haven't a clue.

[Future Useless Eater]

The Republicans COULD use these marathon DEBATE sessions to their advantage...

• Make sure the media/public KNOWS EXACTLY which Judicial nominees are being debated at all times...
  
  
• Rule the Dem's out of order, and call for a cloture vote, EVERY TIME they stray off this topic too far...
  
  
• Alternately, this could be accomplished as follows... everytime a DEM says they should be discussing MORE IMPORTANT THINGS, let a Republican SECOND his motion, and trigger an immediate cloture vote, in order to "move on"
  
  
• At the END of each marathon DEBATE, call a cloture vote to go on record WHO still wants to DEBATE these SPECIFIC nominees further.
  
  
• The public will see it is the democRATS who still want MORE DEBATE.
  
  
• So then, schedule ANOTHER marathon debate for one week later and repeat.

[My2Cents]

FL, can we elect you to the GOP senate leadership? Your suggestions are terrific.

[firewalk]

Sounds like fightin' words to me...

good! (-:

[MamaLucci]

Lincoln Chaffee,(R)ino, NH, told Fox News that this was "just a PR stunt".

This moron needs to be freeped! Capital Hill
1-800-648-3516

[Future Useless Eater]

thanks...


One more tactic in addition to post #75...

also START each planned marathon DEBATE session with a cloture vote.

If the DEMS vote to close debate, everyone can go home that night;
the cots are not needed, and the full up/down vote
shall occur at 9am the next day.

If the DEMS vote to DEBATE, then the dems SHALL HAVE THEIR DEBATE (all night long, if necessary)

[Lynne]

This "debate" should have been continued through Saturday night, when half the Dems had to go to Iowa.