Senate GOP set to extend floor debate another night

The Hill ^ | Nov 13, 2003 | Josephine Hearn

[Amityschild]

Senate Republicans are planning a second consecutive night of floor debate over judicial nominees, GOP leaders said during the wee hours of last night’s marathon debate.

“It may well go through to the next night,” said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.). “The 30 hours was something for planning purposes,” he said, referring to the original intended length of the debate, which began at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

A number of freshman senators have volunteered to push debate beyond the original cut-off time of midnight Thursday. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) have expressed an interest, said Senate Republican Conference Chair Rick Santorum (R-Pa.). “I’ll be glad to come in and keep it going,” said Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) after participating in a 2:30 a.m. press conference with conservative groups.

Santorum said that there was “no reason to” halt debate at midnight and that the only hard-and-fast deadline was 9 a.m. Friday when the Republicans could bring up cloture votes filed on Wednesday.

“If they want, they can talk until 8:59,” Santorum said.

Many of the senators who may press on with the debate also played a central role in Wednesday night’s efforts. Both Graham and Chambliss left the Capitol after 3 a.m. Thursday. Other Republicans continued later still with a grueling schedule of press conferences held every hour in the Mansfield Room of the Capitol Building.

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) took part in a news conference at 3:30 a.m. and Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) was set to appear at 4:30 a.m. along with four of his staff members who had opted to stay awake for the event.

[Enterprise]

Keep it going all through next week!

[Reactionary]

Poor little liberals. They'll be sleeping in nests like the rats they are.

I wouldn't expect anything less from a collectivist herd animal.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Just do it. In the mean time, everyone call your Senators and tell them that you want them to stop playing games with the constitution. An up or down vote is required. Tell the Dems to give the up or down vote and the Pubbies to stay as long as necessary until the Dems cave.

Here's a Link where you can find all the Senators' phone numbers. It only takes a minute, and it feels SO GOOD.

Use the phone for this. The staff is standing buy waiting for your call.

[Enterprise]

Imagine the lucky little RAT that gets to sleep near Hillary.

[Roughneck]

Senate Republicans are planning a second consecutive night of floor debate over judicial nominees

It's about darn time!

[Guillermo]

How soon until the Dems whine about "breaking the schedule"?

[gathersnomoss]

Put their feet to the fire. Why not giblets on the floor in two weeks?

[PhiKapMom]

Am really impressed with the Freshman Senators like Graham, Coleman, Chambliss, and Cornyn -- they are an impressive group who are willing to stand up for what is right.

[MinuteGal]

Giblets on the floor would be kinda greasy, plus Thanksgiving isn't here yet to get any.

However, a mock gibbet looming over them on the floor would be neat to remind the anti-Constitution senators how things were done in the old days.

Leni

[OldFriend]

Compared to the conditions are troops are enduring, another night is the least the pols can endure.

[OldFriend]

Compared to the conditions our troops are enduring, another night is the least the pols can endure.

[Mean Daddy]

Did any of three Democrat senators participate? Zell Miller, Ben Nelson and the 3rd escapes me.

[Grim]

Frist should threaten to delay the recess indefinately unless there is some kind of a breakthrough. "Nobody leaves the building till the people's work gets done."

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Imagine the lucky little RAT that gets to sleep near Hillary.

... or, even worse: Barbara Lee. :)

[PhiKapMom]

Please take a look at what seats are up for election in the Senate in 2004 and make sure you volunteer to help Republicans gain more seats in the Senate so we can once and all put an end to DemocRAT obstruction.

DEMOCRATS			REPUBLICANS
Bayh, Evan	IN		Bennett, Robert	UT
Boxer, Barbara	CA		Bond, Christopher	MO
Breaux, John	LA		Brownback, Sam	KS
Daschle, Thomas	SD		Bunning, Jim	KY
Dodd, Christopher	CT		Campbell, Ben Nighthorse	CO
Dorgan, Byron	ND		Crapo, Mike	ID
Edwards, John *	NC		Fitzgerald, Peter *	IL
Feingold, Russell	WI		Grassley, Chuck	IA
Graham, Bob *	FL		Gregg, Judd	NH
Hollings, Ernest *	SC		McCain, John	AZ
Inouye, Daniel	HI		Murkowski, Lisa	AK
Leahy, Patrick	VT		Nickles, Don *	OK
Lincoln, Blanche	AR		Shelby, Richard	AL
Mikulski, Barbara	MD		Specter, Arlen	PA
Miller, Zell *	GA		Voinovich, George	OH
Murray, Patty	WA
Reid, Harry	NV
Schumer, Charles	NY
Wyden, Ron	OR
* designates open seats

[taxed2death]

How much CO2 will these gas-bags contribute to the global warming problem?

;)

[Keith]

Any chance we can persuade J. C. Watts to run for Nickles seat?

[Buck W.]

"Imagine the lucky little RAT that gets to sleep near Hillary. "

Wonder if she talks in her sleep? "Oh, Vince!"

[Lancey Howard]

Wonder if she talks in her sleep?

"Oh, Web...."