Posted on 09/05/2003 9:28:21 AM PDT by F_Cohen
Gutless Republicans
By Bob Ellis
Weekender, September 07
ToogoodReports.com
Miguel Estrada, President Bush's eminently qualified judicial nominee for the federal bench, withdrew from consideration for the post of U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit after spending 28 months being stonewalled by petulant Democrats.
Mr. Estrada has incidentally received the highest possible rating from the Left- leaning American Bar Association (ABA). Estrada has also argued 15 cases before the Supreme Court. Yet Senate Democrats just couldn't be sure whether or not he was some drooling, Hitler-clone who might disregard the Consitution in favor of his personal political leanings (.like the Leftie judges already do, to the joy of the liberals).
The Democrats have been blocking the full senate from voting on a number of Bush's nominees with the threat of a filibuster if Republicans moved to bring the issue to a floor vote. The U.S. Constitution requires a majority vote to confirm a judicial nominee, and Estrada has 55 votes, but it would take 60 votes to overcome the "ghost" filibuster, so the nomination has been stalled.
Those who are familiar with the Bible will recall how the guilty play the blame game. When God confronted Adam after he ate from the forbidden tree, Adam blamed "the woman you put here with me." Eve, in turn, blamed the snake. Well, the Democrat snakes in the Senate are blaming Bush for Estrada's lack of confirmation.
But what is worse than the Democrat's behavior (snakes tend to always behave like snakes) is the way Estrada and the president have been hung out to dry by the Senate Republicans. These men and woman had it within their power to confirm Estrada, and have squandered that opportunity. They could have advanced an outstanding legal mind and enhanced the prestige of their party leader (Bush), but instead they chose a fumbling lack of action.
Children often blame the parents for their own sins. In this context, the Democrats are definitely the petty children, and the Republicans are the grown- ups, since they are ostensibly in charge of the Senate. The problem is, the parents are afraid of the children. These Republican curs are completely cowed by the Democrats, and are little more than puppets on a Democrat string.
Republicans have consistently shown they lack the guts to force the issue. They had other options, such as forcing the Democrats hand and making them actually go through with the filibuster (which they might not). They could have forced a procedural ruling that the Democrats' actions were unconstitutional because a simple majority, not a supermajority, is all that's required. It's clear to anyone who is objective that to procedurally require a supermajority where the Constitution requires only a majority is (duh) unconstitutional.
Instead of showing leadership, the Senate Republicans have stood around for months with their hands in their pockets like a bunch of prepubescent schoolboys afraid to dance. They are so scared of being badmouthed, of being called names, that they shamelessly allow the minority Democrats to push them around. Republican Conference Chairman Senator Rick Santorum (PA) has been quoted as saying, "We're a governing party. We're a party of solutions. We get things done." I have a lot of respect for Senator Santorum (less since he stepped aside to allow compromiser Bill Frist to take the post of majority leader), but to that I can only say: bull! The House has shown some leadership, but most of the Senate Republicans have revealed themselves to be a flock of plucked chickens.
I think that perhaps it's time to throw the Republicans out of the majority in the senate (the House has done a comparatively fair job). If Republicans are content to play the jellyfish, the cowering dog with it's tail between it's legs, the puppet, or whatever sickening metaphor you like, then they can do so as the minority party. They have had the better part of the last eight years to learn how to lead, and they have clearly proven that they don't know how. I am left with the conclusion that the Senate Republicans are either too gutless or too stupid to lead effectively. Maybe they actually lack the intelligence to run the Senate.
Regardless of whether it's dullness or cowardice, they might as well get out of the way until they can figure it out. Maybe they would have more time to take some leadership classes if they don't have the "burden" of being in charge of the Senate. Perhaps a few of them could enroll in one of the nation's fine military academies so they could learn how to lead people and command respect.
Until then, I'm not content to allow these Senate Republicans to continue to discredit the Republican Party. I'm not willing to sit quietly while Senate Republicans reflect discredit upon the conservative movement. I'm not satisfied to watch a return to American values lie and rust on the launch pad. Until they can demonstrate the will to lead, I will henceforth advocate the return of Senate Republicans to the minority.
As Luke 12:48 says, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Republicans were given control of the Senate in 1994, and their leadership has been found wanting. As the Master Himself said in Revelation 3:15-16, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth."
I'm not sure it's a matter of gutlessness. I just don't think Republicans handle being in power very well. They expect respect from Democrats when there is no reason to. This sort of thing won't stop until Republicans realize that Democrats have no integrity, and "friendship" is not going to assure behaviour.
The Republican "leadership" hasn't learned that Rats don't respect people, they respect power. Frist and Lott and Hatch are too interested in "playing nice" and being "gentlemen", when the Rats are willing to do no such thing.
I learned on the school playground that trying to "make nice" to bullies only gets you a sock in the face. You either fight the bully or join him. He won't respect you or leave you alone if you show fear and cower.
This sort of thing won't stop until Republicans realize that Democrats have no integrity, and "friendship" is not going to assure behaviour.
The Rats will pretend to be your friend as long as doing so suits their ends. If it doesn't, a Rat will be nothing if not implacably hostile, and if the Republicans don't understand this then they'll be doomed to be rolled like they were on Estada and are still being on Owens and that other nominee whose name escapes me.
Lessons of the Estrada Defeat
Legal Theory Blog ^ | September 4, 2003 | Prof. Lawrence Solum
Posted on 09/04/2003 5:47 PM CDT by pogo101
Withdrawal: What Does Estrada's Decision Mean?
So I believe the Republicans simply weighed the options and were hoping Estrada would wait until Spring of 2005. It is as simple as that.
What does that say about our ability to get things done?
I'll never be a Democrat, but some other party would not have a hard time taking me away.
No, there are no actual two parties, but just one. That's why "we're in charge" and nothing changes...!
The Republicans have a different philosophy. It is a conservative moral philosophy that assumes the other guy also is following the same moral system. Maybe it's naive of the Rs to act that way, but that has been one of the problems of practical moral systems all along. During the great Islamicist invasion of India, the conservative Hindu moral system was not highly effective in stopping the invasion of the more belligerent Islamic moral system. Had the Indians been more aware of meta-context of the invasion, they might have been free to act in a more impersonal way and the outcome of the invasion might have been different.
This way the Republican Senators will have more time to do what they really love to do, play golf, rather than take head-on the likes of such nasty characters as Kennedy, Leahy and Schumer.
Quite likely their clubhouse luncheons will be more pleasant and perhaps they can improve their handicaps.
We out here in flyover country probably won't be able to tell the difference.
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