March 15, 2005

GOP to Boston Globe on the judicial filibusters: We have the votes

The Boston Globe is reporting today that GOP staffers in the Senate are saying they are confident of Senate Republicans' ability to force the "constitutional option" to end Democrat filibusters on judicial nominations. (Link via Human Events Online)

"Manuel Miranda, a former top aide for judicial nominations to Senate majority leader Bill Frist, said circumstances have erased many of those hesitations: Democrats show no sign of yielding on their filibusters, Supreme Court battles loom, and Frist, a likely 2008 presidential candidate, has made it a priority to appeal to conservative GOP primary voters by getting conservative judges confirmed.

''We think we have 53 votes," said Miranda, who joined the Heritage Foundation and now leads a regular conference call among conservative groups building support for ending Democratic judicial filibusters. ''The question now is not if but when." Republicans close to the Senate leadership say they want to force the issue next month by voting to end filibusters in connection with one of Bush's nominees to a federal appeals court, so the rules-change fight will not taint a Supreme Court candidate. There has not been a Supreme Court vacancy in 10 years, but several of the aging justices -- including Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who will turn 81 in October -- have been treated for serious ailments."

Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY) will be the focal point for groups such as the Coalition for a Fair Judiciary. McConnells influence will be key in order to keep any squishy RINOs in line that may be at risk of wussing out. The move is intended to break the current log-jam and allowing the President the power of judicial appointments that he is granted in the Constitution with a simple majority vote concurrence of the Senate.

"The GOP maneuver to counter the Democrats calls for Frist to ask the president of the Senate -- Vice President Dick Cheney -- to rule that the judicial filibuster rule ended with the last session of Congress or that filibusters can't be used against judicial nominations. Cheney would agree, Democrats would appeal, and the matter would be put to a vote.

A simple majority of 51 Republicans would confirm the ruling, and the rule would be wiped from the books for judicial nominations. All of Bush's nominees for judgeships could then be confirmed on party-line votes.

The proposal has been nicknamed the ''nuclear option" because of the likely fallout: Democrats vow to shut down the Senate by forcing every matter to be brought to a vote, even breaking for lunch, and forcing every item to be read in full."

Time to put the cards on the table.

If the Dems want to "shut down" the Senate and waste the taxpayers money, I can't think of a better way for them to piss off voters.

Posted by: Gary at 03:56 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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