Senator (Arlen Specter) Critical of Proposal on Filibusters

[truthpusher]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/politics/25judges.html?

Senator Critical of Proposal on Filibusters
By NEIL A. LEWIS

Published: February 25, 2005

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 - The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Thursday that his party's proposal to change the Senate's rules if Democrats continued to block President Bush's judicial nominees would wreak havoc in the Senate.

Moreover, the chairman, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, suggested that his party might not even have the votes to enact the rules change.

Mr. Specter's outspokenness was especially notable coming when Republican leaders were hoping to present a unified front to bolster the credibility of the threat they are brandishing against the Democrats. It is not the first time that Mr. Specter has been at odds with his party. After the November election, party conservatives tried to prevent him from becoming chairman of the Judiciary Committee after he remarked that strongly anti-abortion judicial nominees might be rejected in the Senate.

(snip)

He told reporters that he hoped to persuade his fellow Republicans not to seek a rule change that would allow them to override any filibusters the Democrats might mount to block judicial nominees. He also hoped to persuade Democrats to support some of Mr. Bush's nominees to break a logjam of nearly four years.

complete story: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/politics/25judges.html?

[Tempest]

1. Specter knows damned well the Repugs will take a beating

Once the Democrats start advertising the number of times the Repugs have used the filibuster against Clinton's nominations.

[saltpoint]

2. This is Arlen's last dance at the big party --

-- so he can afford to piss off a few people.

Philadelphia friends say that he'll step down after this term.

Meanwhile, we have to keep the filibuster rule in because our side just doesn't have the votes to reject Bush's right-wing nutcase nominees.

[dansolo]

3. What logjam???

You'd think that the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee would know that the Senate has approved most of Bush's nominees.

[cascadiance]

4. Specter also knows that passing this rule now...

... will bite them in the ass after Howard Dean weaves his magic in 2006 and helps the Dems take back congress then. Then it will just take a simple majority of Democrats to reject Bush's nominees and they won't have to deal with a fillibuster either then. Dems would be going after him with a vengeance then too without fear of constituency retribution. Ginsberg and others just need to hold out until then at least...

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. Specter leery of filibuster ban threat

Friday, February 25, 2005

WASHINGTON — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter cautioned fellow Republicans Thursday against employing the "nuclear option" for judicial nominees that would deprive Democrats of long-standing parliamentary tools to block Senate action.

Specter, a moderate Republican from Pennsylvania, said using such an unusual tactic against the Democratic minority would ultimately produce a Senate "in turmoil." The Judiciary Committee, he said, "will be hell" in a Congress already teeming with political partisanship.

"If we have a 'nuclear option,'... we can take an extended foreign trip, all of us," Specter said.

The phrase "nuclear option" refers to the Republican majority changing the rules of the Senate so the Democratic minority could not filibuster judicial nominations, thereby forcing an up-or-down floor vote on every nominee. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., has threatened to pursue this option.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/epaper/2005/02/25/a8a_judges_0225.html

[Gabi Hayes]

6. doesn't he know about the voting machines?

is he just blowing smoke, or doesn't he realize that elections are meaningless now?

[izzie]

7. I love those things along the lower part of your page.

I think they will try going this way. Bush and his Vice do not seem to like the old way of a two party or people who think in any other way.These people seem to feel they are right about every thing. They also seem to think if your rich you must be smart so should rule. Scary when you look at the rich.