Republicans Enlist History in Fight Against Filibusters (attack on Byrd)

[stevedeshazer]

By Dana Milbank
Sunday, April 10, 2005; Page A04

The filibuster fight in the Senate has long been hysterical; now, it's getting historical.

As Senate Republicans weigh the "nuclear option" of banning the minority Democrats' ability to block President Bush's judicial nominees, the upper chamber has reacted by doing what it does best: delving through legislative arcana.

On Thursday, the National Republican Senatorial Committee issued a news release asserting that Sen. Robert Byrd (W.Va.), the Democrats' point man in the effort to preserve the filibuster, was himself an advocate for replacing supermajority votes with simple majority votes back in the 1970s, when he was the majority leader and Republicans were using the filibuster.

much more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40627-2005Apr9.html

[LynnTheDem]

1. So the republicans now admit THEY USED FILIBUSTERS.

FACT wins out on that one, finally.

[T_i_B]

2. UK Telegraph article

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/04/10/wfili10.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/04/10/ixportal.html

Republican Senate leaders are planning to curb the cherished American political tradition of the filibuster in an effort to prevent the minority Democrats from using the tactic to block the appointment of conservative judges.

The furore over the case of Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman who died last month after state and federal courts refused appeals from her parents for her feeding tube to be reinstalled, has given fresh momentum to the campaign by powerful Republicans to challenge the judiciary.

The showdown over the filibuster - a two-centuries-old Senate rule that in effect allows just 41 of the 100 members to obstruct legislation and nominations by talking for as long as they can - is developing into the biggest political clash of President George W. Bush's second term.

Democrats have condemned what has widely been described as the "nuclear option" of rewriting the rules on filibustering and are threatening to retaliate by bringing Senate business to a standstill through a series of other delaying procedures.

[stevedeshazer]

6. Thanks for the extra link

The article you have provided is very informative.

[Orsino]

3. Then it won't matter...

...that today's Republicans are far more corrupt than seventies Dems were. Byrd has given them what they need to silence him in this fight.

[devinsgram]

4. Remeber the old saying,

"Be careful what you wish for, you mihgt get it," if the Repubs are smart they would let this one go. The pendulum will swing the other way and the Dems will be in power, Whoops, no filibuster. Oh so sorry, guys, remember you took it away.

Let them use that against the Dems, it only shows their stupidity.

[BoogDoc7]

5. Waitaminute...

The senate not doing anything?

YES! That sounds like a plan. Means they can't screw anything up.

[AnneD]

7. What goes around comes around

The GOP spearheaded a movement to limit presidential term to 2 4year terms after FDR. Well, along comes Ronald Reagan...too bad so sad.