GOP eyes 'shutdown' of Senate over judges (Southwick postponed)

[maddezmom]

Source: Wash Times

June 8, 2007


Republican leaders yesterday threatened a "total shutdown" of Senate business if Democrats keep holding up President Bush's appointments to the federal bench.

"It could cause major meltdown," Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott, Mississippi Republican, said after Democrats postponed a committee vote on the nomination of Leslie H. Southwick to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.

Mr. Lott said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, was "very mad" about judicial appointments and could bring the narrowly divided chamber to a standstill if Democrats don't speed up the confirmation process.

"It could be total shutdown here pretty soon."

Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican and member of the Judiciary Committee, said the delay on Mr. Southwick, a former Mississippi state appellate judge, was par for the course.



Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20070607-113730-6432r.htm

[SeattleGirl]

1. Uh oh. Somebody call the waaaaaaaaambulance!

The Repukes are gonna throw a temper tantrum!

[krispos42]

9. Here it is!

http://www.smugmug.com.nyud.net:8090/photos/9413235-S.jpg


I personally would tell them that it is in their best re-election interest if no more of Bush's nominees make it. Less chance of an embarrassing meltdown.

[SeattleGirl]

13. ROFL!!!!

Just in the nick of time!

[Greeby]

2. Bring.It.On nt

[murielm99]

3. Let them shut it down.

Everyone will know who caused the shutdown, and why. That horrible choice for judge will get more publicity.

Remember how they stonewalled Clinton's judicial appointments? Someone needs to remind them of that. Crybabies. Assholes. Call their bluff, Democrats.

[trogdor]

29. Will they hold up the defense budget?

[jgraz]

4. Thank god we've got Harry Reid to stand tough against those nasty Republicans

:eyes:

[radfringe]

5. heh heh heh

Harry should threaten to use the "NUKE" option... :evilgrin:

[Cobalt-60]

6. Excellent-Another Republicon ass display

Just keep it up, boys.

[AndyTiedye]

7. Perhaps We Should Give them a Down-or-Down Vote

[cassiepriam]

8. Shut down the whole darn town as far as I am concerned. Send them all to time out.

To do some soul searching.

[SeattleGirl]

10. Doesn't work if you don't have a soul.

Sorry to be so sarcastic, cassie. But sometimes I really wonder about Congress and other members of the government. It all seems to be about THEM these days, not about the good of the country and the good of the people. Very very sad.

[cassiepriam]

14. Yes I agree, If they have souls, they are baby souls. Always about themselves.

And what they want.

[SeattleGirl]

15. Yup.

You and I are old souls, I think. Not these folks. Barely have their feet wet.

[cassiepriam]

17. Earth is a one room school house, with many levels of development.

We have to let everyone learn at their own pace.
But it is frustrating.

[SeattleGirl]

18. Yes it is, my friend.

Yes it is. Especially for an "I want it, and I want it NOW!" person such as myself.

[cassiepriam]

19. I guess our lesson is to learn patience :)

[SeattleGirl]

21. What is this patience of which you speak?

:shrug:

You know I kid. Perhaps you are right, my friend.

[cassiepriam]

22. LOL..... A foreign concept I know.... not my strong suit either.

[Sherman A1]

11. Well

There is no major threat there. Shut it down.........

[smtpgirl]

12. Oh, are we now re-living the infamous shutdown of Congress

from 1995. when Newty the "speaker" had a tantrum with the Big Dog!!!!


After the Republicans in Congress shut down the government in 1995 in a showdown with President Bill Clinton, Gingrich's popularity plunged, never to return to the heights of 1994. By 1996, nearly six in 10 voters had an unfavorable opinion of him. Some of his top lieutenants even plotted a coup against him, but Gingrich, ever the survivor, managed to keep his job.

Gee history REALLY repeats itself!!

Times Change, PEOPLE DON'T

[diane in sf]

16. shut it down--no more con judges please. eom

[Prophet 451]

20. Bastards have no fugging shame

They filibustered large numbers of Clinton's judicial appointments (mainly because they hated Clinton), threatened to remove the filibuster, worked out a compromise that essentially said Democrats could have the filibuster as long as they promised to never, ever use it (or it would be straight back the the nuclear option) and now, they want the Dems in control of the Senate to pretend all that didn't happen and just rubber-stamp Chimpy's extreme-right-fringe nominations?

No, fuck them. These are the same guys who maintained their duty to take a through, long-winded look at nominations when Clinton was in office. It's not fairness they want, it's everything tilted in their favour. Wait until they lose the Whitehouse and watch them go straight back to obstructionism and manufacturing an impeachment scandal. They don't understand concepts like fairness, dignity or responsibility any more. All they care about now is momentary political advantage.

The bastards are fucking around with teh rule of law so let's see teh Dems hang this around their necks like a noose (except they won't, teh Dems still haven't learned to go for the throat).

[gratuitous]

30. Not exactly

I agree with most of the post, but the Republicans didn't filibuster Clinton's judicial nominees. They didn't have to, because they just didn't hold hearings on them. Or if they held a hearing, they never put the nomination to a vote. After a year of screwing around, Clinton would withdraw the nominee's name, and try again with someone else, who would be subject to the same treatment.

So when Trenty gets out on his front porch and starts yelling at the kids on his lawn, I think the only reasonable response is to point and laugh at the clueless old fart.

[auburngrad82]

23. Oh no! Not the nuclear option!

They didn't like it when the Dems threatened to use it but it's ok now that the the GOP has the WMD. Go figure...

[salin]

24. Do it!

make it clear once and for all - that whether you (GOP senate) are in the majority or in the minority - you are willing to threaten to shut down the senate (remember the "nuclear option" per GOP majority in the senate?) - make it clear that you, the GOP in congress, are LESS concerned about doing the peoples' business than you are about pushing a radical judicial agenda. That will have a nice echo effect during the next elections.

[Vidar]

25. Shut it down. It's not like they do anything worthwhile.

[onehandle]

26. Shut it down. Shut down all of D.C. Keep it shut down until the end of 2008.

Nothing would be better for us than that.

The only down side is that public prosecutions and questioning of Bush administration lackeys would come to a halt.

[Vinca]

27. Shut it down. The Republicans vote down any good legislation anyway. nt

[jollyreaper2112]

28. call their bluff

Wrestle these asshole republicans to the mat and geld them with pinking shears. Oh, wait, what am I saying? This is the Cave-on-Everything Congress. Nevermind.

[Ilsa]

31. I wonder if Heather Poe and Mary Cheney would like to take a stand on Southwick.

That's what I'd really like to see.

[Dr Fate]

32. I know- let's politely ask them to "keep their powder dry" like we were nice enough to always do.

Surely they will listen to us if we speak ask them nicely, in a hushed, lispy voice.

[rocktivity]

33. Go ahead, make my day!

They've obviously forgotten how good it make the Rethugs look the LAST time they shut down the government...

:evilgrin:
rocknation

[depakid]

34. Sounds like the Republicans are playing to win

any bets on whether the Dem "leadership" rolls over... again?

[roamer65]

35. Good. Shut it down and no war funding after Sept!

[appleannie1]

36. Good reason not ok that idiot

As a judge on the Mississippi Court of Appeals for over ten years, Judge Southwick
amassed a record that favored business and insurance interests, at the expense of workers,
consumers and other victims. In fact, he voted for those interests 89 percent of the time in 180
published split-decision torts and state employment law cases. Moreover, his decisions
involving racism in the workplace, the qualifications of gays and lesbians to be parents,
women’s property rights following the dissolution of a marriage or relationship, and allegations
of racial bias in jury selection, raise questions about his commitment to equal dignity and equal
justice. This report addresses specific cases which raise concerns about Judge Southwick’s
suitability for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench.

http://www.independentjudiciary.org/resources/docs/PreliminaryReportSouthwick.pdf A typical Bush choice

[badgervan]

37. Shut 'er Down, Good 'Ol Boys....

... dig yourselves deeper into that miles deep hole that you are already in. Amazing how these bushie clowns, with less than 30% approval from us, simply will not admit that they are wrong, and continue to do the exact opposite of what we, the vast majority of Americans, want them to do. I have a strong feeling that the November '08 elections will relegate the repubs to obscurity for a long, long time. Pompous fools. Keep on digging, boys - and say goodbye to power and the good life.

[David__77]

38. Let them.

The public will punish them. Bush is caca in the public's eyes right now. Let them yoke themselves to that sickly ox.

[TankLV]

39. Shut it Down! Call their bluff! Use that damn "power" ya got kept dry!

Prediction: Dems will cave yet again...

HELP WANTED: Spines in urgent need for transplant IMMEDIATELY! Send to: Democratic Party Leadership, US Congress, Washington DC...

[spotbird]

42. You're right that the Democrats

will cave. It's so sad.

[Nikki Stone1]

40. Nuclear option? Shutting down the government? What is the GOP, the party of toddlers?

We don't get our way, we smash your tricycle?

My only worry is that Liebershit might go along with this one.

[spotbird]

41. Looks like they don't see a need to keep their

ammunition dry.