My email to Lou Dobbs, re: coverage of Miers withdrawal

[krkaufman]

Some food for thought, since you're not likely to hear this perspective in the mainstream media. In my opinion, this hypocrisy regarding the up-or-down vote needs to be trumpeted as a talking point, as a preemptive strike in preparation for the upcoming nomination battle -- and likely threats of executing the "nuclear option."

--begin--

Re: tonight's (Lou Dobbs) show; specifically the Dobbs/Henry discussion on the Miers withdrawal.

While hypothesizing about the *possible* future Democratic filibuster of a *yet-to-be-named* backup Supreme Court nominee and the Republicans exercising the so-called "nuclear option" (breaking long-standing Senate rules), as a response, both Dobbs and Henry failed to state the rather obvious hypocrisy highlighted by the Miers withdrawal.

The "nuclear option" has been suggested as a mechanism to prevent the filibuster of a President's judicial nominees, allowing an "up-or-down vote" on the Senate floor for the President's nominee. Well, haven't we just seen the radical Right-Wing of the Republican Party refuse to allow such an up-or-down vote? Hasn't the radical Right-Wing of the Republican Party just negated their right to decry the Senate filibuster as a blockade against the holy up-or-down vote?

Isn't this hypocrisy of the radical Right Wing, just weeks after clamoring for the right to an up-or-down vote, a bigger story than hypothesizing about a possible filibuster of an unknown candidate?

Thanks for your insightful and balanced coverage of this issue, CNN.

--end--

p.s. Lest we forget, the RRW has also railed against the Senate Judiciary Committee voting to prevent a nominee from reaching the Senate floor for a vote, so it's not just the filibuster to which they're opposed. The Committee vote is less relevant, at present, due to the Republican majority in the Senate -- and, therefore, in the Committee. The fact that the RRW didn't need to resort to blocking the nomination at stage 2 or 3 (Committee or filibuster), doesn't change the fact that their revolt successfully blocked an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor for the President's choice for the Court.