Harry Reid just said he will neither rule-in nor rule-out a Filibuster! n/

[Ian David]

[MsUSA]

1. Could it be possible??

*keeping fingers crossed* for filibuster.

[mom cat]

2. He is playing his cards close to his chest. OR it might be a signal for us

to turn up the heat.

[debbierlus]

3. I will take it as a signal to turn up the heat......

EVERYONE CALL SENATORS, NOW....

GO!

[fooj]

6. Good call!

Peace.

[mom cat]

10. Right on fooj!

[AX10]

4. Both

[pat_k]

22. Three Options: FILIBUSTER, Vote to confirm, OR Get Out!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2388509

[Wordie]

5. Recommended!!!!! Everyone please rate up this post! Thanks, Ian. eom

[TallahasseeGrannie]

7. Please explain to me how the filibuster would work

When would they start it and how long does it last? Is it like the old days when they read the dictionary?

Sorry to be so clueless.

[frylock]

9. it would be cool if someone read a few passages from "the pet goat"..

that would be a real FU to bushco!

[Vinnie From Indy]

14. LOL! That would be great!

kick

[calico1]

17. OMG, I was thinking the same thing!

LOL, that would be great!

[Wordie]

12. When the confirmation goes to the full Senate tomorrow,

there will be a debate. At some point, someone will call for the debate to end (cloture) and a vote will be taken, to see if they have the necessary votes to end the debate. 60 Senators would have to vote to end the debate for cloture to occur. The Dems could block the vote for cloture with only 41 votes, thereby continuing the debate, theoretically forever, I guess. That's a filibuster. The Republicans have 54 vote in the Senate.

There are 44 Dems and 1 Independent (Jeffords). By the rules used in the Senate for decades, a filubuster would effectively block the nominee. But Frist, knowing that the Republicans really want to get their RW nominees onto the bench, has threatened what is called the "nuclear option." Although currently a vote for a Judicial confirmation requires 3/5 of the Senators to agree, a rules change in the Senate only requires a simple majority (50 of the Senators, plus the Vice President, voting as a tie-breaker). Frist's "nuclear option" is to call for a vote to change the rules of the Senate so that only a simple majority would be required for a Judicial confirmation vote, too. Since only that simple majority (51) of Senators is required, and the Republicans hold a majority with 54 votes, Frist might be able to change the rules. If only that simple majority were needed to stop the filibuster, a filibuster could be defeated and Judge Alito confirmed.

The "nuclear option" has been discussed a lot, and many say that a filibuster isn't mentioined in the Constitution anyway, and that justifies the nuclear option, but the option has been possible under Senate rules since 1806, and is not ruled out by the Constitution either. For more into on the "nuclear option," see wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Option

[pat_k]

26. Yup. Voting NO on Alito AFTER voting to End Debate is NOT an Option

They are signaling that they probably have at least 41 Votes Against Confirmation, but that they DO NOT have enough Senators committed to voting AGAINST cloture (i.e., not enough support for a Filibuster.

We need to straighten them out. Voting Against Cloture IS a vote FOR confirmation. They better not try to take the cowardly, hypocritical, and weak "middle ground" of sitting on the sidelines of a Filibuster, and then making a sham "protest" vote.

I've been a broken record, but they have Three Options:

1. Commit to a Filibuster;
2. Vote to Confirm; OR
3. Get Out!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2388509

[Wordie]

29. I *really* want them to filibuster. But they will know whether they can

sustain it, and I personally will trust Reid's judgement on it, even if he decides against. I'll probably complain loudly at the time, but even so, I trust Reid's political instincts a lot.

It's been said repeatedly, but I'll say it again, they are in the minority, and are limited on how much they realistically can do. If they get out too far ahead of the average American, it will work ultimately against them.

This nomination process has shown that the Dems really are willing to lead, and now it's up to us to follow. We need to keep on those phone and internet and FAXes, etc. to let the Senators and other people know about Alito, and why we oppose him, and how strongly.

[pat_k]

30. If they have 41 Votes Against, they are MORALLY Obligated

. . . to Filibuster.

My point is that we need to let EVERY member know that if they are commutted to voting against him, they MUST COMMIT to Voting to Block him (i.e., to vote against ending debate -- to vote against cloture -- to keep the vote from ever GETTING to the floor).

They are sending signals that they intend to make a sham "protest vote" on the floor (and expect to have more than 41 votes), but are NOT going to Filibuster.

If they have 41 Senators committed to voting against his confirmation, then they have 41 Senators that are Morally Obligated to do EVERYTHING in their power to block him.

I think it is critical that we make it clear to them: The ONLY vote we care about is the CLOTURE vote.

Opposing the Filibuster IS Supporting the Nomination. How can someone who paves the way for his confirmation honestly claim to oppose him? If a Senator votes against him on the floor after doing nothing to block the nomination from getting to the floor, their vote on the floor is a lie.

[Wordie]

32. Oh, I'm not saying they shouldn't filibuster...

See my thread here:
(Dems to Frist: WE CALL YOUR BLUFF! (They need to shout it!)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x229439

Still, I trust Reid's judgement, in the end.

[pat_k]

33. Fair enough -- I'd have more trust if Dems didn't have such a terrible. .

. . . habit of stopping short.

Reid has done some gutsy things, and I hope he can pull off another one. I think we can help him do it.

[Coexist]

13. Here you go, TG

http://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_index_subjects/Filibuster_vrd.htm

Its nothing like Mr. Smith anymore.

[sandnsea]

16. It's the cloture vote

When they vote to close the debate and send the vote to the open senate, 41 no votes stops the final "upperdown" vote. There aren't any taking over the senate type filibusters anymore, although I'm not exactly sure what would happen if a senator just refused to yield the floor when his time was up

[stevedeshazer]

24. Try this, a pretty good explanation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filibuster_(legislative_tactic)

[Wordie]

8. That was said in the Dem press conference just now, was it? eom

[KharmaTrain]

11. The Clock Is Ticking...

The fact ScAlito wasn't sailed through last year should be considered somewhat a victory as all the votes were there then as there are now...just that this regime, in light of earlier scandals and the embarassment (?) of the Myers fiasco wanted things to cool off. Now they're hot to get this puppy done before the State of the Union and the other shoes drop on the many scandals festering around almost every sector of this regime and the Repugnican party.

This is a race against the polls...and to get this vote out of the way before it becomes an election issue...or a bigger one than it is now. As the scandals winds howl louder...the pressure on Congress and especially the Senate to show some "balls" will become apparent. Also the GOOP is fracturing...from immigration to budget defecits to illegal spying, the "base" is starting to turn on itself and if this nomination gets stalled, it could lead to a real fracture inside the party.

Stay tuned...

[TallahasseeGrannie]

15. Okay, I just read on MSNBC that it should be over

by the end of the week.

Can you elaborate a bit more for me? I'm losing the chronology.

[mom cat]

19. That is what the MSM sources want us to believe!

[ClayZ]

18. Snow Falling on Cedars!

Come on .... FILIBUSTER already... They are getting the camps built!

[longship]

20. He won't say that they'll filibuster.

But he *would* say that they *won't* filibuster. This means that the Dems likely *will* filibuster Alito.

[Craig3410]

21. Bull; he's just saying this to placate us.

They're not filibustering; although I'd really, really like to be wrong, they ain't filibustering him.

[Wordie]

23. If they say things like that, and I knock myself out trying to help make

it happen, but then *don't* filibuster, I will hardly be "placated." I will be one unhappy camper.


They better filibuster! And I think maybe it will depend on the circumstances of the full Senate hearings tomorrow and on during the week. If they were ruling it out completely, and figured it was a done deal, I think they would say that. It looks to me that it isn't certain, but not ruled out either. That's good enough for me.

[mandyky]

25. Was the Reid speech already on CSpan?

I missed it. Hope they show it again later or put it on the site.

[joanski0]

28. Yes. The press conference started at 2:00

and was over at 2:30. When Harry Reid cut it off, he angrily said something like, "we only had this room for 1/2 hour. We don't run this place, you know."

Reid also seemed very angry to me when he answered the reporter who asked about whether they would filibuster. I'm thinking that they might filibuster, because Chuck Schumer said Alito was out of the mainstream.

[Just Me]

27. I no longer doubt Alito would constitute "checkmate" for neoconster,...

,...absolute power eg converting a presidency into a dictatorship whenever the president "sez" he's acting under his war powers.

Got fascism? If Alito's allowed in, we WILL have fascism and have little ability to stop it for awhile.

[samhsarah]

31. Thanks for the heads up, Ian...

This is good news.....It's far from over guys....DON'T GIVE UP NOW!!!!!

[Indy Lurker]

34. What happened to the Gang of 14?

If those 7 Dems don't go along, there's not enough vots to Filibuster.

[Voltaire99]

35. How bold! Seize the high ground of non-commital hesitation, Harry!

He doesn't just lead--he doesn't rule out not not leading, either!