Don't believe the RW spin, Repukes HAVE filibustered

[Nutmegger]

From MediaMatters:

In fact, while Democratic senators used the filibuster to block 10 of Bush's 229 first-term judicial nominees, it was Republicans who first initiated a filibuster against a judicial nominee in 1968, forcing Democratic president Lyndon Johnson to withdraw the nomination of Associate Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas to be chief justice.

~~Snippy-Snip~~

A June 29, 2003, report by the progressive advocacy organization People for the American Way (PFAW) also pointed out: "As recently as 2000, cloture votes were necessary to obtain votes on the nominations of both Richard Paez and Marsha Berzon to the Ninth Circuit." PFAW noted that current Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, now a primary critic of Democrats' opposition to Bush's judicial nominees, "was among those voting against cloture" -- in other words, supporting a filibuster -- on the Paez nomination.

~~Snippy-Snip~~

Republican-controlled Senate prevented approximately 60 of former president Bill Clinton's nominees from receiving a vote on the Senate floor, and in many cases, even a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. And despite Democrats' opposition to a few of Bush's nominees, The Washington Post pointed out in a December 13, 2003, article that "confirmation of Bush nominees exceeds in most cases the first-term experience of presidents dating to Ronald Reagan."

~~Snippy-Snip~~

Senate Republicans under Clinton strictly enforced a "blue slip" rule, which, as The Washington Post explained, is a process in which a senator from a nominee's home state can block a nominee by failing to turn in "blue approval papers that senators are asked to submit on nominees for federal judgeships in their states."

Read the full article: http://mediamatters.org/items/200503010003

Not only have filibusters been attempted against judicial nominees in the past, but Frist himself has even voted for one. In 2000, after Senate conservatives had held up Bill Clinton's nomination of Richard Paez to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit for four years, Frist joined in an unsuccessful attempt to filibuster Paez -- a judge who was favored by a clear majority of the Senate and who won confirmation after the filibuster was broken by a vote of 59 to 39.

~~Snippy-Snip~~

Senate Democrats have relied on filibusters to block judicial nominees far more often than have minority parties in previous congresses. But there's good reason for this: Republicans have steadily done away with every other Senate rule that allows minorities to object to judicial nominees -- rules that Republicans took full advantage of when they were the ones out of power.

~~Snippy-Snip~~

Originally, after Republicans gained control of the Senate in the 1994 elections and Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch assumed control of the Judiciary Committee, the rule regarding judicial nominees was this: If a single senator from a nominee's home state objected to (or "blue-slipped") a nomination, it was dead. This rule made it easy for Republicans to obstruct Clinton's nominees.

~~Snippy-Snip~~

But in 2001, when a Republican became president, Hatch suddenly reversed course and decided that it should take objections from both home-state senators to block a nominee. That made it harder for Democrats to obstruct George W. Bush's nominees.

~~Snippy-Snip~~

When Democrats were in the majority, Republicans defended these traditional Senate rules and used them freely to block judges they had strong objections to. But when they became the majority party themselves, they gradually decided the rules should no longer be allowed to get in the way of unbridled majority power. It was only after Democrats were left with no other way to object to activist judges that they resorted to their last remaining option: the filibuster.

~~Snippy-Snip~~

Given this history, fair-minded Republicans would be better advised to restore some of the rules they themselves once defended so fervently than to attempt to tear down the last one remaining. After all, no majority lasts forever.

Read the full article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50120-2005Jan30.html

[joefree1]

1. Hey get rid of the filibuster and give more power to the Presidency

We'll love it when we take back the congress and the Presidency in 06 and 08.

Good post Nutmegger. Too bad the repukes have no use for the truth or history.

[Nutmegger]

2. Thank you joefree1

The enablers have their "Repuke goggles" on so tight that it prevents them from seeing how corrupt and sly these pukes are.

:hi:

[Blue_In_AK]

3. They do have very short memories, don't they?

[thefool_wa]

4. Its not a case of short memory

Its more a case of selective memory, as in they only select to remember what was done before if it suits them now. They blast a filibuster as an "obstructionist stunt" until they need one to stop something they disagree with.

There should be a law against political rhetoric and there should be a points system for political lies. You get 100 points and you are barred from public service FOREVER!

Of course that means that almost no-one in Washington will be allowed to run for re-election in about three months, but maybe new blood is what we need.

[DemGirl7]

5. Of course the Repugs have filibustered nominees in the past

And they know they have, but this is just like the pot calling the kettle black. Because it is ok for them to filibuster, but not the Democrats. And they use this whole argument also about judicial activists. Its ok for them to have a bunch of judges on their side that are judicial activists, but are called "Strict Constructionists" instead, all the while they maintain that only liberals are judicial activists.
Yes I know the Rightwing's hypocrisy is nauseating.

[bklyncowgirl]

6. Blue slip rule--Senator from home state can block nominee---Say What?

Would that be before--or after the nominee goes through the hearing.

This sounds like if both home senators oppose the nominee he's toast. Both of New Jersey's Senators are Democrats--if they 'blue slip' him could that automatically block Alito.

Now this sounds sort of crazy and the article says that the Republicans changed the rule when a Republican president got elected but what if the Democrats tried to use it like they did when Reid used some obscure rule to shut down the Senate.

Does anyone know anything about this?

[Nutmegger]

7. Some "blue slip" info

http://www.dailykos.net/archives/002630.html
http://www.needlenose.com/node/view/1394
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0101-01.htm