Frist promises to trigger “nuclear optionâ€
By on Dec 11th, 2005 at 3:35 pm
Frist promises to trigger “nuclear optionâ€
if senators filibuster Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.
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If anyone deserves to be filibustered, it's Alito.
December 11th, 2005 at 3:50 pmWe already know he is a kitten killer so I believe him when he says he will use the nuclear weapon.
December 11th, 2005 at 4:05 pmIt's unbelievable the wanton hubris of these guys.
When the checks and balances we have built into the system impacts their almighty totalitarian rule, they threaten to remove the checks and balances themselves.
This is totalitarianistic rule. Imperial hubris.
December 11th, 2005 at 4:12 pmI think he is blowing smoke for Faux News. I don't think he has the balls or even the votes.
December 11th, 2005 at 4:19 pmFrist will say anything, except the truth. Please note that he is making this announcement three weeks in advance of the hearing, and at least a full month before the vote.
Perhaps by the end of January, he will find that he has been indicted. What good news that would be. He has told everything but the truth about his investments.
December 11th, 2005 at 4:33 pmWhy is Frist promising a filibuster now? Aren't they going to be on vacation until the end of January? (Not that they work so hard that they need 6 weeks off.)
December 11th, 2005 at 4:41 pmIs the SEC going to make more trouble for him before the end of January?
Will someone please, in the most basic terms that even my gramma can understand, explain what the Nuclear option is? Sorry for not being in the know, but I do think I represent most Americans who just can't follow politics with all it's insider jargon. It sounds like the Rs are thinking about bombing congress. (Now please understand that I wouldn't put it past them, but I'll bet it's something else. Maybe they will bomb prisons, so they don't have to go there?) ;)
December 11th, 2005 at 4:41 pmThis is him just blowing smoke. They dare not attempt this, as it will surely come back to haunt them when they are in the minority. It seems as though they will threaten and scream and promise, but will not go through with it. Nobody's that stupid to eliminate this check on power...
December 11th, 2005 at 4:46 pmBill Frist is right. I demand that Harriet Miers gets the up or down vote that all Supreme Court nominees deserve!
December 11th, 2005 at 4:48 pmThe Nuclear option refers to the Senate, voting out the filibuster all together.
See right now, the Repubs are the majority, so one of the only tools the Democrats have from allowing the repubs to make any laws, pass any bills, etc, is the filibuster.
If the Dems try to filibuster Alito, or any candidate for that matter apparently, then the repubs will vote down the option of the filibuster, thus removing a pivotal check and balance in our legislative branch of government.
December 11th, 2005 at 4:52 pm#7--it's an attempt for R's to--when the Dems filibuster Alito--suddenly say "Well, we now think filibustering is illegal". In other words, when the Dems use their rightful ability to block Alito, the R's will simply change the rules and say the Dems can no longer have that power. It's called the Nuclear Option because it's such a radical, partisan, selfish, and unprecedented screw-job on the Dems that the result in Congress would be similar to a Nuclear Bomb. Meaning, it will destroy friendships, bipartisian support for anything, trust, respect, etc.
What the R's don't seem to notice/care is that it'll end up hurting them when a Dem Prez needs to install his/her own judges. They'll be powerless to filibuster then, too.
December 11th, 2005 at 4:53 pmDoes that help Jim?
December 11th, 2005 at 4:54 pmAnd it's a terrible commentary on just how this Christian Conservative right is seizing any power they can possibly grab and slowly strangle the last bastions of liberty left in our country.
They are like a college kid with a credit card, and they are not gonna stop till the max it out.
December 11th, 2005 at 4:58 pmAnd you know Punchy and Jim, (sounds like a show:) they hate liberals.
They hate liberals, because liberal is a derivative of liberty, and they apparently don't want any of that on their watch.
One might say, "they hate us for our freedom"
December 11th, 2005 at 5:00 pmI believe that to end a filibuster under the current rules, rules that have been in use since the beginning of the Senate, requires 60 votes in favor of ending the filibuster.
The Nuclear Option is to change the Senate rules so that a only a simple majority vote of 51 votes can end a filibuster. This removes the minority, any minority such as the Republican before they won control of the Senate, last tool to stop the majority from "Bullying the minority" and pass all things the majority wants without the minority party being able to stop it.
The use of the filibuster is the minority's tool to force the majority to moderate it use of power. That ability to force a moderation of policies and laws and the use of power benefits the country, as it has since we started this country.
December 11th, 2005 at 5:06 pmJim,
Will someone please, in the most basic terms that even my gramma can understand, explain what the Nuclear option is?
The Nuclear Option.
The nuclear option is a controversial phrase used to refer to a change in the U.S. Senate rules to prevent the filibuster of judicial confirmations. Also known by the controversial term constitutional option, it is an American political code word used during the 2005 judicial confirmation political fight.
Currently, Senate rules allow any member to prevent a confirmation vote of a Presidential appointee by staging a filibuster. The filibuster can be overridden by a three-fifths majority (60 out of 100 senators) vote via a cloture motion. The nuclear option would involve changing current rules to allow a simple majority (50 out of 100 senators, plus the Vice President) to end a judicial filibuster. Once cloture is achieved, the nominee would be confirmed or rejected by a simple majority vote. Controversially, the nuclear option would not involve changing Senate Standing Rules by means of the method that those rules currently stipulate (as this requires a two-thirds majority). Rather, an unprecedented procedure would be used by means of which the current rule on judicial filibusters would be declared to be unconstitutional.
There is much more here...
December 11th, 2005 at 5:08 pmBut what do the Reslugicans care about checks and balances built into the system (i.e., the Consitituion). Dumbya himself thinks the Consitution is nothing "but a God damn piece of paper". And AG Gonzoles thinks the Constitution is an outdated document. Crap, where is that link?
December 11th, 2005 at 5:15 pmHere's the link to that Goddamned piece of paper:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_doug_tho_051211_bush___constitution_.htm
December 11th, 2005 at 5:19 pmMay be the senate ethics committeeshould look into hus financial dealings . Curious , can any member call for an investigation by said committee ?
December 11th, 2005 at 5:22 pmMaybe if we give Alito a few years,
December 11th, 2005 at 5:40 pmhe can figure out how he stands on
constitutional issues and whether
he was misleading in the 80's
or misleading now.
Then maybe he might be considered for
SCOTUS.
Since when do Republicans care about minorities or being in the minority? The Nuclear Option is just another way to make sure they remain in power and that their power remains unchecked. What we have here folks is fascism creeping in on cats paws. So much for representative democracy....it was nice while we knew ya!
December 11th, 2005 at 5:56 pmF-I-L-I-B-U-S-T-E-R.
December 11th, 2005 at 5:58 pmThat's right. Blow up the Senate for the child abuse candidate. Frist is out of touch.
December 11th, 2005 at 5:59 pmSo now that the opponents have been threatened, what are they going to do? They ought to put out an organized, coherent, comprehensive, whithering and irrefutable set of reasons why they oppose -- and few should appear on every news program to make known why this guy isn't suitable. Show the American people what a low-life Frist is for his beliefs and for threatening people who disagree.
December 11th, 2005 at 6:34 pmI don't know if it's a threat. Nowadays, the only way you can show support for the GOP is to threaten nuclear. It's a corner they've painted themselves into.
December 11th, 2005 at 6:41 pmAlito needs to be filibustered just to drag this nuclear option shit out for a spin and see how it goes. RepubCo is going to threaten to nuke the filibuster every time it might be trotted out. It's like we have to save the filibuster for one last critical symbolic hurrah before it gets torpedoed and sinks out of sight. The Group of 14 has no cohesion. They'll all skitter back to their corners if the shit hits the fan. Alito's no good. It's time for Dem's to show some backbone whatever the outcome. Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead.
December 11th, 2005 at 7:39 pmAlito needs to be filibustered just to drag this nuclear option shit out for a spin and see how it goes. RepubCo is going to threaten to nuke the filibuster every time it might be trotted out. It's like we have to save the filibuster for one last critical symbolic hurrah before it gets torpedoed and sinks out of sight.
The Group of 14 has no cohesion. They'll all skitter back to their corners if the shit hits the fan. Alito's no good. It's time for Dem's to show some backbone whatever the outcome. Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead.
December 11th, 2005 at 7:43 pmsorry about the double comment, it seemed like it hadn't gone through.
December 11th, 2005 at 7:47 pmI wonder if anyone has told Frist that he is a loser and has lost his power...
Could someone please tell Frist that he's on his last leg and his only concern should be the purchase of soap on a rope.
December 12th, 2005 at 12:49 amSorry guys. Maybe after Justice Stevens steps down next June will their be any groundswell against conservative judges.
Liberals are only scared because they are about to have their favorite toy taken away - the Federal Courts. Had they played by the rules the past forty years and this might not be so scary for them. Hopefully, the right wing on the Court is not as activist as the left. However, just to teach liberals a lesson, I hope it is. Liberalism is slowly being dismantled and as Justice of the Supreme Court, I will continue that.
December 12th, 2005 at 8:43 amLet's go! Bring it on! They seem to be in a race to the bottom, anyway, so maybe this is the push that send them there.
At least they aren't calling it the (sic) "Nook-yoo-lar" option.
December 12th, 2005 at 9:40 amBack when the pukes were using the filibuster they demanded that the vote not be three fifths, or 60 votes, they wanted the non-sensical number of 67 votes before the filibuster could be broken.
They are really fair minded arent they?
December 12th, 2005 at 9:57 amBTW - I read in SLATE this morning that the WH Staff thought that the prez might be down a bit, so they all started a campaign to cheer him up, but it was not needed.
The propaganda is that the prez is right on top of everything and is doing well. He is reading military history about other commanders in chief who were un-popular.
Can anyone imagine Bush reading something as dry as military history? I cant. Number 1, he could not comprehend what he was reading. Number 2, it must have been the bible they saw him reading.
Right on top of everything eh? What about NOLA, oh, I see, that involves a lot of poor black folks. Nothing for him to do there, his budget is all torn to hell so how could he possibly help a large portion of the population that was not rich and white?
December 12th, 2005 at 10:17 amI really think we'd win this one if & when it comes down to filibuster (it will). Not only win it in the Senate, but in the minds of the American people too. They are more conservative than we here at TP, but they are way more moderate than bushco or the reichtwingnuts that foam at the mouth here daily (too many to name, you all know 'em). No, this could be a win/win for progressives and the Democratic Party (not that they are my pride and joy, but if they help me defeat bushco, I'm with them).
It'll be curious to see who bush will nominate after Alioto gets borked.
December 12th, 2005 at 11:02 amFrist is an idiot. However, like most Republicans he can't see past the end of the quarter. Next year will be an interesting year for the minority party, especially so if it's the Repubes. Activating the Nuclear option could just be what the nation needs.... to get the progressive movement going.
December 12th, 2005 at 11:23 am#35 - good one. Alito will not be Borked. Please cooperate or be nuked. The GOP majority will be in place for the remainder of Bush's term and there will likely be two more retirements - both from the liberal wing - before Bush leaves office. Understand this - it is not changing.
Conservatives have the power - see Miers. Liberals have Hollywierd and Ralph Neas - great for a good laugh, but not likely to change the outcome of Alito's fate.
December 12th, 2005 at 12:09 pm37-Blow me troll.
December 12th, 2005 at 12:16 pm#38 - that's an argument you use when you LOSE.
December 12th, 2005 at 12:20 pmIf you post anything tangible, I'd talk to you. You are only posting bullshit and baiting folks.
Blow me loser. Alioto will be borked.
December 12th, 2005 at 12:36 pmCan we fillibuster republicans?
December 12th, 2005 at 1:24 pm#40 - If you use ideology as grounds to filibuster, you will be nuked. The GOP seated Ginsburg with respect knowing that she was on the radical, far-left fringe of this country. Alito is a mainstream conservative. I see no issue except those who are anti-democratic and refuse to accept legitimate elections in America.
December 12th, 2005 at 1:30 pmJustice A - the judiciary comittee found Ginsberg to be a moderate, even though she worked for who was it, the ACLU I think. Additionally, she hasn't shown herself to be "activist" in the sense that conservatives speak of. Admittedly, she has voted in the more liberal wing with most decisions.
Alioto - we KNOW what he believes in and what he wants. The paper trail shows exactly how he would rule in given cases. It's exactly that rigidity that I object to (as well as the positions he chooses to champion). A SCOTUS has to have SOME level of an open mind to hear cases and decide on the merits of the case. You yourself admit that Alioto will rule against abortion (an example. I personally don't believe abortion is the biggest danger we face) ever single time. What really scares me is his willingness to side against the individual and for the government or a corporation every time. You as a conservative should also be fearful of an all powerful state aparatus. I thought "conservatives" considered individual freedom and liberty from a government to be paramount. What happened to you that you side with an all powerful government?
December 12th, 2005 at 4:54 pmif the Reptiles do the nuclear option for the alito nomination then the Demos should start using article 21 again, like Reid did recently, and shut off the Senate, on a weekley if not daily basis.
alito is so conservative he really needs to be filibustered. and the blogs and media need to keep revealing his record and calling it what it is" conservative conservative conservative, just like Knight Ridder did recently.
December 13th, 2005 at 4:23 am