The 168-4, 98% Isn't Good Enough, 30 Hour Marathon Senate Debate Part #6

Corzine (D - New Jersey) makes the point that 55 of Clinton's nominees weren't even given a hearing.

Senate GOP to counter Dems' filibusters with 30-hour talkathon

By Jon Frandsen, Gannett News Service



<snip>

Democrats, who lost control of the Senate last year after the GOP ran a campaign that accused them of inept leadership, said the theatrics of the all-night session would worsen the bottleneck of legislation.

"This is a carnival that we are creating down there," said Assistant Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "I've never seen such amateurish leadership."

Republicans, who refer to the opposing party now almost entirely as "obstructionist Democrats," say the slow going in general is the Democrats' fault. And they say the 30 hours of debate on Bush's court picks are needed to point out to the nation just how wrong and dangerous Democratic filibusters are. Filibusters involve procedural or other obstructive motions, such as long speeches, to block or delay legislative action.

(more...)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-11-09-congress-talk_x.htm

Thread #5:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=701878

Thread #4:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=700925

Thread #3:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=700249

Thread #2:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=699771

Thread #1:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=699011

Holding down the fort respectably enough.

9 million Americans unemployed. 3 million since Bush. We are talking about those jobs, not the jobs of 4 nominees, particularly when 98% confirmed.

"I can't get a vote to raise the minimum wage." Berates Republicans' priorities.

The president's fans in the U.S. Senate seem fickle about majority rule.

They loved the Electoral College when it allowed George W. Bush to claim the presidency without receiving a majority of the popular vote. But they now hate the Senate filibuster rule, which allows less than a majority to stall a vote. In this case, Democrats are stalling votes on three ultraconservative judicial nominees.

Led by Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the GOP senators are throwing a 30-hour temper tantrum -- wailing like spoiled children because they can't have their way all of the time. Never mind that Democrats have already confirmed 168 of the 172 judicial nominations put forth by President Bush.

The Republicans' pointless pouting session may backfire when Americans learn the real facts. When Bill Clinton was president, the GOP didn't stop at holding up a measly four judicial nominees. They held up 60, refusing to allow committee votes on most of them.

more...

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/1103/13judges.html

I hope to see more like this. Watching this blow up in these sanctimonious pricks' faces would be better than sex.

been there ALL NIGHT? He didn't sleep?

The republicans are going to be really ticked when they're unable to SNEAK in their vote. As it gets closer to the end of this, things will probably get nasty. Time to throw their fits. They will be desperate. Remember Florida, 2000? They broke down doors to stop election officials from counting the ballots? Tom Delay bussed in 100's of people to riot and obfuscate our election process? If these people don't get their way, they will do something to get it. Republicans are like 2 years olds. They think of only themselves, they think everything is theirs, the world revolves around them, they don't want to share, and they throw a tantrum when they don't get what they want. Just imagine what would have happened in the last 3 years if the republicans had had a clear majority in the Senate.

The Dems can't hammer this home enough: "It's ok to filibuster if it fails. It's not ok to use a filibuster if it doesn't succeed."

The republicans filibustered 6 which were not successful. waaaaah! That's not fair! waaaaah!

They blocked 63 of Clinton's nominees.

The Dems are doing a good job of making the repubs look like the fools they are.

The republicans are worried about people like Estrada who make $500,000 a year and we have almost 3 million Americans out of work?

The Democrats are right. The republicans are wrong. Very simple. :7

Later tonight, things should be interseting when the republicans start to feel desperate. Keep the pressure on Democrats!!! :yourock:

I really think we are making headway.

It sure helps when we have a voice to speak.

Mark Pryor (D - Arkansas) getting more experience on the floor...

I wonder if he was expecting to take place in any 4am speeches when he first got elected. My guess is that he was not.

I've been wondering for several hours if I'm strange for finding this whole debate thing amazing and hilarious at the same time. I guess it takes a special kind of political junkie to be amused.

I really wish I had a TV in my room.

-CollegeDude
Instead I just go to sleep

Hm, thanks for the link.

Now I have to decide whether sleep is really all that important or not...

Damn, this is going to be a tough choice. :)

-CollegeDude
No class until 4:30pm

Talking about Leon Holmes from Little Rock. Nominated by Pres. Bush January this year, got out of Judiciary in May, languishing on executive calendar ever since. Sent a letter to Frist & Hatch inquiring re: Holmes nomination--when are they going to bring this nomination to a vote?

Says people think that Dems block every nomination. He says it's not true.

That seems to be the question Pryor is asking.

His point is convoluted. I wish he wouldn't be so nice. Says they need to put things in the past and leave them in the past. Both sides have some responsibility... but the majority of the responsibility rests with the White House.

So I cut him some slack.

He needs to buy a clue from his colleague, Senator Lincoln. You can be charming and conciliatory, but still drive home the point that the Republicans are lying manipulators.

bleah

How many times can we beat this dead horse?

This is nothing but a 30-hour "temper tantrum."

to make the numbers sound more significant.

Of course, you wouldn't want to consider that perhaps Bush has saved the extremists for the Court of Appeals, where they would do the most damage.

And as Durbin pointed out (yesterday, lol), this may be boiling down to Supreme Court nominees. The right is, in effect, trying to stack the courts.

It amazes me how they've been going on all night missing the exact same point. The Repubs seem to think that if Bush's judges aren't confirmed, its a violation of the Constitution. 30 hours of this bullshit? Who's going to pay for this wastied time? We are, that's who.

and thinks he's doing a good job. Enough to make ya sick, 'eh?

he just asked, out of breath, "Mr. President how much longer do I have?"

Sixteen minutes...he looked like he was going to drop.

No stamina, this guy.

No stamina, no REAL convictions.

Droopy...that should be his nickname.

and then some. Wish Talent would talk about Ronnie White and the job Ashcroft did on him. Wish maxine walters was here to get after Mr. Talent.

Senate pulls all-nighter on judicial nominees
JESSE J. HOLLAND, Associated Press Writer

<snip>

"I'm not participating in this, this marathon, talkathon, blameathon, whatever you want to call this. I'm not interested in that right now. I'm interested in the appropriations bill," said Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., who ironically is the owner of the No. 8 spot on the list of longest Senate speeches at 14 hours and 13 minutes. That was long ago against a civil rights bill.

The Democrats named their half of the talkathon "Justice for Jobless" and criticized Bush and the GOP on the economy and the president's conservative nominees.

"Thirty hours on judges?" said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., at the Democrats' late-night rally. "There are 13 million hungry children in America tonight but Republicans don't have time to debate that."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/11/13/national0342EST0449.DTL

husband and wife... someone pays the bills... someone makes investment decisions and the other person just goes along because they're supposed to?

ummm... not in my family Jim... my wife would kick my sorry ass. That's why it's called "advice and consent" dumbass.

Now he's going on, agreeing with Corzine that the pubs are losing perspective. Call me loopy, but I think that might be off script.

I don't think the Repubs counted on the Democrats being as fired up and as passionate and resolute as they have been.

Whoever coordinated the strategy for the Democrats regarding this marathon debate did a good job. Republicans have been using Democratic talking points. Democrats have painted the Republicans as the true obstructionists to all the issues that are of importance to the American people.

All the Republicans can muster is faux outrage and a lot of whining.

This is playing very bad for the Republicans. VERY BAD. EVERY article I've read regarding this debate has painted the Republicans in a negative light. The media will likely eat the Republicans later on today.

Will be interesting to see who will be interviewed, which clips will play.

You are right about melodrama, though...This reeks of it.

Senate debate on judicial nominees has fractious start
By Klaus Marre

After Republicans walked into the Senate chamber together to begin the extraordinary session, Democrats argued that their move was not a show of unity but rather a television stunt orchestrated for Fox News. They pointed to a memo from Manuel Miranda, a staffer for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), which said:

"It is important to double efforts to get your boss to S-230 on time ... Fox News Channel is really excited about this marathon and Brit Hume at 6 would love to open with all our 51 senators walking onto the floor -- the producer wants to know will we walk in exactly at 6:02 when the show starts so they get it live to open Brit Hume's show? Or if not, can we give them an exact time for the walk-in start?"

Democrats had unsuccessfully attempted to delay the debate until 8 p.m. to allow the Senate to first complete its work on the VA/HUD appropriations bill.

But even after the debate began, Democrats kept the heat on their GOP counterparts. As Frist spoke on the floor, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) walked into the chamber with a sign that said: "I'll be home watching 'The Bachelor'," which elicited snickers from the press gallery.

more...

http://www.thehill.com/story.asp?id=139

maybe three after that flap.

He looks and speaks like someone who is hiding something HUGE.

Senate Talkfest Long on Drama, Short on Substance




<snip>

Both sides set up strategy rooms right off the Senate floor with large-screen televisions and props to help make their case to reporters and late-night C-SPAN viewers. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., for example, had a T-shirt saying "We confirmed 98 percent of President Bush's judges" on the front while the back said "and all we got was this lousy T-shirt."

In a show of unity and determination, Republicans told the media they would take breaks on cots outside the chambers as the session wore on, despite having comfortable offices nearby.

"There are 12 to 15 members who have requested cots and we've accommodated them. We'll make sure you get to take a great picture of someone in their pajamas," McConnell told reporters early Wednesday.

Democrats were countering the extra comfort is unnecessary.

"We're tougher than they are, we sleep on the floor," Daschle said.

<snip>

Republicans admit that the effort is not really aimed at the judges up for confirmation, but for those who sit on another court — the court of public opinion.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,102938,00.html

<>

and, somehow, i hear the little space aliens from Toy Story:
"Nirvana is coming. The mystic portal awaits."

Before that, I really had the feeling that only Santorum and Coleman were the guys who thought Judicial Nominees were chosen by the "claw"... "Claw chooses who will go, and who will stay."

This guy is a real nut. I read an article about him last year in which he said that he was driving along one day when suddenly Jesus "came into his heart" and changed his life. Talent said that it was such a powerful experience that he had to pull off the road. And since that moment he's devoted himself to Christ and the conservative movement. :eyes:

he took that day!

while talking about how to balance the Presidential 'appointment' history of the appellate court over the last 30 years. Meaning that the squatter may not get another chance like this one???

Ewww, that's going to piss the hard liners off.

At some point I should just go to bed...the real fireworks will begin again tomorrow.

the dems need to pound on some stuff... wake those cranky old white guys up.

tyr·an·nize

v. intr.
1. To exercise absolute power.


This is about exercising absolute power. That 2% simply cannot be tolerated by the tyrant. This sort of garbage became virtually inevitable when the Repos seized all three branches of gov't.

He graduated from West Point and served as an Army officer for several years. Then, after finishing his Army service, he went on to attend Harvard Law School. A patriot AND a scholar. We're very lucky to have him on our side.

:puke:

:puke: :puke: :puke:

That man makes me ill!!!

fricking smug and arrogant. It is sickning.

I dislike him more than any other Republican Senator. It is sickning really.

He creates bullshit and then fakes outrage at the lies he has created.

in those unscripted moments. He is an arrogant smuck and obsolutely *hates* the democrats. He's such a statesman when he yells and gesticulates with that wild look in his eye (sarcasm). Santorum is the true face of GOP fanaticism.

BTW, who dressed that man this morning? He looks like he lost his luggage and had to borrow clothes from his friends. (Yeah, it's cheap shot but he's worth it). :puke:

Santorum: Constitution says that we MUST support every single Bush judicial nominee without exception. And now he's saying that Democrats are shredding the Constitution. :eyes:

The man is the embodiment of that reknowned Senate decorum isn't he? If he keeps frothing at the mouth someone might mistake him for Old Yeller.

Seriously. One minute he's calm and almost whispering, but a moment later he explodes and starts yelling and waving his arms around. It's kind of scary, really.

Ranting between midnight and 6am does less damage.

Just a glimpse:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Top Democrats and gay rights advocates blasted comments by Sen. Rick Santorum in which he appeared to compare homosexuality to incest, bigamy and adultery, and they called on the Pennsylvania Republican to repudiate the remarks.

One prominent Democratic group Tuesday also called on Santorum to resign his leadership post in the Senate.

Santorum made the comments in question during an interview with The Associated Press. During that interview, Santorum criticized homosexuality as he discussed a pending Supreme Court case over a sodomy law in Texas.

"If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything," Santorum said in the AP interview, which was published Monday.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/04/22/santorum.gays/

Read Dan Savage, The Savage Love column, in The Onion, and you'll know what I mean.

What a babbling idiot, I think he enjoys listening to himself:puke:

According to Santorum people come up to him all the time and say to him "why should judges matter to me"... and his answer, "they shouldnt"

a little disingenuous? nah... i'm sure people ask him whether Miller tastes great or is less filling too.

That didn't take long, did it? :grr: POS :grr:

edit context: he was speaking about Roe v. Wade and the right to privacy arguement.

Those two are prime examples of the erosion of civil rights!

Eroding our society?

I should have known.

And all this time, I had thought that lying, stealing CEOs, corrupt politicians, and the war on society in the name of the Christian right was destroying our society.

The fundamentalist Christians are closer to Fundamentalist Islam than conservative, moderate and liberal Americans.

These repugs in the Senate think they are the moral guides for America.

Truly insane?

Is anyone watching him?

quite insane.

These guys will not give-up over a mere election. The have corrupted the voting process, packed the judicial branch, own the intelligence structures, military, both houses and the executive.

You think they will go quietly into the night, even if they lose in '04.

It is far worse than anybody imagined.

If only they could see how completely out of touch people such as Santorum are. The man actually compared homosexuality to incest!

hopefully Al Jazeera isnt - the last thing we need in Iraq is a middle eastern media outlet to hold this dufus up as representative of what we're proposing to bring to the iraqi people

Looks like a potential narcissistic disorder IMHO.

Moments ago he said that Roe v. Wade, gay rights, and stem cell research (!) are destroying our culture. He really would love to take us all back to the Dark Ages. That's why we have GOT to defeat these lunatics. The American Taliban CANNOT be allowed to prevail.

This sorry saga illustrates that very point.

They don't care about facts.

They don't care about the citizens of this country.

They only care about POWER and getting their way.

Talking about strengthening Medicaid program. Is opposed to block granting the program. Critical to maintain Medicaid program.

I'm shocked!

Bingaham just finished.

...of the Republican party being taken over by far-right zealots and extremists. They expect compromise but won't accept it when it comes their turn.

- I'm glad the Dems are sticking to their 'guns' on this particular issue. It's so obvious the Bushies DEMAND that the Dems rubberstamp their entire agenda...including their hand-picked far-right judges.

Except Zell.

They are fighting. Its about time.

Where the f*ck are the jobs?

HE SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIS REPUBLICAN PARTY TO CUT IT OUT WHEN THEY WERE RIPPING UP THE DIGNITY OF THE CLINTONS!!!

Would December 1,2003 be inconvienent?

for the minority to use in these cases. They have been appropriately selective in their choices of nominations to oppose.

This is democracy in action. I congratulate our representatives for developing the spine to stand strong in opposition.

I saw him about 9 something last night central. He was rigid and vibrating with hate/ritgheous anger. He is one scary person.

I had to turn the TV off, as I couldn't help thinking about how much I wanted to take a baseball bat to him.

Filibuster and Cloture



Using the filibuster to delay debate or block legislation has a long history. In the United States, the term filibuster -- from a Dutch word meaning "pirate" -- became popular in the 1850s when it was applied to efforts to hold the Senate floor in order to prevent action on a bill.


In the early years of Congress, representatives as well as senators could use the filibuster technique. As the House grew in numbers, however, it was necessary to revise House rules to limit debate. In the smaller Senate, unlimited debate continued since senators believed any member should have the right to speak as long as necessary.


In 1841, when the Democratic minority hoped to block a bank bill promoted by Henry Clay, Clay threatened to change Senate rules to allow the majority to close debate. Thomas Hart Benton angrily rebuked his colleague, accusing Clay of trying to stifle the Senate's right to unlimited debate. Unlimited debate remained in place in the Senate until 1917. At that time, at the suggestion of President Woodrow Wilson, the Senate adopted a rule (Rule 22) that allowed the Senate to end a debate with a two-thirds majority vote -- a tactic known as "cloture."


The new Senate rule was put to the test in 1919, when the Senate invoked cloture to end a filibuster against the Treaty of Versailles. Despite the new cloture rule, however, filibusters continued to be an effective means to block legislation, due in part to the fact that a two-thirds majority vote is difficult to obtain. Over the next several decades, the Senate tried numerous times to evoke cloture, but failed to gain the necessary two-thirds vote. Filibusters were particularly useful to southern senators blocking civil rights legislation in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1975, the Senate reduced the number of votes required for cloture from two-thirds (67) to three-fifths (60) of the 100-member Senate.


Many Americans are familiar with the hours-long filibuster of Senator Jefferson Smith in Frank Capra's film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, but there have been some famous filibusters in the real-life Senate as well. During the 1930s, Senator Huey P. Long effectively used the filibuster against bills that he thought favored the rich over the poor. The Louisiana senator frustrated his colleagues while entertaining spectators with his recitations of Shakespeare and his reading of recipes for "pot-likkers." Long once held the Senate floor for fifteen hours. The record for the longest individual speech goes to South Carolina's J. Strom Thurmond who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

:hi:

at least...

Allen & Sessions sound like they have a mouth full of hate.

...McConnell on now saying the Democrats feel 'threatened' by minority and women nominees. They can't seem to help themselves. They can't find any other reason to defend these far-right judges...so they find themselves reverting back to playing the race card.

- It's too bad that American politics has fallen so far that they can't debate on the merits.

I was watching him last night around 12:30 am est.

in support of the democratic senators!

job by introducing his SAFE act and talking about a real plan to actually help manufacturing keep jobs here. I think the Dem Pres. candidates should use this as a talking point. Dems care about all of American but Repugs only care about a few wealthy judges.

We need to rub some noses in this idiocy!

The Thugs have tried to stick to their script, but the Dems have not only highlighted the fact that their little talkfest is harming America, it is harming those whose vote will make a difference next year.

As long as there is no mistake made regarding the votes, this is an abject failure on the part of the Thugs. Highlighting their failures in caring about America and NOT 4 people who have jobs, a meal on their plate every evening, and a guaranteed future, only shows those who have an active brain cell that the Rethuglican Party has THE interests of the Rethuglican Party at heart, not theirs, the electorate who put these morons in a position of wealth and power.


We have here a failure to communicate, and America will NOT stand for it. Count on it.

Maria Cantwell talking about the erosion of our privacy rights and the Patriot Act.

Nothing like turning on the tv first thing in the morning and see your very own Senator (ugh) treating a well meaning Dem with sarcasm.

Allard you're an a-hole!

Alright I'm childish. But his name's Crapo, for Christ's sake.

We've got to support our Democratic senators. I'm in a library right now, otherwise I'd be able to watch.

he is kicking ass again!

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya: