Hutchison ready to go nuclear on bench nomination

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/washington/columnists/tgillman/stories/041005dnnattexwatch.53733.html

It's been almost four years since President Bush nominated Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen for a federal appellate bench – four years of Democratic filibusters and GOP frustration.

Last week, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said she's had enough. She's ready to deploy the ultimate parliamentary weapon, a tactic that would take just 51 votes to change Senate rules to forbid such filibusters. "We should change the rules to ensure that the Constitution is adhered to," she said. "There's nothing nuclear about it."

Most GOP senators say they're willing to go nuclear, though many, including Texan John Cornyn, say they're willing to give Senate leaders more time to work out a compromise.

One reason is that Senate rules leave all sorts of opportunity for the minority to wreak havoc. Some Republicans worry that changing the rules would come back to haunt them if Democrats ever retook control. And they've been hearing from business lobbyists worried about delays in their agenda – a pending highway bill, energy policy, a free-trade pact with Central America, and overhauls of bankruptcy and class-action lawsuit rules. Ms. Hutchison shrugged off these concerns. "If the Democrats bring down government because Republicans insist that the Constitution is adhered to, that is the Democrats' choice," she said.

I don't like Kay Bailey Hutchison one bit and although it pains me greatly to back Perry, I'd even take him over her in this race.

What's going on down there, Texas DUers? Is she favored to unseat Rick Perry, or will he hold out?

Forget those republicons.

IMO, the reason TX repukes want this all to go away is that when TX stats start getting thrown around, they can't blame it on Dems or liberal media making shit up about the state info/numbers, etc...it will be a repuke talking about the stats. There is not a whole lot of bragging ANYone can do down here under the repuke regime and to have a fellow repuke tossing those numbers around is sure to cause someone heartburn. If voters are smart they will tell all the running repukes "yeah, your right, the stats are crappy and WHO do we have to thank for THAT?? The repubs.. so you guys are OUTTA here!!"

http://www.sanangelostandardtimes.com/sast/home/article/0,1897,SAST_4943_3668360,00.html


Speaking to the Association of Texas Professional Educators later, Hutchison criticized Texas' ranking in some education areas, including 50th in high school graduation rates, 48th in SAT scores and 39th in state aid per pupil.

"That is not the record I want Texas to have," Hutchison said.

Next to the Delay scandals, this will be the next best "pass the popcorn" event to watch..Perry and Hutchinson duking it out and trying to win/keep the major TX repuke deep pockets. Maybe we will see more repuke party self-destructing. Wonder how much dirty laundry will be exposed w/ the mud slinging??



http://www.statesman.com/news/content/shared/tx/legislature/stories/03/24hutchison.html

Nearly a year from now — marks the next party primaries in Texas. But count Wednesday as a full-bore warmup if U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas decides to challenge Gov. Rick Perry. Perry's campaign took responsibility Wednesday for videotaping U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's praise of Hutchison, excerpts of which are circulating in an e-mail.

Perry's campaign director, Luis Saenz, had said Tuesday that Perry had nothing to do with the e-mail's distribution. Saenz said Wednesday that the campaign paid $2,000 to a Washington firm, Upgrade Video, to tape the March 3 joint appearance at a Washington museum.

A Hutchison campaign spokesman, questioning the taping, charged Perry forces with "stalking" Hutchison.

Terry Sullivan of Austin, representing Hutchison's campaign for re-election to the Senate, said: "I'm embarrassed they got caught in a lie. I'm a little bit more embarrassed that the governor has nothing better to do than stalk the senator halfway across the country, then be dishonest about it."


(from the same original post's link):

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/washington/columnists/tgillman/stories/041005dnnattexwatch.53733.html


The impending GOP gubernatorial race is putting some of the state's top Republicans in a squeeze.

Take, for instance, James Huffines, chairman of the University of Texas board of regents, an Austin banker and co-chairman of Gov. Rick Perry's last campaign. Last week, he found himself in Ms. Hutchison's Capitol Hill suite for a ceremony marking a deal between UT and Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M. Under an arrangement the senator helped to facilitate, the university's scientists and engineers will collaborate on research and offer peer review to counterparts at Sandia.

Afterward, Mr. Huffines met privately with the senator, emerging oh-so-diplomatic.

"Senator Hutchison and I have worked together for a long time. She's doing a great job for the University of Texas and the state of Texas as our senior senator," he said. "I'm not getting into politics."

I love it.

Go ahead, it won't matter which side is responsible. Think of the money we'll save, no more junkets, studies of the obvious, lame duck bills for the wealthy and powerful. Lets just shut the thing down. Whoever is to "blame" will be doing us a favor.

-- or the infighting among Texas Republicans?

-- here of all stripes.

Except for Lieberman, I really like the Democratic candidates and generally speaking, I appreciate the posters' various and varying views on them.

Wouldn't want to do without it.

Is he's strong on the environment. That's something. The rest... well...

(Wow. I hardly ever say something positive about Joe Lieberman!)

I call her a LIAR just like all Republicans. It is certainly not unconstitutional for the democrats to filibuster a judicial nomination. The President is not the Republican President, he is the American President and for the Republicans to say the Democrats no longer have any say in government is ludicrous.