WP: GOP Moderates Wary of Filibuster Curb

[kskiska]

A Few Holdouts Could Block Move to Cut Off Debate on Judicial Nominees

The Senate Republican leader's threat to outlaw filibusters of judicial nominees is running into significant resistance from his party's moderates, who may be poised to quash the GOP's most potent and controversial option for dealing with Democratic opposition to conservative judges.

A handful of party centrists have expressed varying degrees of opposition to the idea of changing Senate rules to bar filibusters of judicial nominees, including those to the Supreme Court. With Republicans holding a 55 to 45 majority, they can lose no more than five colleagues on the issue, assuming that the Democrats and independent Sen. James M. Jeffords (Vt.) stay united, as many expect.

In recent interviews and statements, four Republican senators have expressed deep reservations about the "nuclear option." At least two others appear to be leaning against it, although less definitively, and several have refused to state a position publicly.

The question appears headed for a showdown in the Senate, where Democrats infuriated Republicans last year by using the filibuster -- a time-honored delaying tactic -- to prevent votes on 10 of President Bush's appellate court nominees. Democrats said the conservative appointees were outside the political mainstream; Republicans said Democrats were abusing parliamentary rules to deny the nominees a yes-or-no confirmation vote.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12517-2005Jan15.html

[UpInArms]

1. overreaching and hubris will bring the

GOP to its knees and it shall never walk again.

Go ahead, you fools, you won't be the majority forever. The public is catching on to your hypocrisy in a big way.

[TexasLawyer]

4. The criminals can do anything they want

if they can keep their hold on the ballot boxes. The power to count votes your own way (i.e., so that you always win) is the power to do as you please, hubris or no.

[proud patriot]

2. So the Liberal republicans are feeling a bit uncomfortable

The radical pukes make me uncomfortable too .

[stackhouse]

3. anything to screw bush at his expence

every senator should have the right to filibuster pork bills and pork nominee's......any thing to screw bush

filibuster filibuster filibuster filibuster filibuster

[coloradodem2005]

5. Glad to see some people feel that way.

n/t

[Pushed To The Left]

6. Moderate Republicans should

band together with the Democrats in this fight against the radical right. Not only should they stop the "nuclear option", but they should join with the Democrats in voting against and filibustering the extremist judicial nominees!

[aquart]

7. Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure.

Don't stand under the flying pigs.

[snippy]

8. Why should Bush be entitled to be the only president in US history

not to have some of his judicial nominees blocked? He already has had a near record percentage of his nominees confirmed. His nominees have been confirmed in greater numbers and at a much higher percentage than Clinton's. We now have a near record LOW number of vacancies on the federal courts.

http://democrats.senate.gov/dpc/dpc-doc.cfm?doc_name=fs-108-2-197

http://www.civilrights.org/issues/nominations/details.cfm?id=24008

Could republicans be lying to the American people about this issue?

[renegade000]

10. republicans...lie? NAAAAAAAHHH

:eyes:

[struggle4progress]

9. kick

[w4rma]

11. Bring. It. On, 'Pukes. (nt)

[Rose Siding]

12. Uh oh. A few more deals to be made.

...a few more favors, a few more threats.