Remember "The Deal"?

[Dave Reynolds]

Does anyone here still think the gang of 14 did anything but postpone the inevitable?

Or is Alito the "pick your battles" battle? (Finally).

Personally, I wanted the Republican leadership to try the nuclear option BEFORE it was a SCOTUS nomination. If it happens now, not only do we get a radical right Supreme Court justice, we also have the "compromise" judges that the gang of 14 forced down our throats.

I was against the deal then, and my opinion has so far not changed.

[napi21]

1. I'm not sure yet. It depends on what they really do.

I listened yesterday to someone explain what could happen.

If the Gang of 14 holds together, the Pubs won't have enough votes to confirm a nominee or to change the rules, nor will the Dems have the votes for a fillabuster. End result would be no confirmation and no change to the Senate rules.

I never thought of it that way, but they could effectively cripple both parties.

[Dhalgren]

2. Some Republicans in the Gang of 14 have already said that

they would abandon the Gang and vote for Alito's appointment. Whether enough can hang in with the "Gang" to make a difference remains to be seen...

[jobycom]

3. Where do you see that it would have been better without the deal?

Worst case, we are in the same boat, with no difference. Best case, the slight concern amongst BushCo that we could rally public support and pull off a filibuster makes him more careful in his choices, and ultimately gives us the power to kill a bill or a nominee if we catch Bush down in the polls and catch the moderate Republicans less certain of their own party's extremism.

You NEVER EVER win a war by surrendering every single weapon you have. If you can surrender and talk the enemy into letting you keep one weapon, you have a better chance than if you surrender your weapons, too.

[longship]

4. I'm kind of with you on this.

There was a clear line in the sand at the time. Postponing the nuclear option *might* have been a very bad thing.

However, there is still hope. The previous appointments were not to SCOTUS and that is something. Plus, today's political environment might not be compatible with the nuclear option. Or, it might not take this time.

The President is grieviously wounded politically. Everything he touches now turns to shit. Fitzgerald likely will spoil things even more before Alito comes up for a vote (even presuming that happens). By the time all this goes down, there may be no need for filibuster. Or, if the Dems filibuster the Repugs may not have the majority necessary to pull the trigger on the nuclear option.

Spector and Leahy are talking next year for hearings. A lot can change between now and then. That is even likely.

[gratuitous]

5. The Gang of 14 "compromise" might as well have been written on flash paper

Political compromises are some of the most fleeting agreements. Anyone who brings it up should simply be hooted at derisively, much as you would treat someone who seriously expounded on the theory of the Great Pumpkin rising up out of the most sincere pumpkin patch in the world on Halloween night.

All bets are off, all prior agreements are null and void when we're talking about nominations from a criminal enterprise like the Bush White House.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. It was a great deal! Bush got his judges and we got...what was it we got?

Oh, yeah! We got to keep an unusable filibuster!!

It was the usual sellout by the VichyDems of the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.