Patterico's Pontifications

5/23/2005

More Pro-Democrat Spin from Ron Brownstein

Filed under: Dog Trainer,Judiciary — Patterico @ 6:30 am



Ronald Brownstein continues the L.A. Times theme: nuclear option bad, “compromise” good. Nuclear option bad, “compromise” good:

Is it possible that any of these titanic Senate majority leaders from years past would abdicate responsibility for resolving the confrontation over judicial nominations, as the job’s current occupant, Tennessee Republican Bill Frist, has done?

Nothing may be more remarkable about this Senate showdown than who is trying to defuse it. Frist, ostensibly the man with the gavel, has thrown up his hands and insisted he cannot reach an agreement with Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) over the Democrats’ use of the filibuster, a procedural maneuver that allows 41 senators to prevent a floor vote, against some of President Bush’s judicial nominees.

That’s left an assortment of mavericks, malcontents, back-benchers, gray eminences and ideological heretics from the two parties to try to settle an unnecessary crisis that could fundamentally alter the Senate’s character.

I am at a loss as to how the nuclear option would so fundamentally alter the Senate’s character, when filibusters against candidates with clear majority support have never happened.

But the Democrats love this spin, since any compromise means they keep the filibuster. You can almost hear Harry Reid whispering in Brownstein’s ear:

Nuclear option bad, “compromise” good.

One Response to “More Pro-Democrat Spin from Ron Brownstein”

  1. The one option I have not heard yet is the “Sustained Low Intensity Nuclear Option”. Basically the Republicans would pass a rule that requires only 50.1% to shutdown a filibuster, but the rule expires in 1 week. Basically, they could pass this rule change every week until the Dems agree to vote NO on the nominees they don’t like.

    Seriously, the whole filibuster debate is turning the country against Congress – and that’s bad for Republicans in ’06.

    Ladainian (91b3b2)


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