Grassley Fumes At Democrats’ Nuclear Option Filibuster Threats Over Judicial Nominee

[DonViejo]

The confirmation debate over President Obama’s nominee to the country’s second highest court, Sri Srinivasan, is escalating tensions over the Senate filibuster and causing Republicans to openly wonder if they should have invoked the “nuclear option” when they had the majority.

Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) temper flared after Democrats threatened Wednesday to invoke the “nuclear option” and weaken the minority’s filibuster powers if Republicans block the nomination of Srinivasan to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

“You know what it reminds me of? It reminds me that we Republicans were stupid in 2005 when we didn’t do the nuclear option when they were complaining that ‘you shouldn’t do that, you should never do it,’” Grassley told TPM after the hearing.

At the confirmation hearing Wednesday, Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) accused the GOP of violating the January rules change agreement when they last month filibustered President Obama’s prior nominee to the powerful court, Caitlin Halligan.

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http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/04/grassley-nuclear-option-filibuster-srinivasan.php?ref=fpb

[JoeBlowToo]

1. Repoublicans settings new records for obstruction of nominees...

Still, the judicial arena may offer the starkest illustration of obstructionism: The average wait for confirmation of circuit and district court nominees in Obama’s first term stretched to 227 days, from 176 days in Bush’s first term and 98 days in President Bill Clinton’s first term, according to an analysis by Russell Wheeler, a fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

The Senate waited 487 days after Richard Taranto’s nomination before confirming him on March 11 as an appellate judge, though his 91-0 vote signaled no opposition. Obama’s previous nominee for that post, lawyer Edward Dumont, withdrew his name from consideration after waiting more than 18 months.

No nominee has been confirmed since 2006 for the D.C. Circuit, a feeder for the Supreme Court; four of the top court’s nine current justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts, previously sat on the D.C. Circuit.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-03/obama-pushes-republicans-to-stop-blocking-judicial-picks.html

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. The filibuster has been abused beyond recognition since President Obama took office IMHO

Democrats NEVER went as far as the Republicans have with the filibuster. There is simply no comparison. Instead of simply slowing things down in the Senate, the Republicans constantly throw up stone walls that prevent even normal Senate business from proceeding.