Gore Blasts GOP Bid to Block Filibusters

[AlGore-08.com]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4967031,00.html

By DONNA CASSATA

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Vice President Al Gore on Wednesday blamed Republican ``lust for one-party domination'' for the GOP campaign to change Senate rules on filibustering judicial nominees, and he assailed religious zealots for driving the effort.

Wading into the political fight that has roiled the Senate, the 2000 Democratic presidential candidate and former Tennessee senator warned that altering rules that have served the nation for 230 years would result in a breakdown in the separation of powers.

``What makes it so dangerous for our country is their willingness to do serious damage to our American democracy in order to satisfy their lust for one-party domination of all three branches of government,'' Gore said of the GOP in a speech. ``They seek nothing less than absolute power.''

(snip)

Gore bemoaned the ``outright threats and intimidations'' of judges by some Republicans after recent court rulings, warning that independent judges would cower for fear of retribution.

He also cited recent comments from leaders of two conservative organizations - the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family - about disenfranchising certain courts or denying them funds.

``This aggressive new strain of right-wing religious zealotry is actually a throwback to the intolerance that led to the creation of America in the first place,'' Gore said as many in the audience stood and applauded. The speech was sponsored by the liberal group MoveOn's political action committee.

(More... )

[UCLA Dem]

1. great speech.

[Rainscents]

2. You go Al!!!

[BOSSHOG]

3. Thank you Al Gore

"Intolerance that led to the creation of America" - The livelihood of falwell and dobson and perkins etc.

No offense Tennessee, but how could you give us Al Gore and bill frist?

[ClintonTyree]

4. Thanks Al...

we have to differentiate between the Radical Christian Right who want to rule the country through a Theocracy, and those garden variety Christians that still believe in separation of church and state. Democrats are not against people of faith, but they sure as hell don't want the Ayatollah Falwell governing them.

[LSparkle]

5. Thanks for the heads up -- I'm going to check C-Span for airing

They've run Gore's previous MoveOn speeches.

[AlGore-08.com]

7. C-SPAN recorded it, but has not committed to a time to air it

As soon as C-SPAN has committed to a time, we'll post it. We'll also post a transcript as soon as one is available:

http://www.algore-08.com

[Larkspur]

6. Give 'em Hell, Al!!!

and give raspberries to the RNC spokeswoman
Republican National Committee spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt said that ``if Democrats wonder why they are the minority party, they should look no further than Al Gore's comments today. Americans have moved on, and want their leaders to focus on an agenda, rather than obstruction.''

Americans don't want tyranny on the agenda, screwball.

[jaysunb]

9. A few days ago

this same RNC person said the exact same thing regarding Howard Dean.
Talk about "echo chamber"......jeez

[movonne]

8. great

[indepat]

10. Right-wing religious zealotry: a cancer eating at the heart of this Admin-

istration and Congress which threatens everything this Republic has stood for.

[jwirr]

21. It is not just in this administration and congress.

It is in every level of this country. Look at the school boards! Look at the election boards that helped to steal this election! Look at the city counsel that spends more time worrying about the rock with the ten commandments on it than the homeless under the bridge!

[AlGore-08.com]

11. C-SPAN1 & C-SPAN2 to air Gore's speech tonight (6 pm ET & 8 pm ET)

http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/schedule.csp

Al Gore's April 27th speech against the GOP's proposed "nuclear option" is scheduled to be broadcast today on C-SPAN1 at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT, and later on C-SPAN2 at 8:05 pm ET/5:05 pm PT.

Both C-SPAN1 and C-SPAN2's live, internet feeds can be accessed at C-SPAN.ORG. (Requires either Real Media or Windows Media player.)

http://www.c-span.org/homepage.asp

[dweller]

14. transcript?

i like to read them too.
and send them to my list.
and save them.

thanks
dp

[AlGore-08.com]

18. We'll have a transcript as soon as it's available

And we'll post here when it's ready.

[Griffy]

29. I was there! was good speech.. but ..

He didnt lead.. no instruction really.. He laid out the problem clearly, and was toned down alittle (and shaved) from what I expected, but he didnt cleary say what we can do about it. Move on's protests are great, but is that all... I liked when he was mocking all the "crisis'" that bushco puts out... the crisis is the thief in the WH.

he also said that no one objected to the supreme courts 2000 decision more than him!!

Keep at it AL! this should be your second term!

[Beaverhausen]

12. Go Al. I get so sad thinking of what might be if he was our president

like he should have been when the MAJORITY of americans voted for him in 2000... :cry:

[Va Lefty]

13. Thank You President Gore!!

[Jackson4Gore]

15. Good job covering the speech today guys

I was out all day and was unable. Good to see yall doing a great job!

Chris

[AlGore-08.com]

16. Thanks - - we're all working for the Big Guy

:)

[AlGore-08.com]

17. C-SPAN schedule revised

From C-SPAN.org

Al Gore's April 27th speech against the GOP's proposed "nuclear option" is scheduled to be broadcast today on C-SPAN2 at 8:05 pm ET/5:05 pm PT, and later on C-SPAN1 at 1:11 am ET/10:11 pm PT.

Both C-SPAN1 and C-SPAN2's live, internet feeds can be accessed at C-SPAN.ORG. (Requires either Real Media or Windows Media player.)

Note: C-SPAN schedules are subject to change.

[Virginian]

19. Tweety says Gore was "on fire" today.

He will cover it on Hardball.

[AlGore-08.com]

20. AlGore-08.com now has the transcript posted

http://www.algore-08.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=224&Itemid=123

[Lisa]

22. thanks!

Another great speech from Gore. (And I bet he wrote it himself, too)

[Samantha]

23. What an incredible speech

Gore is in a class by himself.

[AlGore-08.com]

24. Faux News' "fair and balanced" take on Gore's speech (Dole caves)

If anybody had any doubts after his post-political career as a TV pitch man, Bob Dole is a disgrace...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,154846,00.html

Filibuster Fight Extends Beyond Senate

WASHINGTON — Former presidential candidate Al Gore (search) accused Senate Republicans on Wednesday of carrying out the dirty work of right wing heretics bent on undermining the federal courts by seeking an end to Democratic judicial filibusters (search).

Gore said the path to a quasi-Republican dictatorship is paved by an end to judicial filibusters.

"Their grand design is an all-powerful executive using a weakened legislature to fashion a compliant judiciary in its own image," Gore told members of MoveOnPAC (search).

Gore warned that ending the Democrats' novel use of a 60-vote majority to defeat a handful of conservative court nominees would turn Americans over to merciless corporations and religious zealots.

"America would face the twin dangers of an economic blueprint that eliminated most all of the safeguards and protections established for middle-class families throughout the 20th century and a complete revision of the historic insulation of the rule of law from sectarian dogma," Gore said.

Gore's protests nothwithstanding, former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (search) set aside earlier misgivings and endorsed a move to abolish judicial filibusters. Dole said he preferred a negotiated settlement but concluded that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist had the right to end what he called unconstitutional Democratic obstructionism.

(More - - if you can stand it... )

[ngGale]

25. Good for you, Al...

tell it like it is.

[magellan]

26. AL ROCKS

I can see what needs to be done now. Whenever the Rethugs go on one of their whining binges about the Dems, we just need someone with the guts to speak out and make more sense than they do. Al Gore is one of a handful of Dems who can do both these things without breaking a sweat.

Al is (still) my President. :)

[AlGore-08.com]

27. LA Times weights in

http://www.latimes.com/features/religion/la-na-judges28apr28,1,1530583.story?coll=la-news-religion&ctrack=3&cset=true

Gore Criticizes Republicans on Filibuster Issue
Former vice president says senators trying to forbid the practice in judicial nominations are misusing religion and threatening democracy.

By Maura Reynolds, Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Al Gore entered the debate over judicial filibusters Wednesday, accusing Republican senators of being in thrall to religious zealots and damaging American democracy "in order to satisfy their lust for one-party domination of all three branches of government."

"Their grand design is an all-powerful executive using a weakened legislature to fashion a compliant judiciary in its own image," Gore told an audience of 700 Democratic activists from MoveOn.org's political action committee.

(snip)

"Long before our founders met in Philadelphia, their forbears and ours first came to these shores to escape oppression at the hands of despots in the Old World who mixed religion with politics and claimed dominion over both their pocketbooks and their souls," Gore said.

To lengthy applause, he added: "This aggressive new strain of right-wing religious zealotry is actually a throwback to the intolerance that led to the creation of America in the first place."

(More... including an absolutely insane assertion by the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins that "Al Gore and some of the Democratic senators made this debate about religion; we didn't"... )

[Rose Siding]

28. Santa Feans demonstrate against GOP filibuster ban

snip>
On Wednesday, about 50 local residents protested the rules change in front of the U.S. Courthouse in Santa Fe. Waving handmade signs printed with "ordinary citizens keep out," "right-wing only" and "no judicial rail-roading," activists spoke out against changing the rules to speed a vote on the controversial judicial nominees. The event was among 183 rallies put on by http://moveon.org at courthouses around the country, said Azlan White, a local activist who organized Wednesday's rally.

"If they wipe out the filibuster, (Republicans) will have the ability to nominate right-wing judges. They can stack the courts," White said.

More than 95 percent of Bush's judicial nominees have been approved, filibuster supporters say, and the nine nominees the Democrats are trying to block are known for their conservative attitudes on issues such as Roe v. Wade, which affirmed abortion rights.

http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/13164.html

[AlGore-08.com]

30. Even the Texas media covers Gore's speech reasonably...

From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/11511602.htm

Gore calls on GOP moderates

From Staff and Wire Reports

WASHINGTON - Former Vice President Al Gore urged moderate Republicans on Wednesday to join Democrats in preserving the right of unlimited debate when the Senate considers President Bush's most controversial judicial nominees.

In a rare public appearance, Gore appealed to "those Republican moderates who are even now considering what is right and what is wrong, looking to the Constitution and looking to their conscience" to join Democrats in stopping Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist from limiting debate on seven Bush nominees Democrats believe are extremists.

(snip)

Gore, in a midday speech sponsored by the liberal MoveOn PAC at a Capitol Hill hotel, said the fight over whether Democrats can filibuster the president's judicial nominees has more to do with raw political power than with long-standing Senate rules.

(more... )