Sen Frist Spokesman says Nuclear Option to be exercised on Tuesday.

[Pirate Smile]

precise time TBA. per MSNBC.

[Nite Owl]

1. Was just hearing this on KO

and Craig Crawford said something about the repukes coming up short on the votes? Did you hear that too?

[Pirate Smile]

2. I've been hearing the exact opposite. They have the votes and it

is going to happen.

Tweety said that on Hardball tonight and I've gotten that feeling all day.

Sen Bill Nelson said on the Senate floor that no deal was working out between the people seeking a compromise.

I hope I'm wrong and Dem's have the votes to defeat it.

edit to add - I did hear Crawford say that so I don't know who is right.

[aquart]

8. There is no reasonable compromise to this.

The Republicans don't want reason. They want EVERYTHING.

Give them NOTHING.

[Nite Owl]

25. I can't really imagine that they

would go for the vote if they weren't sure that they had it in the bag. This would be a huge defeat for the WH and the repukes in the Senate. I hope Crawford is right.

[AlGore-08.com]

9. Extremely unlikely that Frist would invoke it without the votes

The far right loves to play the victim, but packing the courts with anti-worker, anti-civil rights yahoos is too important for their corporate masters.

[kaygore]

17. The irony is that all of this supposedly pro-biz stuff is really

anti business. They are so focused on short term goals and making all the money they can before they are fired, that the corporate masters are ruining the golden goose (the U.S.)

Look how they fought against universal health care under Clinton and now they are all sniveling for it.

Why they get the money they do I'll never know. Most of them are selfish, worthless little bastards that are selling all of us down the river for a few pennies.

[Beetwasher]

3. Figured, That's Usually When "The Godfather" is in the Chamber

n/t

[Rainscents]

4. In my heart, I think frist is blowing smoking up his ass...

I really don't believe, he is going to do the nuke. He will break before tuesday. This is my feeling.

[aquart]

6. Welcome to the OK Corral.

I think the prissy ass will do it. Just to prove he's a man.

[UCLA Dem]

5. Do it already!! Why stall? Scared Fristy??

[Rainscents]

7. Thats right............... If he really want to do it, he would had done

it already!

[deanathon]

12. Frist doesn't have the votes

Chafee, Snowe, Mccain, Collins, Hagel, Spector, and Warner are all going to vote against Bush and with Harry Reid. That will leave Frist with only 48 votes, two shy of the nuclear option.

This will make Bush the lamest duck prerosident ever. Bush will have no control over picking the supreme court. He will have to get Harry Reid and Patrick Leahy's approval before picking a supreme court justice.r.

Harry Reid will be the de-facto president in washington and Bush will have no power.

I think Reid will deserve Bush's motorcade before it's all over.

Frist is calling the vote not because he has the votes because as a cbs reporter said it is better to try and lose to not try at all.

The Dobson crowd is forcing this vote, and it will be a huge loss for them, expect a bloodbath in the gop with them targeting rino senators more than the dems.

This will be a historic victory for the likes of Ralph Neas.

[jmaier]

13. Hagel indicated today he'd support Frist

It was covered around the blogosphere, including Kos.

[deanathon]

16. Hagel will vote with Reid

Hagel's spokesperson was quoted as saying that all the judges deserve an up or down vote.

That's nothing new, Hagel has always said that the judges deserve an up or down vote.

But Hagel has repeatedly said we need to protect the rights of the minority. Hagel was on cnn with Carl Levin saying we can't do away with the fillabuster. Then Hagel was on the road to the white house on c-span up in new hampshire saying that getting rid of the fillabuster is wrong.

I think Hagel's remarks have been misunderstood, while he is for an up or down vote he is still very against going to the extreme position of hurting minority rights in the senate.

I will be shocked if Hagel doesn't vote with Reid.

[Rainscents]

18. What state Hagel from?

[Pirate Smile]

20. Nebraska

[Rainscents]

21. Thanks!

[Straight Shooter]

15. I like your optimism, deanathon. *fingers crossed, praying fervently*

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[Rex_Goodheart]

23. I disagree...

I think it's obvious he has the votes. Those fellows you name would not allow their Senate majority leader to be humiliated, and would have already advised him if they planned not to support the measure. They have only held out to this point as a charade... a sham show of moderation... bogus evidence that they only succumbed after great consideration and trepidation, so they can't really be blamed as radicals.

[cascadiance]

26. This is how liberty dies. With Thunderous Applause...

We should all be wearing buttons or t-shirts with that on Wednesday (if it passes). I'll try and get a cafepress.com site up shortly for this if someone else doesn't.

[Marthe48]

33. How about a picture of Liberty wearing a gag

instead of a blindfold?

[Vadem]

29. From your mouth to G_d's ears!! n/t

[fob]

37. Since they're breaking all those rules anyway what will stop them from

declaring 48 Yea votes defeats 52 Nay votes? I full expect them to do one of those voice votes and there will be clearly more NAYS but cheney* will be presiding and will bang the gavel and declare "the Yeas have it" and then run out of the building.

I am completely serious.

[AlGore-08.com]

14. He's stalling so he can spend the weekend being interviewed

On the TV...

[Pirate Smile]

22. Right. They want the theatrics and media frenzy. They may have the

Senate go throughout the night on Monday and then have Darth Cheney in the chamber on Tuesday for the vote.

[malaise]

24. Wait 'til he sees

The MoveOn ad - Save the Republic! - it is fabulous.

[bunny planet]

39. When is it going to run. We need it today, over the weekend and Monday

all day on every channel. Most people who are not politically inclined don't even know what's potentially happening to them.

[EVDebs]

10. Great. Now the "Do Nothing" Republican Congress of 2005 is official

[napi21]

11. I don't believe that. They always do stuff when least expected!

I still think he'll do it as soon as he believes he's got the votes! I doubt he's willing to take a chance of loosing any just to wait until Tues.

[Rainscents]

19. All the Republican Senator from Blue States will be gone in next

election... Especially states that has paper trails on Diebold machines and who don't have diebold machines! Oregan don't have Diebold machines, Republican Senator from OR is a gonner!!!

[Erika]

27. I have no problems with the nuclear option

when considering Bush is sticking extremists in judgeships. The democrats can stop everything by procedural objections and requirements until the next election. Go for it!

It will stop Bush's radical agenda dead in its tracks, which is positive.

Don't you just love the new tone the "uniter" has brought to D.C.?

[Tomee450]

30. I don't believe

for one moment that the Democrats will stand firm and stop every thing. They are going to use the excuse that to slow down the government would be bad for the nation. The Democrats have disappointed me time and time again. I am not optimistic that they will do any better this time. I think it's all talk but I hope I am wrong.

[DoYouEverWonder]

28. What's Frist waiting for?

Bet he doesn't have the votes.

[Marthe48]

31. These guys are the bullies on the playground

Watching them kill our country is like watching a psycho pull wings off a butterfly. Every single one is a traitor.

[barb162]

32. this is totally BAD news; Dems won't be able to block really

bad legislation. Hands tied, legs tied, mouth taped....

[alcibiades_mystery]

34. This has nothing to do with legislation

This is about judicial filibusters.

[cascadiance]

35. This is why the Dems should use procedural rules to shut things down!

COMPLETELY!

Think about the effects of what the Rethugs are trying to do past 2006:

Let's suppose the Dems retake the House and the Senate.

If it is only judicial appointments that can't be fillibustered with the new rules:

1) It won't help the Democrats, since Bush will be making the appointments and will simiply just vote his appointments down or keep them in committee. Come 2008 though, then if the Dems retake the White House and maintain control of congress, then the Rethugs would feel the pain if the same rules are in place and a Dem president nominates judges without Rethugs being able to reject them. That's further out though.

2) Rethugs could still fillibuster Dem legislation at that point, and will have a Rethug president to veto things too.

If the rule change was for all legislation:

1) Not only would Dems be able to squash judicial nominations, but then they could control any filibustering of their legislation going through congress by the Rethugs without any rule changes. Bush would be forced to veto a lot.

I think the Rethugs are only working on judicial filibustering because they are scared of what might happen in terms of 2006 elections with negative impact on voters if they did it to all legislation *and* what that would mean in terms of more loss of control then that they would have instituted themselves by doing so.

Reid should know this and not back down! He needs to keep pushing them by shutting down other legislation. If they respond by changing the rules on all fillibustering, then 2006 will be a landslide for the Dems.

[insane_cratic_gal]

43. No we shouldn't

that only makes it easier for them to point their finger, like 5 year old that they are and scream "SEE they don't your needs met it's all their fault, not our. We tried to get things done but they keep holding it up."


It have to admit that is exactly what they are hoping we will do.

[Strawman]

47. if it gets to that point, they'll change those rules too

I just read Martin Gold's article on this. They will use the same method to get around other stall tactics. But at least if we fight them on each one, maybe the sheeple will see this as the power grab that it is.

[bunny planet]

40. You don't think that if they get away with this, that legislation will be

the next thing they assume total control over.

Making frog soup is what they are doing.

[Zorra]

36. If that happens, we should organize a nationwide July 4 general strike.

A week long national people's filibuster, centered around July 4 Independence Day.

Shut the country down.

They can't run it without us.

[Greylyn58]

38. You know what never occurs to these whack-jobs Repugs

in their mad rush to grab power, is that if this passes they win for now, but when(I like to say when because I like to keep hope alive) the Dems win back the majority, what then? All they are doing now will come back to bite them in the ass in a major way. And I'm gonna sit back and laugh when they cry and moan on TV about how mistreated they are.

Of course, they do that now, so I guess it won't be that much different will it? :evilgrin:

[insane_cratic_gal]

41. Let them

This is damaging to them as well. To turn the tide in your favor the true colors of your enemy have to be seen clearly. I think they are doing a far better job then we ever could of hoped for.

[Protagoras]

42. Lets stop hedging...One Party Dictatorship on Tuesday

That's what he really means. Let's call it like it is.

[dbt]

44. Yo, Catkiller: be REAL careful what you wish for.

Karma is overdue in DC. This just might be that "straw" you've heard about all your life.

Do you feel lucky, Punk? Well, do ya?

[Marthe48]

45. How is this less devastating to the US

than September 11th? On September 11th an attack on our country changed our landscape forever. When the Republicans get their gag order passed, once again our landscape will change forever. And neither for the better.
Traitors.

[phylny]

46. I just called Frist's office and said the following to a nice lady who

answered:

"I'm not represented by Senator Frist, living in New York, but what he does affects me deeply. Regarding what the Republicans call the "Nuclear Option," one day, the Republicans will be the minority party again - it always happens, back and forth. On that day, Republicans will see that what the Senator is attempting to do is very wrong. Thank you for your time today."

Everyone should call, be respectful, and give him an earful.

Washington, DC
202-224-3344
202-228-1264 (fax)

Nashville
615-352-9411
615-352-9985 (fax)

[jazzjunkysue]

48. Bring it on, you lying asshole.