Filibuster Face-Off (Time)

[struggle4progress]

If .. Reid is spooked by .. threats to curb .. filibuster in order to get .. Bush's judges appointed .., he isn't showing it. In a .. meeting last week .., .. Frist said he wanted a compromise ... Reid told TIME Frist didn't give details, but said he would postpone a .. move to eliminate .. filibusters until mid-May .. while he works on a deal. Reid's response? Up the stakes.

The .. Democrat said .. he was considering expanding the filibuster threat to include Bush's pick to be U.N. Ambassador, John Bolton ... "We might filibuster him," Reid told TIME. And he added another name to the list ..: ..Johnson, whose nomination to .. the Environmental Protection Agency has drawn fire from .. Boxer over a pesticide-testing program involving children.

Reid may be bluffing, and his .. tactics risk fueling .. charges that Democrats are obstructionists. But he seems to be playing a stronger hand ... By Friday, Johnson had killed the .. pesticide program. Frist's party, meanwhile, is showing internal signs of strain. Senate Republicans whispered .. last week .. they might not back Bush's plan to create personal accounts ...

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1047442,00.html

[depakid]

1. Filibustering these two would be GREAT strategy

Not only could it create the kind of drama and press that they Dems sorely need- but they'd be fighting on their turf agains two utterly indefensible nominees.

On one hand, we have a lying and delusional UN basher (whose own statements and past actions are enough to hang him)

and one the other, we have a child poisoner and human doing (ala) Mengele advocate.

It's a no lose situation- so long as the Dems show a little courage.

[FLPolitico]

2. The Dems need to stand up and fillerbuster every damn thing they can

because the right wing media echo chamber is going to twist everything they do anyway. I haven't heard any of the MSM state that 95% of Bush's judicial nominations have been approved. Why because the corporate media is fucking biased toward the Rethugs. Let me rephrase that the MSM is the wholly owned by the Republican party.

The problem I do have is that neither the Democrats nor any Democratic allied group like Moveon.org has an effective grassroots information campaign to explain why the Democrats are opposing these seven appellate judicial nominations and a little background on why these nominees are so out of the mainstream.

I joined Moveon.org a couple of months ago and donated a small sum but all I've seen are emails asking me to come to a big pity party and sign online petitions and the like.

I know that I have suggested it before but why aren't the Democrats and Democratic-leaning groups taking a page out of the right wing organizations playbook and start direct-mail campaigns. The local Democratic parties could also send out direct mailings periodically to continually soften up Republican candidates who will be up for re-election or to mobilize voters who don't normally pay attention to political issues especially those who don't usually vote or those who don't spend all day on the net. LOL

[Nite Owl]

3. Dems shouldn't be afraid of

being called obstructionists. They should say thank you, take credit for it and consider it a compliment. They should be obstructing what the repukes want to do, it is bad stuff.