Is it just me or did we just get screwed?

[DFLer4edu]

As I understand the agreement the 7 democrats agreed to reserve the filibuster for "extraordinary circumstances" while in return the republicans agreed to take the nuclear option off the table and in the meantime the republicans ram through 3 judges we already said hell no to while we have the right to say no to 2 others(which we already said no to). However there is absolutely no guarantee the deal will hold together when we get to the Supreme Court nominations.

According to AP

"Frist, who had joined with party conservatives in pressing for an end to judicial filibusters, stressed that he was not a party to the agreement. He said he hoped it would end a "miserable chapter in the history of the Senate," but said that what he called the "constitutional option" was still on the table. He said he "will monitor this agreement closely."


"In light of the spirit and continuing commitments made in this agreement," Republicans said they would oppose any attempt to make changes in the application of filibuster rules. But Sen. Mike DeWine R-Ohio, said the agreement was conditional on Democrats upholding their end of the deal.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050524/ap_on_go_co/filibuster_fight

So Frist is still threatening the nuclear option and what the moderate republicans who signed the agreement (at least DeWine) are basically saying is if the democrats filibuster during Supreme Court nominations the deal is off the table. If the filibuster is off the table during the Supreme Court nominations, we are pretty much getting screwed. It seems to me like they pulled off the nuclear option by using it as a nuclear deterrent.

On edit: I agree with those who say that Frist is the big loser politically when it comes to the deal, but I fear that the greater consequence is a conservative death grip on the high court for the foreseeable future.

[AVID]

1. "just get screwed?" We've been screwed

last night was the STD test coming back positive!!!

[radfringe]

9. brown - owens get floor vote, we get screwed

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/23/politics/23cnd-judges.html

Under a compromise reached by an assortment of moderates, mavericks and senior statesmen just as the Senate was headed into its climactic overnight debate over the filibuster, three previously blocked appeals court nominees, Janice Rogers Brown, William Pryor and Priscilla R. Owen - will get floor votes. No commitment was made on the fate of two others, William Myers and Henry Saad.

===========

the two nominees which are the center of the filibuster-blustering get floor votes -- Dems turn into "gelded jellyfish" (no balls - no spine)

meanwhile -- here's the filiBLUSTER "compromise" - pdf file -- http://www.buzzflash.com/alerts/05/05/TheDeal.pdf

[housewolf]

2. I don't see it that way...

We agreed to hold an up-or-down vote on Owen, Brown and Pryor. Myers & Saad remain fillibustered and are effectively dead, as are 2 others that have been on hold. A couple more are still need to be negotiated.

We agreed to not make "systemic" use of the fillibuster - in effect to only use it in an "extraordinary" circumstance but that description is undefined. If we start fillibustering a large precentage of nominees, they reserve the right to pull the nuclear option out again.

Both sides agreed to consult on nominees and to try to consult with the admin to find nominees that are more acceptable to all sides.

Given the fact that we ARE the minority party and the hell that the nuclear option could have created, I don't think we got screwed badly at all I think the other side lost MUCH more than we did, particularly Frist is the big loser, and the White House is too.

[DFLer4edu]

3. Politically I think Frist is the big loser, but

in termes of the judiciary I think we are getting screwed and we are going to end up with conservatives we can't swallow as Supreme Court nominations. I couldn't agree more that Frist is the big loser, but I'm afraid that the ultimate result will be a conservative deathgrip on the high court for the forseeable future.

[housewolf]

7. But how is that any worse

than if we'd lost the nuclear vote (which I think we would have)? Given that we _are_ the minority party right now... How are we not in a better postition than if we'd lost that vote?


With the terms of that deal and the commitment to pre-screen nominees, aren't we at least a little better off? If the admin brings out somebody really awful, we DO still have the filibuster....

[tsuki]

8. Politically Frist is dead. No Presidential run for him. He is too

extreme now for the Republicans.

[rodeodance]

11. lets hope so--but i am still pessimist

[tsuki]

13. I am not about this. Leadership is sending in a team to work

out a compromise. The team went in to work out a compromise and shoved it down Frist's throat to his vociferous objections. He is not leadership material, and this incident will dash any hopes of a WH run. His own party marginalized him. He is the new McCarthy. And if he loses seats in the 2006, as Senate leader, he is toast.

[AVID]

5. Like we did this time?

"If we start filibustering a large percentage of nominees, they reserve the right to pull the nuclear option out again."

That is such a crock of bullshit. The threat of a "nuclear option" in the Senate is the only extreme, extraordinary circumstance that has happened thus far.

Approving 95% of a presidents nominees - decline 5% - Is that a "systematic" action?

No - That's nearly a systematic "rubber stamp" approval - They still have their rubber stamp and the EXTREME threat of a "nuclear option"

Check your beverages . . . someone is slipping you that sweet powder!!!

[rodeodance]

12. nothing is a guantee when it comes to the invoking the nuclear

option.

[WildClarySage]

10. We were already using it for extreme candidates only

to begin with.

Yeah, we got screwed. And my ass hurts.

[sandnsea]

4. depends

The Senate is going to vote down one of these judges, it depends on which one and why. If it's Pryor, then the Senate will have said no to radical fundamentalist judges. That draws the line for Supreme Court nominations and "extraordinary circumstances" for filibusters.

I think we'll just have to wait and see. Sadly, most people just don't care because they don't understand what's the big deal about one judge over another anyway. We're all Americans, we're all good, right?

[DFLer4edu]

6. How do you know one of them will go down?

Sorry if I missed a detail, but I thought the republicans had the votes for the judges and that they are now expected to pass through.

[sandnsea]

14. Graham said

He said that all the judges didn't have the votes. So either one of the first 3 is going down, which is what I understood, and that will mean Pryor. Or Myers or Saad doesn't have the votes and will never make it to the floor. But that isn't good enough, we need an actual vote against a judge and I hope the agreement made sure that would happen.

[liberal N proud]

15. The worst part, the repukes get what they want

the Democrats look spineless and they can still use their nuke option.

Yea we got screwed but good! Again.
:wtf:

[LynnTheDem]

16. It's just you. And the repugs, who are whining about how they got screwed

[NYC2099]

17. Not sure.....but my ass still hurts this morning!