Before everyone flips out re: Reid seeking "compromise on judges"

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/04/25/senate.judges/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate's top Democrat said Monday he is still working with his Republican counterpart, Majority Leader Bill Frist, in hopes of defusing a standoff over some of President Bush's judicial nominees.

"I want to do everything I can to avoid this," Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, told CNN.

----snip----

I think this is the key passage here...
Reid suggested Monday that Frist may not have the votes he needs to carry out the option.

"I can't count Republican votes," he said. "I'm surprised, though, if they have the votes, why they haven't moved forward at this point."
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Listen, I know a lot of us here have a hardline stance and expect our guys to fight every step of the way, and I don't completely disagree with that notion. I just wanted to say, before people flip out thinking Reid is going to sell us out, I think this is purely a PR manuever on his part, sorta like Powell even bothering to state a case for the war against Iraq in front of the UN. Polls seem to indicate that America is heavily on our side in this matter, but there's a good chance Frist is gonna try it anyway. So this is an important olive branch to extend, even if it is disingenuous, because when Reid shuts down the Senate, we don't look like we're just trying to be stubborn for the sake of being stubborn. Flame away if you must, but that's my opinion.

[CO Liberal]

1. You May Be On To Something Here

This makes the Dems look like the party of reason, and the GOP look like the out-of-control radicals they truly are.

[BrainRants]

2. I've been struggling to articulate what you just said.

I agree that it's a brilliant strategy and will deflect the "obstructionist" label...but it will only work with public opinion on our side.

[ananda]

3. too late

I already flipped out last night when I first read the news.

Why does Reid need to work with Frist on this? I don't get it.. really.

Sue

[TornadoTN]

7. I'm struggling with it as well

I see the merit in working on a compromise, it does preserve the Fillibuster provisions for the Supreme Court nominations which will undoubtedly come.

However, do we actually want to try to tell ourselves that this will solve the problem? The only thing that will have come of this entire ordeal is that we made a largely symbolic stand and we allowed the Republicans to strong arm us on another issue and they still get the majority of their nominees through. Plus, are we actually trying to convince ourselves that by doing this, we preserve the Fillbuster for "when we need it"? That's the biggest joke of this whole sordid affair. When the Supreme Court nominees come or a right-wing nutjob is nominated for a post, are we naive to believe that the Republicans won't try the "nucleur option" again?

They have proven to me that they will do anything to get their agenda passed and imposed on a public that is, as a whole, disconnected from what's going on in the nation. Personally, I would fight every step of the way on this and get the message to the American people. I think that it would go further than a symbolic "compromise" and just may swing favor in our direction when the masses find out what this is all about. The Schiavo case backfired in their faces when they though they had a mandate to circumvent the law. Why not now?

[Atman]

10. I'm with you, Sue. I'm livid.

We have no business even talking with Frist. He is backed into a corner, and the American public is resoundly with us on this. Frist made his political bed, and he should be prepared to lie in it. If he doesn't have the balls to go through with the nuclear option, so be it. Why the hell would we even think about capitulation? We're in the strongest position we've been in in years! And what will get out of our "compromise?" Frist is saved some embarrassing PR, and we're stuck with right-wing activist judges for the rest of our lives.

I can only hope the others are right...but my gut tells me they're not. I think Reid is going to sell us out. I hope I'm wrong.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

12. Please re-read my post.

I think you missed quite important parts.

[qazplm]

15. I dont think he is working WITH Frist

I think he is working Frist.

look, fight fight all the time, no surrender, wonderful great...but that doesnt sell to the middle and like or not, we need the middle to win.

So Reid plays to the middle by offering a compromise he KNOWS Frist wont accept because it would doom him with the right wing.

Reid sits back, plays reasonable offering Frist a bit of meat that he knows Frist wont eat. Frist looks unreasonable and beholden to the right, Reid looks reasonable and willing to compromise to the middle, and we STILL get the nuclear showdown.

AND then to top it all off, lets say Frist does take the compromise, we lose a couple of extremist judge fights but Frist loses the right wing, and maybe the Republican Party begins to lose them as well (how many times will this be a failure to deliver what the religious wing nuts want?)

[Kolesar]

4. The public is on our side, but I don't know how deep that support is

I talked to many people on Earth Day. A lot of people don't even know this is happening. We are dangerously close to repeating Newt Gingerich's mistake when he shut down the government in the 1990s. One big difference is that Bush's popularity is dropping due to the Iraq War and his "privatize" Social Security campaign.

[acmavm]

5. Defending the principal of separation of church and state is being

stubborn?

The line has to be drawn somewhere and this is just too important to not draw it here. You know that tired old saying, give an inch and they take a mile? Well that's the republican party, the crazed fundie psycho sect.

Enough is enough. We've already given up too much to these crazies.

[MollyStark]

8. are they trying to pass a bill to end the separation of Church/State?

[izzie]

6. Is he an arm of the GOP or what?

I sometimes think the only guy who will stand up to some thing is Bennie Sanders.

[Voltaire]

9. I think we should give Reid the benefit of the doubt

But the Republicans may accept the olive branch in order to screw us later. I would hope that Senator Reid has looked at that very likely scenario and has an immediate remedy for it. The GOP is an organization with no honor whatsoever. No brains either, I almost feel sorry for Frist....NOT!

[flpoljunkie]

11. Reid will stand firm on the four most objectional nominees.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FILIBUSTER_FIGHT?SITE=MABOC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid is quietly talking to the Senate's chief Republican about confirming at least two of President Bush's blocked judicial nominees but only as part of a compromise that would require the GOP to end its threat to eliminate judicial filibusters, officials say.

Reid also wants a concession from Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, officials said speaking on condition of anonymity: the replacement of a third Michigan nominee with one approved by that state's two Democratic senators.

At the same time, these officials say Reid remains opposed to four conservative candidates for other appellate circuits, Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown, William G. Myers III and William H. Pryor Jr.

Senators would not confirm details Monday, but Reid said that he has had had numerous conversations with senators in both parties in hopes of avoiding a showdown. "As part of any resolution, the nuclear option must be off the table," Reid said in a statement referring to the GOP threat to change filibuster rules.

more...

[Mass]

13. Seems there will be no compromise

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-04-25-karl-rove_x.htm

Rove: Bolton will be confirmed; judges deserve vote
By Judy Keen, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Karl Rove rejected a compromise with Senate Democrats Monday on long-stalled nominations for the federal judiciary and strongly defended President Bush's choice of John Bolton to be ambassador to the United Nations. (Audio: Rove speaks out)

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

14. Exactly my point.

Reid's olive branch was no different than Bush's to the UN before the Iraq war. Do you think Bush REALLY ever cared what the UN thought? Of course not. He only did it so that he could turn to the American people and say, "look, I tried everything and they still won't give." Reid's doing the same exact thing. He's making THEM the bad guys.

[Mass]

16. Frist is not interested in a deal.

Said so today.

I guess we are going to a shown down in the Senate. Hope that Reid has all his guys ready to follow.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&ncid=1278&e=1&u=/ap/20050426/ap_on_go_co/filibuster_fight

[rodeodance]

17. we all know that perceptions are Realer than real--it will be seen as

a sellout.