Anybody watching the senate right now?

[whometense]

Bill Frist is a dick.

[JI7]

1. just tuned in, what is going on ?

watching Ted Kennedy right now

[whometense]

2. Frist has just introduced

Owen and Brown for a vote. It's the beginning of the big filibuster fight of '05.

Kennedy and Reid arguing so far for the side of light.

[ginnyinWI]

3. I'm watching too

I'll try to catch at least the Dem speakers. ;)

[whometense]

4. I'm in and out.

Barney Frank is being trashed over in GD for criticizing the holy Dr. Dean. I was defending his honor. Idiots calling Barney Frank a DINO????? Puh-leeze...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1790422

[karynnj]

6. A DINO?

So who other than Dean is a real Democrat? They are so incredibly immature when they can't st least say that Dean could have easily found a better way to castigate De Lay. Was Frank on Fox to talk about other issues as well?

[whometense]

7. I'm not sure.

I never watch Fox. But Barney's right. I hate seeing any Dem on O'Reilly, but I trust Barney's a smart pol and knows what he's doing.

See that? I don't need to micromanage my Dem rep. With all the crap that's going on these days, you'd think people would friggin' learn to train their fire on the ENEMY!!!

[karynnj]

13. Agree

I think Barney was right as well on the DeLay comment and I think that if no Dem was willing to say what he did, we would likely all have been blamed from what was probably a slip on Dean's part.

I understand why they are so defensive, because I hate seeing Kerry attacked and respond by defending him - but I think the difference is the Dean people also feel the need to attack viciously anybody who guestions anything Dean does. (Dean's flubs do make it hard to believe that the media destroyed him because he would have been a superior opponent to Bush.)

[whometense]

14. Exactly.

Barney's just trying to maintain dem credibility. I can understand their being sensitive about criticism of Dean; the thing that gets me angry is the leap from "How dare you???" to "Barney is a DINO!!" I mean, COME ON. They know better than that. To me that is every bit as disingenuous as Frist's "up-or-down-vote" garbage.

[ginnyinWI]

15. haha

Anyone who thinks Frank is a DINO should be put on "ignore" just for their sheer stupidity. The "Cult of Saint Howard" is really entertaining, though , isn't it?

[elshiva]

20. As for the supposed cult of "Saint Howard" they don't even follow

his teachings, discouraging Dem infighting. To call them Deaniacs is like calling fundies Christians, IMHO

[Pirate Smile]

5. I'm watching. Spector is getting ready to talk. We need him to vote

with us.

Do we know when next week Frist will call for the cloture vote? I haven't seen any specific time yet. I assume it isn't known.

[whometense]

8. I don't think they've set a time.

They're trying to show how patient they are by allowing discussion for 100 hours - I think.

BTW, love your new avatar. I'm a big fan of Triumph. Did you see "Poop Valhalla"? Triumph in spin alley?

[Pirate Smile]

9. No, I didn't. I wish it was a little bigger so everybody could see what

it says.

Were you able to read it easily?

[TayTay]

10. The actual vote to go nuclear would be

Monday or Tuesday. All those lumbering Senate rules would not allow this to happen before that. Today is prelude.

[whometense]

11. It's a little hard to read.

But since I understand Triumph's language I could figure it out ok. The writing is a little smeary.

[elshiva]

19. I can read the message, but the dog looks like a real dog

and not Triumph. Where did you get the picture?

[Pirate Smile]

21. Distressed American made up a bunch of avatars anyone can use.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3664391&mesg_id=3664391

[elshiva]

22. Thanks!

[whometense]

12. Check this out

Josh Marshall got hold of the repuke talking points.

You can see them here: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/nuclear.talking.points.pdf

[whometense]

16. Interesting comment on Tapped

http://www.prospect.org/weblog/archives/2005/05/index.html#006484

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME C-SPAN? I haven't been able to blog much lately, but I've been following the nuclear option situation pretty closely and today's beginning of the end makes for some seriously engaging C-SPAN. My first impression is that, as we've said before, Bill Frist is vastly overmatched. Just watching him try to announce his scheduling intentions and deal with clarifications and questions from Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy, and Pat Leahy, it was clear that they're more than up to the task of knocking him off course procedurally and substantively. Think Progress already has one good example; after that stumble, Frist refused to take any more questions from Chuck Schumer -- likely not because Schumer was trying to delay him, but because Frist couldn't handle them. The more face time he has to give, and the more he actually has to engage with the Democratic leaders on the floor, the worse he's going to look -- to the press and to his colleagues.

My best guess on Frist's strategy is that he's hoping the media coverage and public reaction will seem to lean enough toward his position to bring a wavering senator or two into his camp. Republican senators don't actually want to spend a week or two talking about this; they want to pass legislation for their constituents or contributors. If the debate really does drag on, Frist is more likely to lose support than to gain it; he really needs this to start right, and he really needs the media to be more interested in Kay Bailey Hutchison's tearful account of the death of Priscilla Owen's father and to the most surface of historical details than to the substance of what's going on. Take John Cornyn's chart showing that Richard Paez, who was kept waiting for four years and then filibustered by, among others, Bill Frist, followed a similar course as Owen and was eventually confirmed. But if Paez is relevant, how about the 65 Clinton nominees who never received a vote, many of whom never even received a hearing? And why did Cornyn's chart conveniently leave off the fact that Paez, nominated in 1996, wasn't confirmed until 2000? Details are a war that the Republicans can't win, and that'll become clearer as this goes on. Whether or not that fact comes across on the evening news may be key to the outcome.

--Jeffrey Dubner

[TayTay]

17. Go Teddy Go

I love Uncle Ted. You tell those Rethugs bastards what their nominees to a lifetime appointment on the federal bench are really like.

Oh, and thanks to you and JK for the stuff in the Transportation Bill for MA. (Over 1.2 bil in new funding.) Boy, it's nice to have clout!

[elshiva]

18. LOL Frist sure is!