I demand an up or down vote for Obama's eventual Supreme Court pick. These guys have my back.
Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, a senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said Justice O'Connor had served "with dignity and fairness." The senator said he hoped Mr. Bush's next nominee would be treated "with fairness and respect, including an up-or-down vote in the Senate."
Of course, Mr. McCain said, President Bush's nominee will be a conservative. "He campaigned for re-election and made no bones about the fact that it would be a conservative nominee," Mr. McCain said. "Elections have consequences."
Republicans say their success at the polls gives them and the president a right to these nominees: "It is about majorities," said Sen. Rick Santorum, a Pennsylvania Republican. "Elections have consequences."
MARY MATALIN: You know, elections have consequences. It's not like the Supreme Court or judges in general — wasn't known to be a huge issue in this election. It wasn't like people didn't come out specifically on that issue.
Bill Frist:
All 100 members of the U.S. Senate will soon decide a basic question of fairness. Will we permit a fair, up-or-down vote on every judicial nominee? Or, will we create an unprecedented 60-vote requirement for the confirmation of President Bush's judges? I sincerely hope that it is the former.
[...]
These filibusters of judicial nominations injure the administration of justice and our nation's political culture. Some courthouses have sat empty for many years, even though a bipartisan majority of senators stands ready to fill the vacancies by confirming the president's nominees. And as every American knows, the political wrangling over this issue has become less and less civil with every passing day.
Orrin Hatch:
I think we should bind both Democrats and Republicans that presidential nominees for the judiciary deserve an up-and-down vote once they reach the floor
Jon Kyl:
All we seek is a return to 214 years of tradition in allowing presidential nominees the courtesy of an up-or-down vote.
Trent Lott:
I felt they deserved up-or-down votes. It was not a popular action with my colleagues, but I didn't think it was right to filibuster judicial nominees then. And it's not right now.
John Cornyn :
And we need to get a fresh start. And that means, I believe, an up-or-down vote for all presidents' nominees whether they be Republican or Democrat.
Mitch McConnell :
Let's get back to the way the Senate operated for over 200 years, up or down votes on the president's nominee, no matter who the president is, no matter who's in control of the Senate. That's the way we need to operate.
Jeff Sessions:
This past election in large part hinged, as George Allen said, on a debate over the judiciary and whether or not obstruction was justified. I think the American people sent a clear message and I believe it's time for this Senate to make sure that judges get an up-or-down vote.
Richard Burr:
But denying these patriotic Americans, of both parties, who seek to serve this country an up-or-down vote is simply not fair, and it certainly was not the intention of our Founding Fathers when they designed and created this very institution.
Sam Brownback:
All of the president's nominees-both now and in the future-deserve a fair up or down vote, regardless of whether some members of the Senate feel they can be filibustered based on whatever they define to be extraordinary circumstances.
John Thune:
However, I still believe that all judicial nominees with majority support deserve the fairness of an up or down vote on the Senate floor... Something is broken when you can't get a fair up or down vote, not because of qualifications or character, but because of politics.
Jim DeMint:
My goal is to confirm highly qualified judges by ensuring timely up-or-down votes for all nominees... Every nominee, no matter if the President is Democrat or Republican, deserves an up-or-down vote.
Looks pretty clear cut to me. I, SouthSideDem, and the aforementioned Senators and former Senators, demand an up or down vote.