Daily Kos

Highway Bill Passed - Filibuster Debate Now

by Power

Tue May 17, 2005 at 12:19:52 PM PDT

The Senate has voted on the Highway Bill.  The vote was 89-11 (Sarbanes is there and voting), and since it started at 3 Eastern, the vote is done now.

If I recall correctly, the plan is that the filibuster fight will begin once the highway bill is passed.  So, we may have a situation on our hands soon.

We are entering morning business now. Senator Boxer is now talking for 1 hour. So no vote, but debate most likely continually.

If this does progress into continued debate on the filibuster (which all intentions show it to be), I'll make more updates here about what debate has been occuring.

Boxer has asked for another 30 minutes. She is now talking for 1 hour, nearly solely against Janice Rogers Brown. The standing order is that after Boxer, there will be 10-minute speeches.

Update: According to Rimjob, "Joe Johns just reported on "Inside Politics", that a memo obtained by CNN says the Republicans are pushing the showdown back to at least TUESDAY or WEDNESDAY of NEXT WEEK." If Frist does wait another week, we will hear every single argument from both sides a lot over the past week, as I don't think there will be much business in the Senate until this is resolved.

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Permalink | 37 comments

  •  boxer speaking on cspan2 (none / 1)

    as i type.

    http://www.cspan.org/watch/cspan2_rm.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS2

    uh-oh!  she's busting out the charts!

    grab the popcorn!

    "Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built upon the ruins of the bowers of paradise." Thomas Paine, Common Sense

    by Cedwyn on Tue May 17, 2005 at 12:24:33 PM PDT

  •  I made chocolate covered starwberries (none / 0)

    Time to pull them out of the refrigerator!

    Let's rumble!

    by sandblaster on Tue May 17, 2005 at 12:26:32 PM PDT

  •  They are speaking in "Morning Business" (none / 0)

    which allows Senators to discuss any topic they want. But thisn isn't an offical debate on any judicial nominee.

    I like to drink beer and read blogs.

    by LeftistIndependent on Tue May 17, 2005 at 12:27:34 PM PDT

  •  she's hammering (4.00 / 2)

    the 95% confirmation rate.  

    "i call it the arrogance of power."

    she's so wonderful!

    "Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built upon the ruins of the bowers of paradise." Thomas Paine, Common Sense

    by Cedwyn on Tue May 17, 2005 at 12:28:01 PM PDT

    •  now she's busting (4.00 / 2)

      the breaking the rules!  yes yes yes!  "they don't have the votes to change the rules, so they'll make their motion, etc. etc."

      "Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built upon the ruins of the bowers of paradise." Thomas Paine, Common Sense

      by Cedwyn on Tue May 17, 2005 at 12:29:55 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  She has visuals (none / 1)

    Did you see Schumer this morning? He presented an interesting and stark statistic. 2703 is the total number of votes cast by Republicans in support of George Bush's judicial nominees. 1 is the number of Republican votes against Bush's nominees.

    Obviously the Republicans march in lock step, and when they bellow that all they're asking for is a simple, fair up or down vote, they're asking for elbow room to wield their rubber stamp. Doesn't matter WHO the president nominates, they'll push the nominee through like an army of automotons.  

    By the way, the one vote belonged to Trent Lott who voted no to seat an African American judge that had been put up by Clinton and had been also opposed by Jesse Helms. Can't remember the gentleman's name.

    Let the great world spin for ever down the ringing grooves of change. - Tennyson

    by bumblebums on Tue May 17, 2005 at 12:31:31 PM PDT

  •  "what would happen (none / 1)

    "you don't change the rules mid-game!"

    hahahah

    "republicans changed rules in the house because they didn't want to investigate delay..."

    60-70% of americans want to preserve the filibuster...

    she's making all the gangbuster points.  she's about to highlight brown's/owen's (i'm not sure which)nefariousness.

    small detour:  the 60 some dem majority in FDR's day refused to help him stack the courts.

    "Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built upon the ruins of the bowers of paradise." Thomas Paine, Common Sense

    by Cedwyn on Tue May 17, 2005 at 12:33:45 PM PDT

  •  CNN: Nuclear Showdown Pushed Back Until Next Week (none / 1)

    ...Joe Johns just reported on "Inside Politics", that a memo obtained by CNN says the Republicans are pushing the showdown back to at least TUESDAY or WEDNESDAY of NEXT WEEK.

    CNN said that they MIGHT start talking about judges toward the end of this week.

    I'm guessing that FRIST still doesn't have the votes.

    by Rimjob on Tue May 17, 2005 at 12:34:23 PM PDT

  •  brown on minimum wage (none / 1)

    "she's hurting the people of this country and particularly my state"

    brown referred to minimum wage and overtime protections as a "triumph of our socialist revolution."

    "Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built upon the ruins of the bowers of paradise." Thomas Paine, Common Sense

    by Cedwyn on Tue May 17, 2005 at 12:41:05 PM PDT

  •  I don't see how it could happen today (4.00 / 2)

    Too much has to happen before the nuclear option can be triggered.  They're not simply going to walk in the door and say "ok, next item, nuclear option!"

    First, Frist has promised full debate on the nuclear option.  So we're going to have a lot of speeches like the one Boxer is making right now.  Barbara is the best, but we all know the arguments by now, so it's liable to be a tedious process.  But either way, the integrity of the Senate itself is on the line, and lots of people will want to be heard.

    Second, after all that, a nominee has to be proposed.  It's either going to be Rogers-Brown or Owen, I guess.  But if Owen (let's say) is the first item on the agenda, it's not like Harry Reid will announce "we filibuster" and Frist will be like "ok, nuclear option!"  No, there's going to have to be debate on the nomination first.  Frist's offer of 100 hours of debate was rejected, but still, he can't exactly stop things after 30 minutes and say "ok, that's enough debate."  He has to let the Democrats go on for a while at which point he can finally ask the Democrats to indicate whether they intend to filibuster.  If he asks prior to that time, the response will likely be "Let's have some debate first and see where we stand."

    After Frist can plausibly claim there's been enough debate, a cloture motion will be filed.  Assuming cloture fails, that's when you'll see the nuclear option play out, along the lines Kagro X has described in his excellent diaries.

    When will it all happen?  I don't know, but not today, and maybe not even this week.  I don't think it's likely to be the sort of thing where you might blink and miss it.

    by Steve M on Tue May 17, 2005 at 12:41:14 PM PDT

    •  asdf (none / 0)

      The vote itself won't happen immediately, but he doesn't seem to be starting the procedure.  And Frist asking for a ruling that only a majority is needed for calling for a vote on a nominee isn't much more than 1 statement which could catch people by surprise.

      by Power on Tue May 17, 2005 at 12:45:16 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Bush threatens to Veto it, no? (none / 0)

    Cats, err, Pooties! for Obama

    by PhillyGal on Tue May 17, 2005 at 12:42:45 PM PDT

  •  brown is psycho (4.00 / 2)

    said mgrs. could use racial epithets against latino employees

    said employees can't use co. email to question workplace conditions

    now she's on to the rape issue...said victim gave "mixed messages"..."she stood alone...stood alone on the side of a rapist...as a woman."

    stood alone against effort to stop cig sales to minors...

    "Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built upon the ruins of the bowers of paradise." Thomas Paine, Common Sense

    by Cedwyn on Tue May 17, 2005 at 12:47:30 PM PDT

  •  Delay in Vote (none / 0)

    Means that Frist doesnt have the votes because last week he promised a vote this week.

    Major Garrett of FOX reported that that the Democrats had 50 votes against and needed only one more Republican senator. So the numbers must not be adding up for him.

    LeftCoastJon

    by jonmat on Tue May 17, 2005 at 01:29:52 PM PDT

  •  Week after week? (none / 0)

    This is weird.  Frist is dragging this issue forever, and I suspect that it does not help GOP at all.  If anything, "What are we? Taliban?" Dobson is doing good job scaring the public.

    It is one thing if "partisan Democrats" say that they want to block extermists from judicial position, and another if wingnuts prove this point.  If Frist will not push for a vote this within a week, I think it will never go through.

    We do not know what horses will be slain to force the fence-sitting moderates to follow their leaders.  This resembles Medicare prescription drug issue, except that it takes months rather than hours.

    by Piotr on Tue May 17, 2005 at 01:41:54 PM PDT

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