..may be time for the so-called “nuclear option”
We've lost ground rather suddenly on three important issues recently reversed
♦ stop and frisk
♦ Texas abortion restrictions/ shutting down reproductive health care centers
♦ PPACA contraception requirements
The last two are a direct result of the gang of 14 where Dems allowed unqualified GWB nominations to go forward
The Gang of 14 was a term coined to describe the bipartisan group of Senators in the 109th United States Congress who successfully negotiated a compromise in the spring of 2005 to avoid the deployment of the so-called nuclear option over an organized use of the filibuster by Senate Democrats.
Filibusters that in no way can be compared to today’s republican obstruction of the Presidents nominees that the RWNJs are now calling "packing the court"
Two of George W Bush nominees were Priscilla Owen: fifth circuit court of Appeals and Janice Rogers Brown : DC circuit Court of Appeals.
Priscilla Owen cost reproductive rights, forcing the closing of health centers in her recent ruling.
Looking at Owens’ past:
Owens’ anti-abortion religious bias is well documented as in her ’Jane Doe’ decision stating:
She should also indicate to the court that she is aware of and has considered that there are philosophic, social, moral, and religious arguments that can be brought to bear when considering abortion.
Even Texas Supreme Court, Attorney General
Alberto - enhanced interrogation - Gonzales accused her of trying to implement “an unconscionable act of judicial activism.”
And from
Houston Chronicle editorial in 2003:
Earlier this month, 44 U.S. senators refused to go along on a vote that would have ended a filibuster on the nomination of Priscilla Owen to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Good. Owen's judicial record shows less interest in impartially interpreting the law than in pushing
an agenda… demeanor unbecoming of a judge… contorts rulings to conform to her particular conservative outlook
So 44 republicans went along with Dems in blocking Priscilla Owen for a life time seat in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals
Another GWB appointee Janice Rogers Brown cost people contraception rights in her recent ruling
About her past positions:
NYT: Out of the Mainstream, Again
She has attacked the New Deal, which gave us Social Security and other programs now central to American life, as ''the triumph of our socialist revolution.''
[snip]
The American Bar Association, all but a rubber stamp for the administration's nominees, has given Justice Brown a mediocre rating of qualified/not qualified
Today what is happening:
Rachel Maddow covers the recent court losses, republican filibustering of the President judicial nominees with an interview from Slate legal correspondent Dahlia Lithwick @ minute 11:00
The republicans have all but done away with advice and consent and are now refusing any and all the Presidents appointments not based on the qualifications of the nominations but to deny the full function of the courts (seats to any non-RWNJ's) or bureaus (eg. CFPB)
(short ad – sorry)
Transcript @ link: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/...
Back in 2005:
So the gang of 14 was formed:
The dramatic announcement caught Senate leaders by surprise and came on the eve of a scheduled vote to ban filibusters of judicial nominees, the "nuclear option" that has dominated Senate discussions for weeks. The deal clears the way for prompt confirmation of three appellate court nominees -- Priscilla R. Owen, Janice Rogers Brown and William H. Pryor Jr.
Harry Reid called the pact:
"a significant victory for our country."
Can’t say I agree considering that the negotiations back in 2005 over life time judicial seats can and did now come back and do the kind of damage these appointments did.
Today with extremism and delusion as the rule within the GOP (eg. ~45 attempts at PPACA repeal as one in a long list of crazy) I’m convinced that the filibuster offers very little protection if Dems ever become the minority.
So I hope this time around Harry Reid and Dems take another hard look at senate parliamentary rules limiting or getting rid of the filibuster.
We Dems need our Life time judicial appointments. If republicans are allowed to block us, the courts will become more right wing and so will the laws that govern this country
Plus with the GOP in the way, we have years of catching up to do already
♦ immigration: immediate path to citizenship
♦ living wage
♦ progressive tax reform - End corporate welfare
♦ Senator Elizabeth Warren 21st Century Glass Steagall Act - Moveon petition | There are currently 113,467 signatures / 125,000 needed
♦ campaign finance reform (neutralizing Citizen United e.g.)
♦ Firearm safety measures - Whitehouse (pdf)
♦ ENDA ( RWNJ’s in the house won’t even consider this)
♦ Unions: Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)
♦ Infrastructure investment like a modern day WPA
♦ Clean energy (H.R. 2454 & S. 2146 or updated versions minus nuclear & limiting carbon offsets to RECs & planting trees - imo)
♦ End wars and occupation/Redirect Funding
♦ Stop voter suppression/ Democracy Restoration Act including ending felon disenfranchisement
♦ Ending corporate rule ALEC
♦ continue embarrassing Bill Kristol and his PNAC imperialism
♦ Public health insurance option leading to a Publicly funded health care system - finally removing the incentive to deny medical care for increased profit
♦ lots of good stuff needs doing
P.S. I prolly goofed up some legal terms like 'ruling' vs 'decision' or other stuff though I hope that the word gets out that something must be done to protect our democracy (including voting rights – against republican suppression / purging / caging - etc.) and that includes all Dem appointments, nominations at every level.
We are not "packing the court" or loading the CFPB or the NLRB or any of the many un-filled jobs that the republicans are obstructing and lying about. We're trying to make life better with these important jobs that need doing. And we need good progressive Dems doing them.
Senator Tom Harkin has ideas that require an end time to the filibuster guaranteeing we get back to a simple majority:
My legislation would permit a decreasing number of Senators to invoke cloture on a given measure. On the first cloture attempt, 60 votes would be required. But, over a period of days or weeks, the number of votes required would fall to a simple majority of 51 Senators.
PPS: I’ve become convinced watching the republican party of pseudo-conservatives operate these past years, that between their anti everything agenda, including ideas/Bills
they themselves ALEC and the like authored taken with the fact that every piece of legislation they do put forward knowing it won’t pass; at the heart of the republicans strategy is
nullification and a retreat back to state level dominance – the place they can hold/gain power with their alienating/reactionary agenda.
Nullification; until they have established control of the electoral process at the state level thoroughly enough to spread upwards/nationally.
We can either chip away at an adversary unwilling and demonstratively more interested in our/ the county’s failure than anything else, or we take charge. We kick some ass paying special attention to keeping the republicans in a defensive posture burning up resources. Do the ass kicking at the state level where they believe they are invincible or at least have the advantage.
Meanwhile we take it to them on a national level with filibuster reform.
Some will ask what’s the point as the RWNJ’s control the House? Good question. My answer is simple. With Bill after Bill coming from a working/simple majority Senate on popular issues, America will see the House and the Senate idiots turn against what the vast majority of hard working people want, exposing them as the 1%er/corpo shills they really are
Hand Jim DeMint, his white supremacist Heritage foundation (Rachel Maddow video), and the republican/teabagger their own 'Waterloo' - imo
Thanks for stopping by - hope ya made it this far and it made good sense :)
I'll be out for awhile but will return after finishing up on some stuff on shower #2 tile stuff