Update [2005-4-25 13:49:30 by Armando]: Air America highlights this quote from today's conference call:
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, on a conference call with bloggers today:
They’re great with names… On Social Security, they’ve been trying to call private accounts “personal accounts.” They can talk about the constitutional option all they want. It’s privatization, and it’s the nuclear option. They created those terms, and they’re going to wear them around their necks from now till Doomsday.
I just got off a conference call with Senator Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic leader, and several Lefty bloggers. Senator Reid discussed Republican leader Senator Frist's threat of using the "nuclear option" -a phrase coined by Republicans- the elimination of the filibuster.
The most important statement from Reid, in my opinion, was that he believed that if Frist had the votes in the Senate to push the "nuclear" button, he would have done so TODAY. So when Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the GOP whip, claims that Frist has the votes for the "nuclear option," we should not believe him.
Apparently, there are a core of sane Republican Senators who realize the irreparable damage that would be caused by Frist's going "nuclear." These Republicans Senators appear to be Sens. McCain of Arizona, Chafee of RI, Snowe of Maine, Hagel of Nebraska, Collins of Maine, Sununu of New Hampshire, Smith of Oregon, Graham of South Carolina, Lugar of Indiana, Specter of Pennsylvania, Warner of Virginia.
As Democrats (or most of us anyway), there can be no doubt that we disagree much more than we agree with the above listed Republican Senators. But it would be wrong of us not to acknowledge and applaud the integrity, love of country and political courage these Senators are exhibiting in this situation. The political pressure they are facing must be enormous.
As Senator Reid noted, President Bush is not gracious in defeat. For example, while it is clear that the country has completely rejected the President's plan to dismantle Social Security, Bush simply cannot accept this. Similarly with the fiasco that is the Bolton nomination, Bush has demonstrated almost irrational stubbornness. Now Cheney, which means Bush, has come out publicly in favor of Frist's "nuclear option." Even more pressure on these Republican Senators.
A couple of other points: The Democratic Senators are unanimous in opposition to Frist's "nuclear option." That includes Senator Biden, Senator Nelson, Senator Salazar, Senator Pryor and Senator Lieberman. All Democrats stand with with Reid in opposition to Frist's "nuclear option."
Senator Reid also acknowledged a need to explain more comprehensively the basis for the Democratic opposition to Bush's previously rejected and now renominated judicial nominees. Senator Reid assured us that the substantive case for opposing Bush's previously rejected nominees will continue to be made, and in a more forceful and detailed fashion.
But Senator Reid was quick to point out that the the filibuster issue and the invoking of Frist's "nuclear" option goes beyond the issue of judicial nominations - seriously impacting the Senate in its every facet - including Cabinet nominations and legislation. IF the genie is let out of the bottle, there is no putting it back in.
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