A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics
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A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics | |
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January 29, 2005Is the nuclear option defused?Recent counts have as many as seven Republican senators indicating that they may buck a party line vote that attempts to sustain a parliamentary ruling that Rule XXII (a/k/a cloture a/k/a the filibuster) does not apply to debate on judicial nominees. Assuming that the Democrats are able to hold their line (some have suggested that red-state Democrats would buckle under pressure), the loss of seven Republicans would kill the nuclear option Senator Frist (R-Tenn.) continues to dangle like the sword of Damocles. The Magnificent Seven (or Seven Samurai, depending on how much you like remakes) reportedly are Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.), Susan Collins (R-Me.), Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Olympia Snow (R-Me.), Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), and John Warner (R-Va.). Posted by The Jaded JD at January 29, 2005 10:29 AMComments
I like the Kurasawa better, but they're both good flicks. Sword opera, horse opera, heroic in either case. Like offering to take an issue to the press rather than negotiating a compromise, the nuclear option works best as a threat. I don't like the way Dems have used it of late, but ces't la politique. That doesn't make it an illegitimate tool. I don't want that tool banished from the rack, and I think true abuse of it is self-correcting at the ballot box, and I think we've already witnessed that. Posted by: Tully at January 29, 2005 05:49 PMThe "nuclear option" isn't anyhting available to Democrats at the moment, Tully, (benefit of the doubt? you meant Republicans?). But Frist threatening to use the option is, as you said, more effective than the actual use of it. Unless he believes Republicans will never be in the minority again. I'm going to assume he won't ever use it becuase it would be a disaster and I will also assume Senate Democrats don't think he will either. I don't know if it's even worth Frist bringing it up, it will help in the short term, but it could cripple the Republicans too. You may deliver a blow to your opponent's nose, but at the same time you just broke your left hand off doing it. Posted by: scott at January 29, 2005 06:05 PMYep, bad verbiage on my part. Comes of blogging with kids distracting me. To clarify: I think nuking the filibuster is a Really Bad Idea. Even if I don't like the way it's been used. Posted by: Tully at January 29, 2005 06:24 PM |
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