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Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In

By Jeralyn, Section Other Politics
Posted on Mon May 23, 2005 at 04:56:39 PM EST
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The worst, the compromise is in. Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor are in. Total capitulation by Democrats. Total victory for Frist. Let them spin it how they want, it's a loss for the Democrats. Henry Saad of Michigan is the fall guy. He won't get a vote. No one cared about him anyway. That's tossing the Dems a chicken bone.

Ken Salazar. Traitor. Democrats will remember this when he runs for re-election. He's been in the Senate a few months - most of his moves have been Republican-light. Another Joe Lieberman. He'll probably go the way of Ben Nighthorse Campbell in a few years.

Harry Reid had 49 votes. We would have won. There's a blogger conference call to discuss the deal and Senator Reid’s Reaction at 8:15 tonight. Go to MyDD and Swing State Project and Daily Kos for details. I have a dinner meeting and I'm too angry, anyway.

We don't have a "Republic" tonight. We have a total Republican regime. Welcome to the Theocracy.

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    Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In | 33 comments (33 topical)
    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#33)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:54:18 PM EST
    PIL - Oil? You think this is over oil? Dumb, real dumb. Blag - I love the way you invent things: "And a liberal Republican goes to war, becomes a POW, comes home a hero, loses the primary to an AWOL coward who calls him a traitor" Got any proof of the above?

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#1)
    by The Heretik on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    Republicans Win Compromise Unbelievable.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    what a bunch of cowards.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    I can't say I'm with you on this one, TL, at least not completely. The filibuster remains intact and Frist doesn't have the votes to change that. The nuclear option is off the table. I can't say that's an entirely bad thing.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    if these three judges were not "extraordinary circumstances" Im not sure what is..

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#5)
    by jarober on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    oooh, majority rule is now "theocracy" in TL's eyes. I can hardly wait for the worm to turn - we'll have a Democrat President someday, and this entire "principle" of minority rights will be flushed down the memory hole.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#6)
    by glanton on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    What a pathetic lot the Democratic Party has become. As our loss of civil liberties mounts daily, the Dems are as responsible for standing by as the GOP is for perpetrating. In a lot of ways their passivity makes them even worse.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    ** NUCLEAR FREEZE! ** AP has reported that the Senate 12 have brokered an 11th hour deal to avert a showdown over the nuclear option. The deal announced by Senator John McCain preserves the Democrats right to filibuster, but gives Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor a vote on the Senate floor. If the early blogosphere feedback is any indication, the Right and Left share a common sense of rage and betrayal at the outcome: - "Cowards. A Bunch of M-Fing Cowards!!!! "Trust"? This Is A Nightmare." (Ankle-Biting Pundits) - "'Bipartisan'Group Caves To Liberals" (Ace of Spades) - "Disappointing, I'm Afraid" (Powerline) - "I don't know about you, but I don't like it." (Atrios) - "Beating Frist on the procedural vote may've been the best option. But the worst option was too horrible to contemplate." (DailyKos) - "The Dewine Caveat" (Think Progress) For the right, Bill Frist missed a golden opportunity to enshrine a conservative judicial future and to castrate Democratic opposition in the Senate. For many Democrats, this tenuous deal depends on the good faith of a set of Republican counterparts like McCain and Lindsey Graham, certainly not the safest position to be in. As a matter of principle, the Democrats now face the prospect of accepting previously unacceptable judges.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#8)
    by DawesFred60 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    oh it was a sell-out, indeed one big outrage and soon people will come to the same place and ideal's I have. Hey people its not bush its not you its the outrage of our non government with its hidden evil political agenda that will start its move on your rights. it is like the opening of the door-way to hell, think that is an insane statement do you? did you hear what warren buffett said about nukes around the world? our government is dead and working against you like some kind of phantom from hell, and the evil power of the worlds oligarchies will start the mass-murders soon. but on a happy Note bush will be gone in 2 years, God Help us all.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#9)
    by Lora on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    I'm really really sorry to have been right about this one.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    I still think this is a great development...the Republican majority in the Senate has proven unable to take away the voice of the minority. Could this possibly lead to more Democratic input concerning judical nominees? Maybe, maybe not...but the right to filibuster a fringe right-wing SupCt nominee remains. That seems more important than anything. And best of all, the right is furious with Frist and the GOP in general. Just listen to the Dems on CSPAN right now...they're happy. And on balance, I am too.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#11)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    et al - Link to Frist who says that 5 will be voted on. Either way, Frist's presidential hopes are dead, as the Right will say that he did not act in time, and thus isn't qualified to be President. The Senate again proves to be the graveyard of those who would be king. An so are McCain's, unless he finally flips parties, as he should, to the Demos. One small point. This doesn't protect the SC issue. The nuke option can still be triggered. Frist may see that as his only hope. Stay tuned for some fun time in the months ahead.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    To get a sense of who won, one need look no further than Harry Reid's brief post-agreement press conference. He was so excited, he almost wet his pants. Then he proceeded to vilify the republicans. Hardly in the spirit of compromise, if you ask me.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#13)
    by Avedon on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    That's pretty much my feeling, Jeralyn. (Why am I not surprised that you had the same reaction I did?) (And, Fred Dawes, that wasn't Atrios, that was me.)

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#14)
    by glanton on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    Well, if the GOP nukes 'em when it comes Supreme Court time, then the Dems will have truly gotten nothing for this. How could the Right possibly be angry about this "compromise"? Whatever did they lose? The whole thing is just so sad. That fundamental civil liberties in the United States would hang in the balance like this, in the year 2005. Hopefully the next President, whomever it is and from whichever party, will be at least a tad more qualified to nominate federal judges.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#15)
    by ras on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    GregZ, if these three judges were not "extraordinary circumstances" Im not sure what is.. I thnk the phrase is meant to encompass situations such as a judge found to be in the pocket of organized crime, or suspected of spying for a foreign power etc; i.e. truly extraordinary. A Senator merely disagreeing w/a Nominee is not really extraordinary circumstances, tho. That situation is to be expected regularly, since disagreements are the reason we have elected officials and votes in the first place - nothing extraordinary about disagreeing. Each Senator already has a vote that they can, and should, cast to express their opinion on such matters. As to how long this agreement will hold, I think it will last as long as it takes the Dems to filibuster again, at which point the R's will declare that to be in bad faith, the agreement will fall, and we start all over again. All claims to the contrary, though, I highly doubt that the D's had the votes today to prevent cloture, else they wouldn't have made this deal. And now, after having told the world that the current Nominees were raving extremists, they have to explain why they weren't willing to fight over it. Either they were laying it on thick before (that's my contention, fwiw) or they just can't be bothered to fight over issues of the utmost importance. And if the Dem rank and file themselves believe the current Nominees to be such a serious danger, then the birth of a third party just got one very big step closer. But remember, I said if.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#16)
    by ras on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    BTW, from another blog - a rightwing one - comes this comment re "extraordinary circumstances," which, regardless of your politics, makes a very good point: since Brown, Owen, and Pryor are all being confirmed, a mainstream conservative nominee with judicial experience and no personal skeletons cannot be considered “extraordinary.” That is, there is now precedent for Bush to appoint 100 clones of Janice Rogers Brown and all would be non-extraordinary for purposes of this agreement. I think he's right. If JRB is not extraordinary - and she represents the measure, now - then future nominees cut from the same cloth clearly are not extraordinary either, and any attempt to filibuster one would break the good faith clause of the agreement and return us to the cloture fight, right where we started.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    Harry Reid continues to take lemons and make lemon juice. Is it still sour? Yeah, there ain't no sugar left in the bowl. But what about 'coup' don't you understand? If you think losing some seats on federal courts is the worst we have coming, you REALLY are nursing your bruises WAY too early in this disaster. The caucus is intact; the Rs are screaming bloody murder; Frist is hurt, badly; the Dems are on record opposing the bad decisions to come from these ringers; and Reid has shown the party once again the value of party discipline, even in this time of woe. If we don't want to live in Bush's fake America, we have to fix our the voting system that the wingers rigged. NOTHING is likely to go all the way our way until that happens. FURTHERMORE, the politicization of the Bush Crisis is disgusting to the VICTIMS, the real victims, of Bush's illegal war. By turning this stuff into domestic angst, we miss the point of moral outrage by a Mississippi mile. We don't have nice judges -- boohoo. We still have water, houses, and jobs. Other than that, I share your disgust, and how.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    Jim: "the Right will say that he did not act in time, and thus isn't qualified to be President." One word: 9il.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    It just keeps on giving... Jim: "An so are McCain's, unless he finally flips parties, as he should, to the Demos." Then we would have ALL your war heroes, except Dole. We'd be happy to throw you some spare stallion phallus if that would seal the deal. I guess his 'brown girl' has her revenge, eh JIm?

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    "Henry Saad of Michigan is the fall guy. He won't get a vote. No one cared about him anyway." Well, I cared about him. I've practiced in front of him, and he's an awful judge. The full dimensions of this deal may not be immediately apparent. I'm not certain, for example, that the Repblican leadership has the votes to confrirm Brown on an up-or-down vote. Remember, the "nuclear option" was not really about these particular judges--it was about paving the way for appointment of radical rightist successors to Rehnquist, O'Connor and Stevens, giving them the 5-4 majority necesaary to reverse decisions like Casey and Lawrence. The Rpublicans have failed to advance that goal. Guys like Dobson and Bauer seem pissed, which I take to be a god sign . . .

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    "Guys like Dobson and Bauer seem pissed, which I take to be a god sign . . ." My Freudian slip is showing--of course I meant to type "good sign."

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#22)
    by DonS on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    Besides the mere postponement of the procedual fight, the bar is now set so low for what constitues "extraordinary" that the country will be screwed by the parade of more lifetime radicals. And that's beforeBush decides to challenge the Democrats again with some totally egegious nominee. Anyone think Bush, the punacious sore loser can resist the challenge? Ha.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    I don't agree that this compromise automatically makes JRB fit within the "extraordinary circumstances" threshold. In fact, it was JRB that brought about this crisis. She is the proverbial exceptional case that proves the rule. The compromise allows her to come to a vote (which she may lose) but does so as a special case to eek the deal through. Ultimately, "extraordinary circumstances" means whatever any Senator thinks it means. Because of this deal, Bush will have to think twice about appointing an extremist to the Supreme Court.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#24)
    by John Mann on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    Why would anyone be surprised by this? At the end of the day, there is virtually no difference between the Democrats and Republicans - which is precisely why George W Bush is still sitting in the White House.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#25)
    by soccerdad on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    John Mann Bingo! You are right on the mark

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#26)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:42 PM EST
    PIL - "9il????" McCain is a conservative Demo, or a Liberal Repub, take your choice. There is really no place for him in the Repub party at this time. That was true last week. It is triple true this morning. He can probably win anoher Senate term, but even that will be no slam dunk. Re`phallus... You naughty little boy. Are you sure you know what one looks like? And all my heros grow up to be cowboys. rea - Maybe it was a sign..... You know, the only worse invective I've seen about this has been from the far right....

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#27)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:43 PM EST
    The right is just crying crocodile tears as they got themselves tossed in the briar patch. They got everything they wanted. I used to kind of like Susan Collins but after this performance yuck

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#28)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:43 PM EST
    John Mann, that's a great way to put it.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#29)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:43 PM EST
    Sad but true...what's the difference between a liberal-Republican and a conservative-Democrat? Who gets to sit beside George....

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#30)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:43 PM EST
    Blagh - That's easy. A conservative Democrat has a chance at winning a national election.... Ask Clinton.

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#31)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:44 PM EST
    And a liberal Republican goes to war, becomes a POW, comes home a hero, loses the primary to an AWOL coward who calls him a traitor, and winds up licking his a#* for scraps from the table... Blagh'll take the conservative Democrat...Clinton didn't lie down like a dog in the road the way McCain has...

    Re: Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In (none / 0) (#32)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:55:45 PM EST
    John Mann: At the end of the day, there is virtually no difference between the Democrats and Republicans - which is precisely why George W Bush is still sitting in the White House." No, Bush is in the White House because we no longer have legal elections. Five years of stolen elections later, and this is what you get. 9il is OIL.

    Sell-Out Deal Made: - Bush's Judges In | 33 comments (33 topical)