A # of judges okayed, no filibuster, and the filibuster itself remains in place. Out of a meeting of 14 Senators from both sides. The GOP members of that group don’t want to lose filibuster for the future. Announcement coming, they’re saying on MSNBC. The GOP senators are also worried about loss of a moderate voice in Senate. Press conference starting now. Bill Frist is NOT in the spotlight. The good guys include John McCain, John Warner, Olympia Snow, Joe Lieberman, Robert Byrd… Frist has been diminished. Lindsey Graham: “People at home are going to be very upset with me for a while. (Laughter.) The White House is going to get more involved and listen to US more … We can repair it and have a senate that functions for the common good. Social Security coming apart and kids are dying (in Iraq).” Frist is diminished.
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At podium: John Warner on left, Mike from Ohio, and Snow from Maine. McCain too.
McCain speaking.
Senators still coming out to podium. Sen. Nelson. I thought I saw Hillary but couldn’t tell.
Sens. Byrd and Warner vital to agreement, McCain said.
Janice Brown, Myers and Owens — vote for cloture.
I watch Matthews until I couldn’t take it, and then turned to baseball. Where’s my remote?
Mine’s usually under the cushions or on the floor next to the bed.
a thesaurus – repellent, reprehensible, repugnant, revolting and rotten. R is for Republican also.
The filibuster remains in place for the future Republicans to use, but we must refrain from using it? Or am I missing something here.
5 of 7 judges okayed.
the rest — the future — is based on trust.
came from perspiration, not inspiration…. “not a Tom Jefferson in the bunch”
McCain “stole the show” from Frist
Sweet.
MSNBC: Dramatic setback to BIll Frist (yessssssss)
They’re still talking. MSNBC cut them off. Live on Fox though
god, I would kill to have John Warner’s hair at any age.
Then you could get Elizabeth Taylor.
no really, that’s okay.
Then you could have a horse farm.
from the non-TVers here… Both of us. 🙂
It was kind of cool. Like all of a sudden the Senators were acting like adults and telling the infant terribles to go f–k themselves.
And from those of us who have TV but don’t get whatever channel you’re watching. Thanks!
Keith Olbermann is playing grainy footage of Santorum in 2003. Nazis, New York Times, etc., etc. DO TRY to catch it. Santorum has invoked the Nazi crap before and the graininess of the video makes him look even more sinister.
Bill Frist is now speaking on floor of Senate … KO switched to him live.
Nominees can’t be horsetraded or log-rolled. (That’s good.) A simple yes or now.
This announcement “falls short.” Repeats: “It falls short.” It has some good news and some bad news.
“I’m very pleased that every one of the judges identified in the announcement will receive an up or down vote. Three nominees — Owens, Myers, Rogers…” Conf. of Griffith to DC Court of Appeals, not a part of this particular agreement, but we’ve been assured….”
MSNBC / Craig Crawford: Frist is being fairly upfront about what he’s lost.
Crawford: The big, big battle will be Supreme Court. Thsi agreement doesn’t end that, it just puts it off.
Reid: Abuse of power wiill not be tolerated. Trample of the constitution won’t be allowed.
Majority Leader Frist declared defeat. The Min. Leader, Reid, declared victory over the radical arm of the right.
Fourty one Fascists.
The Democrats and Republicans won this one. The Senate has taken over the responsibility of protecting the constitution. For now.
Dobson et. al. are kaput.
Bush is a lame duck.
I’d have advised the Senate Democrats to let Frist drop the bomb. All of them could have held a joint press conference and signed a pledge.
“If I’m still in the Senate when the Democrats regain the majority I solemnly swear to vote to restore the filibuster which the Republicans are destroying today. We Democrats understand that this is a country of laws and not a country of men.”
is an asshole.
asshole.
Dobson=Dr.Frankenstein
Okay, I’ve been working way too hard analyzing and writing legal documents for 15 hours, but the current state of dominionism obviously played a role in how I read the title of this diary.
My goodness, my interest was immediately drawn in when I thought the title read, “Senate’s 14 Moderates Avoid RAPTURE”
With my clients’ best interests in mind, I acted responsibly and put my work down for the day.
(And once again she flies in under the radar to take a diary off topic – HUZZAH!)
will anybody hear?
I just needed a 4 before I called it a night :^) And you helped me build my thesis.
First and foremost no one knows, now, how this is going to play out over the next 1.6 years. But there are a couple of things that can be said now.
Senator Frist just got his legs cut out from underneath him. He has been shown to be a weak leader. Further he promised something and couldn’t bring it home. He is definitely hurt.
Reid played his hand the best he could. This compromise isn’t what I would have liked but I also think it is the best he could do. I think his hand is strengthened.
The GOP had the numbers to change the rules. They blinked.
The Wing-Nuts are going ballastic. If the posts on Freeperville, as reported on Kos, are representative the GOP is going to face a defection to the Constitutional Party.
The Bush agenda is now officially DOA.
The Democrats and the 14 Republicans now constitute a working majority in the Senate. How that plays out is going to determine how we will view this compromise a year from now.
I’m pretty disappointed.
Three of the worst judicial nominees are going to get votes and this is going to set the bar for “extreme appointment” in the future. After all if Brown or Rodgers or Pryor aren’t extreme at the appellate court level, how can they be called extreme as Supreme Court nominees.
If just one or two judges were stopped, as an example, the principle would have remained in tact.