Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and Pat Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, have sent Bush a letter today, urging him to pick a "consensus" (read: moderate) judge to replace O'Connor following the withdrawal of Harriet Miers.
This letter proves how scared the Democrats are. The circumstances surrounding the withdrawal of Miers obviously signals to them that Bush is bound to make a pick that will please his conservative base, which they claim to be the extreme right wing.
They wrote,
The extraordinary circumstances surrounding the Miers nomination make it even more important that Justice Sandra Day O’Connor be replaced by a mainstream nominee, not by an activist who would bring an ideological agenda to the Court.
Well, like I've said in the past, if Ginsburg can be confirmed with over 90 votes, any conservative judge Bush has, or could nominate to any court, should be able to do the same without any problem. Their letter also states their alleged belief that "Interest groups are not entitled to an extra-constitutional veto over Supreme Court appointments."
This is interesting, because recent history has shown that they think that the Democratic Party is entitled to an extra-constitutional veto over any of Bush's judicial nominees. According to the Constitution, a simple majority is require to confirm any judicial nominee. However, their rampant abuse of the filibuster suddenly made it necessary for a super-majority - which, in effect, gave the minority party a veto that is nowhere to be found in the Constitution.
There are some potential nominees who would clearly fail this test. As before, we strongly urge you to refrain from nominating to the Supreme Court any of the handful of judicial nominees who were filibustered during the past four years, or any other similarly divisive candidate.
There it is... This is a threat by the minority party to filibuster a nominee that they do not approve of. Well, Mr. President, I think you need to call their bluff. Nominate someone they will likely filibuster. A judicial filibuster is unconstitutional anyway, so it's time to say "bring it on."
In their letter, they also urged Bush to "pick one of the many qualified mainstream women and minority candidates who can win widespread bipartisan support in the Senate and among the American people."
I'd like to say that I don't want Bush to pick a qualified "mainstream" woman or minority. I want him to pick the most qualified candidate, regardless of their race, color, or gender. I don't care what Reid and Leahy's definition of "mainstream" is... They think "mainstream" means a judge who believes 12 year olds should be able to get taxpayer funded abortions without their parent's consent. They think "mainstream" means a judge who believes its more important not to offend terrorists than to capture them. They think "mainstream" means a judge who believes it's okay to discriminate in the name of diversity. I'm tired of Democrats thinking they can tell us what means to be mainstream.
Also, let's make this clear to Senators Reid and Leahy: the Republicans have a majority in the Senate. We don't need them to confirm judges.
At this critical moment, and in light of the circumstances that led to the withdrawal of the Miers nomination, Senate Democrats will perform our constitutional Advice and Consent responsibility with heightened vigilance.
There you have it... This letter is nothing but a warning to Bush of the Democrats intent to filibuster a nominee they don't approve of. Bush may have been avoiding a fight by nominating Miers, and the Democrats think they can corner Bush again, not to nominate another stealth candidate, but to nominate moderate candidate who they believe will vote to uphold Roe v. Wade.
Reid and Leahy know Bush will aim to please his conservative base with his replacement pick. After all, we did elect him... This letter proves just how afraid they are...
Posted by Matt at October 29, 2005 12:43 AM
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Scared little fella's aren't they.
Posted by: Jim at October 29, 2005 03:13 AM
Let's hope that ALL of the Republicans in the Senate have backbone enough to weather this fight.
Posted by:
Jay.Mac at October 29, 2005 05:46 AM
"extraordinary circumstances" wasn't this the buzzword trigger for a fillibuster when the Gang of Eight got together?
Posted by: phnxbmed at October 29, 2005 08:49 AM
It's time to go "bare knuckle" with the left and let them filibuster. Based on the intensity of the conservative wrath recently unleashed against Bush, I have a feeling that any Republican senator that doesn't join in a rule change will be severely damaged, destroyed or forced to change parties.
Posted by: rplat at October 29, 2005 08:49 AM
Screw Reid, and screw Leahy; I'm sick and tired of their crap, and their definition of "mainstream." I'm also sick and tired of our side always trying to get along with these pukes. We don't owe them a damn thing; they've been obstructing the people's business since 2000.
This "Plame-Gate" crap is the last straw for me; these donks act as if everyone they've elected, past or present, have been little angels. Hill and Bill got away with a lot, and many indiscretions have occurred since 2000 which were dismissed, in my opinion, with a mere slap on the wrist.
I'm tired of it; we need to fight back...
Posted by: keefer at October 29, 2005 10:21 AM
keefer- Amen!
For some reason after this past thursday and friday, I feel completely re-energized and ready to tell the MSM/dem complex to STUFF IT!!
The new beginning has begun.
Posted by: johnnn at October 29, 2005 10:44 AM
Reid and Leahy are a couple of scared little punks now. They are having an Oh shit moment. The donks little world is caving in on them, failed to get Rove, Delay will walk. All they have done is piss off one the best political masterminds of all time. This is going to be fun watching Rove and Libby go for the jugular while we get a solid right Justice. Everybody go buy stocks in Prozac, the donks are going to make the market jump to all time highs.
Posted by: Jim at October 29, 2005 04:35 PM
There are two even more important names omitted from the above comments than Leahy:Try, "baby-in-a-dish," Specter, and "I am the leader" Frist.
These two plus McCain, matter far more than all the Leahys and Reids in the world.
Posted by: DL at October 29, 2005 07:01 PM
Bush is appointing a new Supreme Court Justice. We need to get off the "replacing O Connor" rhetoric as the left will demand another O Connor!
They control the language of persuasion, far better than we do!
Posted by: DL at October 29, 2005 07:04 PM
What the democrats need to remember is that they were voted in as a minority and have no voice to seek the justice that they want.
Losers get over it -- you are now the minority and we don't care!
Posted by: semby at October 29, 2005 08:39 PM
Come to think of it. I would put up Janice Rogers Brown and send them back a letter and tell them that she is a "moderate" compared to them!
Posted by: DL at October 30, 2005 04:45 AM
Order Matt and Mark's book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble
Scared little fella's aren't they.
Let's hope that ALL of the Republicans in the Senate have backbone enough to weather this fight.
"extraordinary circumstances" wasn't this the buzzword trigger for a fillibuster when the Gang of Eight got together?
It's time to go "bare knuckle" with the left and let them filibuster. Based on the intensity of the conservative wrath recently unleashed against Bush, I have a feeling that any Republican senator that doesn't join in a rule change will be severely damaged, destroyed or forced to change parties.
Screw Reid, and screw Leahy; I'm sick and tired of their crap, and their definition of "mainstream." I'm also sick and tired of our side always trying to get along with these pukes. We don't owe them a damn thing; they've been obstructing the people's business since 2000.
This "Plame-Gate" crap is the last straw for me; these donks act as if everyone they've elected, past or present, have been little angels. Hill and Bill got away with a lot, and many indiscretions have occurred since 2000 which were dismissed, in my opinion, with a mere slap on the wrist.
I'm tired of it; we need to fight back...
keefer- Amen!
For some reason after this past thursday and friday, I feel completely re-energized and ready to tell the MSM/dem complex to STUFF IT!!
The new beginning has begun.
Reid and Leahy are a couple of scared little punks now. They are having an Oh shit moment. The donks little world is caving in on them, failed to get Rove, Delay will walk. All they have done is piss off one the best political masterminds of all time. This is going to be fun watching Rove and Libby go for the jugular while we get a solid right Justice. Everybody go buy stocks in Prozac, the donks are going to make the market jump to all time highs.
There are two even more important names omitted from the above comments than Leahy:Try, "baby-in-a-dish," Specter, and "I am the leader" Frist.
These two plus McCain, matter far more than all the Leahys and Reids in the world.
Bush is appointing a new Supreme Court Justice. We need to get off the "replacing O Connor" rhetoric as the left will demand another O Connor!
They control the language of persuasion, far better than we do!
What the democrats need to remember is that they were voted in as a minority and have no voice to seek the justice that they want.
Losers get over it -- you are now the minority and we don't care!
Come to think of it. I would put up Janice Rogers Brown and send them back a letter and tell them that she is a "moderate" compared to them!