Discussion for article #232663
The only reason the GOP has not already done this, is they fear giving President H. Clinton and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid carte blanche.
“That’s the way it’s been for 200 years. I mean, there’s never been a filibuster for the Supreme Court justices,” Alexander told TPM. “Even Clarence Thomas. No Supreme Court justice has ever been denied his seat by a filibuster.”
Interesting to me that a Republican points this out.
Good looking picture of Lindsay Graham in that article. The guy is clearly prepping for a presidential run.
I am not really a fan of the filibuster. Somebody has to convince me it should apply to the Supreme Court. It has been threatened but never used before.
Alexander’s haunting point about Clarence Thomas reminds me of how the Democrats allowed this incompetent to reach the court. Their performance on the senate judiciary committee led by Biden demeaned the country.
The problem with Thomas was democrats didn’t want to attack a black man on the merits of his nomination. They tried to use the Anita Hill charges to derail an otherwise weak candidate. They thought the scandal would force him to withdraw. . They should have tackled him head on. Thomas wasn’t up to the job. He still isn’t. His wife seems to be actively selling his vote to her lobby shop customers. Which brings me to a pet peeve of mine. The Supreme Court doesn’t follow the same ethical standards as the rest of the Federal judiciary.
It’s that picture of McConnell, googly, magnified and vacant eyes, shiny skin, chinless that I dread seeing for the next two years. Make it stop!
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Senate’s rules? Where exactly did Senator Alexander come up with that one? What about “Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings” (Article I, Section 5, Paragraph 2)? The first President of the Senate was John Adams, and presumably the first Senate wrote the first rules. At the time, Jefferson was the Secretary of State, and would not have been involved in anything the legislative branch decided to do.
I HATE sloppy history.
GOTP
F’ed themselves into a corner…
LaughingLoudly
Another BJ…BushJob.
It’s the Road Map for the 100 Year GOP Reich that Karl Rove has devoted his life to.
Sloppy history, junk science. It’s how they roll in the GOP.
Exactly - ‘not even the biggest bag of crap useless POS waste of time obstructionist fossilized dinosaur turd field of a pointless hurtful regressive shitty self-moronized justice, one we only put up because the Dems wouldn’t let us have Bork and it provides a huge cardboard fake-out on our party’s core racism, was submitted to filibuster, so no candidate in future ever no matter how awful and what kind of hellspawn he is and what mortal horrors he’s almost certain to visit upon the country and its citizens and residents should ever be subject to filibuster because that would mean change’.
Same folks that filibustered every attempt obama made to backfill DOJ vacancies accusing obama of using the vacancies to staff the DOJ with liberals lawyers now want the ability to fill the DOJ with conservative lawyers and know ones even raising a question…
How long is it going to take for people to realize that the GOPs end game of a permanent majority is SERIOUS?
Speaking of sloppy history, Abe Fortas wsa filibustered: https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Filibuster_Derails_Supreme_Court_Appointment.htm
It’s almost like they just make this stuff up as they go along with no regard to history…
Who ever heard of a democracy that requires a 2/3 vote to decide things?
I was thinking the same thing…do you suppose that is why they decided to re-define and narrow the quid pro quo of direct payments…like the good ol’ days when Boehner was passing out bribery checks on the floor of congress…???
The Democrats on the Judiciary Cmte had another sexual harassment witness lined up, but they decided to act in a bipartisan manner and didn’t call her. I’ve read accounts that her testimony would’ve probably sunk Thomas’ nomination. Another thing that galls me is that the GOP thought he was a fitting successor to Thurgood Marshall’s seat!
If only they had actually filibustered him. Ugh.