Republicans consider shutting down Senate over judicial nominees

[ck4829]

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Thursday he has not ruled out the option of shutting down the chamber to put fresh pressure on Democrats to confirm President Bush’s stalled judicial nominees.

“We’re certainly not happy with the situation, and a lot of different options to respond to that are under consideration,” McConnell told The Hill when asked about whether he was open to bringing the chamber’s business to a halt.

“We’ve made no decisions on where we go from here,” he added. “But there is a widespread sense of dissatisfaction about the way circuit court nominees have been treated.”

His statement came after Republicans brought a Judiciary Committee meeting to a near-standstill to vent their frustrations with what they said was Democratic foot-dragging to confirm 10 pending nominees to federal appeals courts. They complained that there have been no committee hearings on nominees since last September, and say that at least nine more nominees need to be confirmed by the end of Bush’s term in order to match the 15 judges the Republican-controlled Senate approved in the final two years of the Clinton administration.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gop-still-ponders-shutdown-over-judicial-nominees-2008-04-03.html

[Larkspur]

1. What? Nuke those Repukes!

That's what they would have done to Dems if the roles were reversed.

[rateyes]

2. Reid, don't you fucking cave in to these pricks...

NO more Bush appointees to the courts. NONE.

[Mountainman]

3. Same shit different party. They stalled Clinton's nominees hoping to get

a repuke president. So we stall theirs hoping to get a Dem president.

[Ian David]

8. Not the same thing by a longshot. n/t

[NYC Liberal]

16. We have not held up anywhere near the number of Bush's nominees

as the Repukes held up with Clinton.

[ljm2002]

26. Right, and here is the essential difference...

...because I don't remember Democrats when they were in the minority, threatening to shut down the Senate to bring attention to the stalled nominations.

They play hardball, we play softball, they win, we lose. Rinse, lather, repeat.

[NYC Liberal]

28. They threatened a few times but then they backed down.

And they even do it NOW, when they're in the majority!

Democrats: We're passing this hard-hitting bill on Iraq!
Bush: OK, I'll veto it
Democrats: Well now, let's not get to hasty here...heh...maybe we can make some "adjustments" for you Mr. President

Sigh

[Robbien]

4. Exactly what we need. More pro-business/anti-average joe Judges

It is getting hard enough to find an honest judge these days who will even acknowledge consumers need to be protected from capitalistic greed.

[bain_sidhe]

5. Problem is, Clinton nominated "centrists"

... say that at least nine more nominees need to be confirmed by the end of Bush’s term in order to match the 15 judges the Republican-controlled Senate approved in the final two years of the Clinton administration.

Bush nominates crazynutjobreichwingers. Even so, *most* of Clinton's judicial nominees in the last two years didn't get hearings.

[babylonsister]

6. Pls. read this! Dems NOT required to allow any more appointments!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x115978

[alstephenson]

12. Thanks for reposting this, babylonsister!

[murielm99]

7. Let them do it.

Let them get all the negative publicity they deserve.

BTW, thanks for the post. I had not seen this story yet.

[warren pease]

9. With any luck, the Senate will stay closed for the rest of the year...

...which means Reid won't be doing any more caving for awhile, much as he'd like to. Lieberman can go to work on McCain's campaign full time, keeping him out of the way and further establishing his position as an asshole and a loser.

Plus, they won't be able to pass hideous shit like S 1959, the Senate version of HR 1955, formally known as the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, also known as the Full Employment Act for Thought Crime Detectives and Kill the Intertubes Bill of 2008, which is also called "Endgame" by those wags and kidders in the Dept. of Vaterland Insecurity.

There's no telling how much damage these bastards can do in what's left of this Congressional term. Just send them all home, where they can beat their wives and kids and kick their pets. At least the damage remains localized that way.


wp

[Cobalt-60]

22. You're right. Shut it down!

They do little but cave to Junior in any case.
I'd rather see the senate gridlocked until January 09 than allow another one of junior's procession criminals to reach the bench.
It denies Reid any further opportunities for collaboration too.
I like it!

[frogcycle]

10. what the hell difference would that make?

they can not pass anything just as easily shut down as they do when functioning

[spanone]

11. don't we have the 'nuclear option' those fuckers threatened the dems every goddam time

[annabanana]

13. What, exactly, can they do besides complain?. . n/t

[SoCalDem]

14. If those appointments are for 'lifetime" appointments, then shut-it down..

These lameduck push-through appointments need to be stopped..

[ToeBot]

15. Shut down the Senate? Wouldn't that be heartbreaking - how would they fund the occupation?

Hey McConnell, do the world a favor and shut the MF'er down.

[lonestarnot]

17. Ssssshhhhhh! Buzzards!

[Nutmegger]

18. Repukes aren't afraid to pull out the big guns.

The Democrats on the other hand ...

[opihimoimoi]

19. Using the Fear card again??? What is it with these dudes?

[tavalon]

20. Republicans school Democrats in how to be a minority party

[krispos42]

21. Let them

Shut it down. Do not put one single piece of legislation or funding on Bush's desk for the rest of the term.

Guess that might put a spike in telecom immunity and war funding, too. Oh, darn.


Reid, go nuclear. Then re-vote on every single fucking bill they every filibustered in the past 15 months.

[wryter2000]

24. I sure agree with this part

Shut it down. Do not put one single piece of legislation or funding on Bush's desk for the rest of the term.

Guess that might put a spike in telecom immunity and war funding, too. Oh, darn.

And we get the extra benefit of them doing the shutting down. Makes it pretty clear why this is a "do nothing" Congress.

Didn't some guy named Gingrich shut down the Congress once? I wonder how that worked out for him. :)

[elehhhhna]

23. Reeps think we owe them the same number of fed judges? Let them count against that IMPEACHMENT we

also "owe" them, and STFU.

[Prophet 451]

25. What happened to the nuclear option?

You remember, the one that made it clear the thugs wanted teh Senate to be purely a rubberstamp when they were in the majority; the one where a "compromise" was reached that said teh minority could have the right to filibuster so long as they never, ever, ever used it.

Quit playing games with these bastards. This isn't Congressional politics, this is a war. The thugs are determined to tilt the rules permanently in their favour, let them it down for all teh difference it would make.

[GreenPartyVoter]

27. Oh, that can only be used against the Dems, dontcha know