The official armchair QB's filibuster thread.

I think #2 in Democrat keys to victory is especially important, and especially tricky. In particular, I think "pressure" from Democrats is too risky, too high of a chance of backfiring.

Depends on who the pressure comes from, in part.

Does the last side to be seen as rejecting a "compromise" lose political points?

Are you both saying that the Republicans win the aftermath of a nuclear showdown (meaning the Dems' filibuster and the Reps successfully change the rules)?

This very well may happen, and I am not sure the Dems lose in this case. There are also mid-term elections next year to think about...

. . . Some conservative groups eager to seat more judges who shared their philosophy pressed Republican lawmakers to forge ahead with the rule change. The White House, however, worried that a filibuster fight would detract attention from the war in Iraq and efforts to pass a budget and a prescription-drug benefit for Medicare. So, Frist worked through Martin B. Gold -- his parliamentary expert -- to try to find a compromise or a basis for changing the rules.
At a September 2003 luncheon held by conservative activist Paul Weyrich, Frist said he did not have the 51 votes needed to change the Senate rules, but vowed to trigger the nuclear option after the 2004 election if the Republicans picked up at least two seats. "If there is any way to do it, he would do it," was the message delivered to about 70 conservative activists that day, Weyrich said.

By November 2003, some conservative advocates of Bush administration judicial nominees were raising concerns that Frist was not solidly behind efforts to end judicial filibusters. Frist responded by calling in several conservative activists to make it clear he was behind the move.

Frist harbored presidential aspirations, and conservatives were starting to let him know that their support in the 2008 GOP primary could hinge on how he handled the judges issue.

If you love the parlimentary maneuver, the spin and the bluster and the PR... grab a beer and join in.

If you are good, someone should not be able to tell who you support from reading this thread.

The Senate opened a long-awaited debate on whether to ban filibusters of judicial nominees with vividly partisan attacks yesterday, as a small group of moderates worked behind the scenes for a compromise to avert the showdown.

Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader, opened the debate on Wednesday morning by declaring that "this new precedent cannot stand in Congress," as events began to unfold along deeply partisan lines.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Frist said Democrats had "radically" altered the traditions of the Senate by blocking votes on 10 of 45 appeals court candidates put forward by Mr. Bush. [...] "If Republicans roll back our rights in this chamber, there will be no check on their power," said Senator Reid (of the Democrats, T.). "The radical, right wing will be free to pursue any agenda they want.

Trying to point out weaknesses in the Republican argument against filibusters, Democrats cited an exchange on the floor on Wednesday between Dr. Frist and Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York. Mr. Schumer pressed Dr. Frist over his vote in 2000 not to cut off debate on the nomination of Richard Paez, a Clinton nominee.

But Dr. Frist said there was a distinction. "It's the partisan-leadership-led use of cloture votes to kill, to defeat, to assassinate these nominees, and that's the difference," Dr. Frist said.

His spokesman, Bob Stevenson, later noted that Mr. Paez eventually received a vote and was confirmed, and that many of the same Democrats now arguing to protect the filibuster have supported eliminating it in the past on all matters, not just judicial nominees.

If you love the parlimentary maneuver, the spin and the bluster and the PR... grab a beer and join in. I only ask that political animosity be dropped and we all remember it is, after all, just a game.

If you can't think this way... I would ask you join another thread. [...]

Again I ask that partisan bickering be kept out of this thread.

If you are good, someone should not be able to tell who you support from reading this thread.

I love the smell of a fillibuster/rule change in the morning....