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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe nuclear option has wiped the smirk off Michael Steele and Joe Scar's faces today
They were all grinning and practically giggling (esp. Steele) over the President's polls numbers and the ongoing Obamacare rollout troubles all week. But that came to a screeching halt once Reid "did the deed" and invoked the nuclear option.
It was such a pleasure to watch their sniveling and whining and being snippy on today's Morning Joe. Mika did show the chart of how Obama has been denied his prerogative to appoint judges to the federal courts and other appointments more often than all the presidents put together going back to LBJ! That was stunning! "Enough is enough" indeed!
What do you want to bet that if they poll this decision among the voters, they will get an overwhelming positive response? The American public is sick of the gridlock in Washington. THAT is what repukes are really sniveling about!
Laelth
(32,017 posts)-Laelth
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)It is so damn small that violin.
CTyankee
(63,771 posts)When these republicans whimper, it shows what cowards they really are!
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)CTyankee
(63,771 posts)randr
(12,408 posts)with a small "m".
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)Because stacking the courts has been one of their most important strategies since Reagan. They can see the demographics of the country changing such that it is more difficult ever to elect another GOP President. Without a president naming new uber-conservatives to lifetime appointments, their only option is to try to keep the Democratic President from seating ANY new judges.
The Dems have been spineless, completely AWOL on this issue for 33 years, and we have paid a huge price for that. We have lost serious ground on the environment, women's rights, civil rights, election laws, and many other things.
And even when Obama has been able to seat people, the upside-down rules of the Senate effectively bullied him into naming "center-right" judges. Now that the genie is out of the bottle, let's see so real progressives join the bench. Nice young ones.
BlueToTheBone
(3,747 posts)CTyankee
(63,771 posts)I think he'll stovepipe as many as he can in that time. And we can pray that we'll keep control of the Senate. We'll see...
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)without linking that to some other thing that they want. If you think you saw hostage-taking the past 2 years, just wait. We really need to hold the Senate. And the best way to do that is to take the senior seat in Kentucky. The time is right for that. The ACA is helping a whole lot of people in Kentucky. Shove that right up McConnell's backside.
CTyankee
(63,771 posts)Grimes is an excellent candidate. She has brains, heart and a BIG likeability factor. And she seems fearless.
I can't wait to see that guy gone...
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)I have a sense that Kentucky is changing.
brewens
(13,400 posts)to be dumped! LOL
blackspade
(10,056 posts)I've been voting against this asshole for 20+ years.
packman
(16,296 posts)'We have lost serious ground on the environment, women's rights, civil rights, election laws, and many other things "
I agree wholeheartedly with you. Judicial appointments-and by extension-the judges with their political leanings and philosophy has had a profound effect on Americas. Gerrymandering, electoral voting, union rights, etc. are all at the mercy of the courts when it comes down to a final, definitive decision. You control the means of who goes to jail and who remains above the law. No wonder Repukes are so upset about this. This was a battle that should have been fought sooner. Control the law makers and the decision makers and you control society and can form it anyway you wish.
calimary
(80,700 posts)for SEVERAL presidential election cycles to come. We have to replace the scalias and thomases with sensible left-leaning choices. They're the only two that seem old enough to be replaceable SOON.
But the farm teams - the appeals courts mainly - just infested with CONS. And think how long we're gonna have to wait for all the imbedded CONS that bush/cheney left in place ALL OVER the federal government. They're everywhere - like a lice epidemic.
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)Dems never got it. Republicans did. It took us 33 years to stand up to the bullies. We have to do a lot better than that.
It will literally take a generation to reverse some of that damage. Even when we have won the White House, the Dems were so spineless, they kept on nominating center-right (if not far right) judges so as not to offend the Republicans. Screw that. It has to change.
Obama put Sotamayor and Kagan on the SCOTUS. Have either of them taken the lead on any case, authoring what is clearly a PROGRESSIVE dissent to the evil 5? Perhaps that is the culture of the SCOTUS that a new justice is expected to act junior for a number of years. Nonetheless, it seems to me that both Breyer and Ginsberg are far to the left of either of Obama's appointees. The Republicans were able to bully Obama this way because they could simply refuse to do anything. That is over. If Obama gets any more SCOTUS appointments, he damn well had better nominate somebody at least as progressive as Ginsberg and Breyer. And if the Republicans stonewall that, then give them another taste of the nukes.
We really have nothing to lose. If and when the Republicans get control they will put far right judges everywhere they have an opening. It doesn't matter what the rules are. They always are able to bully the Dems on this. We have had the power. It is about time we used it.
butterfly77
(17,609 posts)they have lost a lot of votes because they always back down. I get tired of hearing this garbage about the Dems who vote with repubs because they are in a red state aren't they afraid of the Dems who vote for them because they want to see them kick repub ass if I were in a red state I wouldn't vote for them because they back down so,what they really are saying is that they don't give a damn about the Dems who vote for them anyway.
Since they don't stick together why should I vote for them and what is wrong with Dem leadership why in the hell aren't they on the ground in those states. They keep telling us how we are going to vote for Hillary,don't bet on it and Bill needs to shut the hell up...
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)...while Democrats were Defense Attorneys.
Republicans run on being "Tough On Crime".
Dems say they "Will fight for you".
Many brought this argument to Capital Hill with Republicans acting like they OWN the place and treating Dems like they're a bunch of scumbags trying to get the guilty off. This is also why Republicans want to cut back on civil liberties because there is always that ONE CASE that eats at them that they lost due to a "technicality" (Like an illegal search and seizure).
This is also why the RW media shifted it's focus on TV shows. We went from shows like Perry Mason where the innocent were defended to shows like CSI where the guilty are put away.
Then there are the ones that worked Corporate Law which is why Republicans hate "Trial Lawyers" which is their Focus Group Term for lawyers that sue rich corporations for the mass death they often cause. The ones they hate the most are the true believers who care about the people and refuse to be bought.
CTyankee
(63,771 posts)His cousins are married to Public Defenders (one in NH and one in MA) so family get togethers are interesting. But they all get along really well and nobody gets riled up. In fact they have a wonderful time together. Our family is as blue as they get...
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)CTyankee
(63,771 posts)good track record and they respect him. It IS New York after all...there are plenty of liberals mixed in with conservatives.
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)They understand the constitution - everyone gets a defense. That's not just slogan for lawyers....it's what they live.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)John Adams, 2nd President of the United States defended the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre.
Can you imagine him running in a modern campaign and having THAT brought up?
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)Major Hogwash
(17,656 posts)That is a pretty damn good insightful post, BlueStreak!
And you are absolutely right about the Rethuglicans stacking the courts ever since Reagan.
In fact, it was just a few years ago when Bush was appointing his cronies to high level offices within the federal government when the Rethuglicans shouted down any criticism from the Democrats of those appointments by saying, "The President has a right to choose who he wants to put in those positions!!"
I guess the Rethuglicans thought that was only true for WHITE Presidents.
watoos
(7,142 posts)What a radical idea, Majority Rules.
marble falls
(56,359 posts)they weren't inclined to do so. We haven't seen an honest filibuster in many years.
Bernie Sanders filibustered the Obama tax cuts 2010.
kydo
(2,679 posts)I might consider tuning in when the President is at 55% from polls like WSJ, NBC, ABC oh and Gallup. When the President is at 55% on Gallup it really means his approval rating is at least 8 points higher.
I do admit that I did watch on Monday and Tuesday but joe wasn't there and the program was very enjoyable - even with Miss Whiny Wallace.
But back to the point - this is the bottom out point for Obama. I have a feeling in about two weeks his polling numbers and ACA's polling numbers will be on the up tick.
2010 was probably the beginning of the Conservatives death throes. They really should have lasted one more election cycle (2014) lashing out in pain as they slowly died out. But they wasted their dwindling energy (kind of like their battle of the bulge, last stand thing) on the government shutdown / debit ceiling fight.
The final blows are coming from the filibuster loss and Obamacare. The courts will no longer give them as much cover and people are not only signing up for Obamacare they are starting to like it.
In July 2014, the flailing converstive movement might be able to attach themselves to something positive before dying out but this is if and only if they can over come a little bit of their hate for everything not white and not male. They might by accident pass Immigration reform or at least start the process Finally in the House. But that will not save them.
People will like their health care. Courts will start to move to the center. And people don't forget as easy as we think. The government shut down and all the folly from green eggs and ham to gattaca was too crazy and too funny to ever forget.
2014 will be a good year for progressives and liberals.
callous taoboy
(4,582 posts)My MEpublican family members are very agitated right now.
progressoid
(49,827 posts)Outstanding description.
JEFF9K
(1,935 posts)butterfly77
(17,609 posts)and their helpmates the media are angry and will do everything to blame the President. The President is not in the house or the senate.
Efilroft Sul
(3,573 posts)Harry Reid used the nuclear option that they wanted to use against Democrats in 2005.
calimary
(80,700 posts)My husband's reaction and mine were the same yesterday: "It's About Fucking TIME!!!!"
GEEEZ how much time has been wasted noodling around with the assholes on the other side, believing them when they lie that they'll cooperate and then being just like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football that Lucy PROMISED so faithfully that she'd hold for him this time for sure, before yanking it out at the last minute. And gullible Charlie Brown Reid falls for it every time.
So all I can say is - "well whaddya know - he finally decided to stop falling for it."
Efilroft Sul
(3,573 posts)
I had the same reaction.
When I think of all the good that could've been done years ago if the nuclear option was used then, alas. Still, better late than never. Now let's get those judges appointed!
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)"off the hook"?
CTyankee
(63,771 posts)Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)CTyankee
(63,771 posts)He didn't even make sense...what gibberish...
Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,483 posts).
trishtrash
(74 posts)calimary
(80,700 posts)Glad you're here! I saw your post and my first thought was - "and all they can do now is threaten revenge." Like a bunch of frickin' five-year-olds.
libodem
(19,288 posts)At least for today!!! Woo Hoo!!!
Blue Owl
(49,934 posts)n/t
Pisces
(5,592 posts)malaise
(267,823 posts)They were fugging scared. Dems called their fugging bluff.
Now fill all the vacancies.
marble falls
(56,359 posts)Cheney backs ending judicial filibusters
Slams Democrats over Senate tactics
By Nedra Pickler, Associated Press | April 23, 2005
WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney said yesterday that he would vote in the Senate to stop filibusters of judicial nominees if given the chance. Democratic leader Harry Reid responded by contending that means President Bush is breaking his word to stay out of the fight over Senate rules.
Senate majority leader Bill Frist, Republican of Tennessee, wants to change Senate rules by banning judicial filibusters -- a tactic in which opponents can prevent a vote on a nomination with just 41 votes in the 100-member body. Minority Democrats have used the tactic to block confirmation votes on 10 of Bush's appeals court choices.
Republicans hold 55 seats in the 100-member Senate, but a vote on changing the rules is expected to be close. Cheney would be able to vote only if there is a tie.
''Let me emphasize: The decision about how to proceed will be made by the Republican leadership in the Senate," Cheney said in a speech to the Republican National Lawyers Association at the National Press Club.
''But if the Senate majority decides to move forward and if the issue is presented to me in my elected office as president of the Senate and presiding officer, I will support bringing those nominations to the floor for an up-or-down vote," Cheney said.
Reid said the White House was ''shattering the checks and balances in our government in order to put radical judges on the bench." The Nevada senator said Bush was making it clear that he no longer wanted to work with Democrats.
''Last week, I met with the president and was encouraged when he told me he would not become involved in Republican efforts to break the Senate rules," Reid said. ''Now, it appears he was not being honest, and that the White House is encouraging this raw abuse of power."
Cheney said a minority of senators are using the filibuster to, in effect, establish a 60-vote requirement for judicial confirmation ''in an astounding departure from historical precedent."
''There is no justification for allowing the blocking of nominees who are well qualified and broadly supported," Cheney said. ''The tactics of the last few years, I believe, are inexcusable, particularly when you are dealing with men and women of the caliber of those nominated by George W. Bush."
Democrats say it is Cheney who is trying to reinvent Senate history by changing the filibuster rules.
''The White House has always wanted to reduce the Senate's power and the fact that Vice President Cheney is encouraging this abuse of power should strengthen the Senate's resolve to resist," said Senator Charles Schumer, Democrat of New York.
Republicans want to resolve the matter before a vacancy occurs on the Supreme Court. They worry that having to get support from 60 senators would affect Bush's selection for that seat. Chief Justice William Rehnquist, 80, is fighting thyroid cancer.
© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)butterfly77
(17,609 posts)I watched this morning for his reactions. I usually watch waiting to see who will jump across the table and kick Scars ass! I guess the pay check is too good but I'm still waiting.
I also watch to see which sniveling whining Dem will call out Harold Ford's lying ass as he agrees and uses GOP talking points then proceeds to look in the camera and tell the world about his party the DEMOCRAT PARTY..
CTyankee
(63,771 posts)pretty soon there will be a revolt against Scar's lying and lazy stupidity...paycheck or no paycheck...they might get a better paycheck doing something else than prostituting their careers to the likes of Joe and Mika...
butterfly77
(17,609 posts)He brings on Harold Ford to cosign or be his yes man for the GOP talking points once the wind changes for will run his ass to every event with Dems pretending to be on board and fighting for everything.
I will be waiting to see who calls out the lying bastard. Sam Stein is afraid of Scar.
CTyankee
(63,771 posts)having had his debut performances very well highlighted on MJ. I don't think he will toe the conservative line.
Harold Ford, Jr. gave up long ago. He's a lost cause. Once Joe realizes that he'll just get rid of him.
ReRe
(10,597 posts)... to wipe the mocking smiles from their faces. One of their roadblock toys was ripped from their greedy little fingers. Good. Cry me a river, you little spoiled brats.
CTyankee
(63,771 posts)any better! They are stupid.
I think this just tells us that repukes are just crying babies who can't take any criticism. Wow. They are like the prizefighter with the glass jaw...they'll go down at the lightest jab...
ReRe
(10,597 posts)1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)I stopped at Starbucks and overheard someone say, Those stupid Dems just removed the brakes from an out of control car
Well see how they like it when theyre in the minority and a voters rights bill comes up!
The woman in front of me rolled her eyes and said (just loud enough to be heard by the guy), He must be a foxnews guy
maybe they forgot to mention that this only applies to judicial nominees and not even SC nominees.
A low chuckle washed through the Starbucks.
blue14u
(575 posts)my curiosity.. I will have to leave
my reading at DU and go watch MJ...
I like to watch them squirm... Is that ugly of me???
No... ok I didn't think it was either... lmao!!!!
The Wizard
(12,482 posts)If you believe that majority rule is the end of the world, perhaps you should move to Somalia. And as for the Tealiban, they say Iran is nice this time of year.
Response to CTyankee (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
CTyankee
(63,771 posts)They have video clips of the show, altho not the entire segments. To get the full impact of Joe stewing you have to see it live...it's fascinating to watch. One day the guy is gleeful at all the glitches in Obamacare and then yesterday he's mad as a wet hen that his little bubble of happiness had burst...
I also like to watch the show because Joe leads off with what are essentially the Republican Talking Points for the week, so I am prepared for what is coming. I am certain it all comes from Republican HQ.
My husband won't watch Joe and Mika. He just can't stand the noise. He says I watch MJ first thing in the morning, then go upstairs and go on DU and I'm pissed off for the rest of the day! He's right...
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)It is past due time to focus more on other Federal departments like our DOI.
Politicians when left alone to 'manage' 'the peoples' resources tend to squander them for private interests.
We need a future where our renewable resources like grass, tree cover, water and grazing wildlife that spread grass seeds & renew the soils- exist 100 years from now.
99Forever
(14,524 posts)And why should I care about what happens to their "faces?"
CTyankee
(63,771 posts)a 3 term republican congressman from FL in the 1990s, now with his talk show Morning Joe. He and fellow puke guest Steele are in charge of bleating the republican party line every day. It's instructive to watch...
99Forever
(14,524 posts)... "instructions" from Teapublicans in my life. Think I'll pass on contributing to providing them a venue to spew their bullshit and get paid for doing so. It isn't called the Idiot Box for nothing.
CTyankee
(63,771 posts)It's fun to watch. Not your fun, but really, can't you be a little less "superior" sounding?