Can someone explain what "blocked in committee" means

[splat@14]

with regard to how the republicans effectively achieved the same intent as the filibuster? And, why haven't the Dem's done the same thing with regard to Owen and Brown?

Thanks!
Splat

[napi21]

1. There are committees set up to hold hearings on all nominees.

The committee you keep hearing about this time was a judicial committee to have each judicial nominee testify before them and the committee members then vote to either send that candidate to the Senate floor for a full Senate vote, or vote no and the candidate would never get out of committee (thus blocked in committee).

This judicial committee was made up of 6 Repugs and 4 Dems. If there is a tie vote, the candidate doesn't not get out of committee.

[salin]

8. The chair of the committee can also just not put it on the docket

ergo there is never a hearing in the first place.

[sallyseven]

2. Its because the Senate was republican

during the time Clinton was in office. 94 on. They could block but we can't because the stupid ass americans vote for the republicans. Now we are all in deep doo doo

[PurityOfEssence]

3. It's another delaying tactic, just upstream of filibustering

The Republicans controlled the Senate during much of the Clinton Administration, so they were able to freeze the nominating procedure for those they didn't like or those whose proposed seats they wanted to keep open. Perhaps some of those could have gotten through on the floor vote, but the Republicans denied many even the chance of a hearing.

The filibuster is the last ditch defense.

It IS, however DEEPLY dishonest to play innocent on this by saying "we didn't filibuster", because they used procedural tactics to accomplish the same thing. It's like saying "I never stood in the doorway and refused to let my daughter out on a date with a boy I didn't like" when the person had bound and gagged her and locked her in the closet.

At least the Democrats are using the language of "they want it all" and "they want to rule" now, and they should amp up the rhetoric. These are intolerant theocrats who will stop at nothing to get the total economic and moral subjugation of the country, along with guarantees on continued control.

[gratuitous]

5. The blue slip -- an Orrin Hatch special

In 1994, when the Republicans regained control of the Senate and the Judiciary Committee, Orrin Hatch became its chairman. He championed the use of the "blue slip," a process whereby if either Senator from a judicial nominee's state objected, that nominee's appointment prospects were dead. Yes, that's right, one Senator could torpedo a nominee.

In 2001, when the nominees coming up were named by a Republican president, Hatch, possibly flashing back to his roots of Mormon disingenuousness, suddenly had a revelation: Nominees could only be "blue slipped" if BOTH Senators from their home state objected. Suddenly, blue slips practically disappeared from the Senate.

But they didn't disappear entirely, so in 2003, Hatch went even further to state that even if both of a state's Senstors blue slipped a nominee (gee, are there any large states with two Democratic Senators, like maybe California?) it wouldn't stop a nomination.

Then, a few weeks later, Hatch repealed Rule IV. Previously, if a nominee couldn't get at least one minority vote, it stayed in committee. Now, the great and powerful Hatch decreed, if a nominee merely garnered a majority of the Judiciary Committee's votes, that was sufficient to move the nomination out of committee and to the floor. The Judiciary Committee is composed, as are all Senate committees and subcommittees of a majorty of Republican members, according to their status as the majority party in the Senate.

Facts gleaned from here:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2005_05/006350.php

Now, why isn't this bone simple recounting of recent history of Republican rule changing included in any current discussion of the fight over the filibuster?

[PurityOfEssence]

9. I'd imagine that, as a Mormon, he couldn't utter the term "black balled"

Lest we forget, the Mormons believe that when Cain slew Abel, god made Cain a negro out of anger and cast him out of paradise. Since even that wasn't enough, all those tainted with that tinct would never be allowed to get back to the happy land. The LDS church has disavowed some of this lately, but the deep and ugly racism is still there.

Okay, that was an aside. What's important is that you are completely correct: he shifts his stances depending on his position.

The right, and especially this Grinch, queered the pitch and pulled every trick they could to stall processes they didn't like and force through ones they did. It's all about winning. Hiding behind propriety, this man will do anything he chooses to advance his cause. His speech this week was sheer mendacity: he'd stalled so many appointees that it was ridiculous; to scold others for trying to block them at a later stage was just chickenshit. He is a repulsive creature, puffed-up with propriety and corrupt to the bone.

[pk_du]

4. The Senate Committee decides IF and WHEN to hold the

confirmation hearing for nominees.

e.g. 60+ Clinton Nominees were never even given a hearing in the Committee because Orin Hatch decided to use his own power to refuse to block them or the home state senator "blue-slip" (black-ball)was used ( "filibuster of 1" )

The reason we cant now is.....Hatch now chooses to ignore the BlueSlip Holds from Dems if there any .( I'm sure Fienstein and Boxer tred that one with Rodger-Brown)

[splat@14]

6. Thanks to all. That helped a bunch. I remember the "blue slip"

tool from a while back as I believe Hutchinson used it on a Clinton nominee. Wasn't aware of the background.

Gracias!
Splat

[dansolo]

7. Just more Republican hypocricy

Why hasn't anyone challenged any Republic who calims that they believe that there should be up-or-down votes, how they justified voting against Clinton's ominees in committee? Does anyone have a list of the Republican members of the judicial comittee during Clinton's two terms. These Republicans should be specifically targetted, since they were the ones who prevented the up-or-down votes that the Republicans are now saying should be allowed in all cases?

[leftofthedial]

10. It's what happens when Lugar eats too much cheese.