Nuclear Option : Bad Idea

Áine on May 10th, 2005 filed in Politics

Republicans aren’t satisfied with the 95% of Bush nominees who have already been confirmed, so they plan to eliminate the filibuster, a 200-year-old Senate tradition that protects the voices of Americans represented by the minority party, a protection the Republicans took full advantage of when they were the minority party. They want to push through every single Bush nominee, no matter what their records look like. It’s nothing short of a grab for complete control over every branch of our government, the destruction of the checks and balances that our government was founded upon.

Extremist members of the Republican Party want to turn the Senate into a rubber stamp for the President and pack the court with judges who will roll back equality, liberty, and individual rights of all Americans. If the filibuster is eliminated, the courts will be just another partisan and ideological tool of the far right wing. Is it any surprise that killing the filibuster is the GOP’s top priority? There may very well be times when changing the rules is appropriate, but it isn’t when the majority doesn’t get exactly what it wants. I’d say a 95% confirmation on Bush’s nominees is the Democrats being very cooperative. Must the Republicans insist on 100% regardless of just how unqualified or bad for our country those remaining nominees are? That doesn’t seem very cooperative on the part of Republicans to me.

More than 1,000,000 petition signatures (mine included) opposing the “nuclear option” to eliminate the filibuster were presented to Senate leaders at a rally on April 6. By a margin of 2 to 1, Americans oppose Republican attempts to change the rules.

Join the more than one million people (+ me) who are standing up to the Republican power grab. Sign the petition today!

Don’t allow people to attempt to make you feel powerless, together we can make a difference.

Technorati Tags: Activism, Politics

6 Responses to “Nuclear Option : Bad Idea”

april Says:
May 12th, 2005 at 2:36 pm
I disagree…

Remember, be careful what you ask for, you just might get it. The american Public should get what it asks for! I am bemused by Americans who are clearly pro-choice and clearly concerned about the environent but insist on voting republican anyway. I support the nuclear option. In fairly short order the supreme court will veer sharply to the right, Roe v Wade could get reversed, and then those closet democrats hopefully wake up and smell the whatever and stop sleeping with the other side>
Aine Says:
May 12th, 2005 at 9:33 pm
Ok, so we eliminate the filibuster, don’t stand up to the Republicans at all for anything, and let the American public suffer the consequences in hopes that Dems, who you think are not awake, wake up?

Riiiight… guess you haven’t been watching those Senate confirmation hearings. Guess you didn’t hear quite a few Dems speaking out against some of these nominees, eh? I’d say they’re wide awake and fighting the elephant, but because they’re in the minority, the filibuster is the only tool left to slow the Republican extremists down. You want to take that away too? What exactly will that accomplish? Will more people start watching these Senate hearings or what goes on in the House? I doubt it. Will more people stop watching F0X News and get off their arses to find out the truth by looking for alternate news sources? I doubt it. Will Democrats be able to fight the elephant completely unarmed? I doubt it, it’s hard enough to stop the extremists with a little filibuster, but that’s all they have left. Who is going to speak for you if there is no point in speaking because Dems won’t be heard without the power of filibuster?

That’s like saying “help the starving by denying them all access to food”… how does that help?
april Says:
May 13th, 2005 at 11:25 am
Exactly, that’s a good analogy. Let me go with it a bit. What if the starving are starving because of the choices that they are making (voting republican). Furthermore, what if the starving do not realize they are starving because of republican propaganda (lies, actually). So let us make their lives a little uncomfortable by having them feel the consequences of their choices (when you vote republican then you will get republican judges who will deny your right to control your own womb).

The only way democrats are going to get back the presidency and the congress (so that we can deal with real issues like the impending global environmental disaster or the historically gigantor deficits) is to win back the moderate center. One way to get these folks back is to make them feel the discomfort of their choices…vote republican, get republican!
There is a good article about how the moderate republicacns are being squezzed in the NY times today. Yeah, I know, Northeastern liberal elitist snob, I actually live in the presidio in SF, blah, blah, blah
Aine Says:
May 13th, 2005 at 2:32 pm
I see your point, I think, but giving absolute power to madmen isn’t exactly my idea of a good tactic. Know what I mean? But then, I tend to be more terrified of my own gov’t than I am of any outside threat (the more you know, the less secure you feel… that kind of thing).

I would never call you a “Northeastern liberal elitist snob”, april, because the label is generally used only by really stupid people (and I’m just not that stupid). *smirk*
april Says:
May 24th, 2005 at 9:40 am
Blogging is like dancing by yourself in an empty room … If you require an audience to do it, you’re missing the point.

By the way, did you read about the manner in which the filibuster was “resolved”? The Democrats gave in. You’ve heard the phrase “dieing of a thousand paper cuts”, right?
The democrats won’t sell out in a big way of course, but they are doing so by a thousand miniscule sell-outs that are hailed as “compromise”. Where do you draw the line if you keep moving it ever so slowly to the right?

We would have been better off forcing the Republican Party to use the nuclear option.
Aine Says:
May 24th, 2005 at 11:59 am
Yes, saw it as it came off the AP wire. Also noted that the AP reports said Senators wouldn’t talk to them except under conditions of anonymity, so you KNOW who they’re afraid of. Heh. Reid acted like it was a victory. The Freepers were just as outraged as the Dems, but I’m not falling for their blowing sunshine up my arse anymore.

As for blogging… I was blogging before there was automated archives or comments… for quite a while. The audience factor didn’t figure into it really… a writer writes regardless… but it is nice to know someone is reading - once in a while.