An Opportunity

It looks like the republican party and their grip on political dialogue is starting show some fissures. Howard Fineman wrote a great article (I have included the links for everything I read this morning below) about the internal problems within the republican party.

It sounds to me that Democrats have a real opportunity here to turn things around to their favor if they can capitalize on the current breakdown within the republican party and really create some wedges of their own.

While the agreement with the 14 moderate members of the Senate has held off a rules change for now, its clear that Frist is feeling supremely dissatisfied and still plans to push for a rules change the first time the Democrats even think about a filibuster. Thus, my concern that the republicans would lord the threat of a rules change over the heads of the Democrats was realized just hours after the agreement.

I also included an interesting conversation on MSNBC.com's hardblogger blog. While I've long suspected that Nora O'Donnell was a true-believer in Bush's policies, it has become increasingly clear that Chris Matthews is also guilty of drinking the kool-aid at the White House as well. I was appalled when I sat there and listened to him call the Democrats obstructionists because they dared to filibuster 7 of Bush's nominees based on pricinple.

For the record, Democrats have voted to confirm 97% of Bush's judicial nominees. That is hardly obstructionist. That is a far better record than 60 nominees the republicans did not even bring to a vote while Clinton was in office.

Quite frankly, I'm glad that the Democrats have stood up for what our party believes in and has filibustered some of these extremist judges.

Can you imagine what would happen if Democrats controlled the White House, Congress and Senate and a Democratic President nominated someone for the federal bench who believed in legalizing marijuana, federally funded abortions on demand, and end to all war, the creation of a Peace Department, free college education for all, single-payer health care and an end to the corporate grip on American Society (you know, Dennis Kucinich). The republicans couldn't filibuster a nominee of this ilk fast enough to satisfy their base. And they would scream from the highest mountain about her/his extremist views. Then imagine that the Democrats tried to change the rules so that a filibuster for such nominees were impossible and they were told to shut and tow the line because they lost the election and had no right to a voice. And then have Chris Matthews call them obstructionist for trying to stand up for what they call their values. Can you just imagine the outrage?

Liberal press, my ass.


A Food Fight in the Big GOP Tent

Frist issues new warning on filibusters

The Top 10 Filibuster Falsehoods

Nuclear Brinkmanship

The Senate's Cease-Fire

The Center Holds

Breakthrough Pact Unlikely To End Battle

Hardblogger's Blog about the Filibuster Deal

Liberal Federal Judges?

Conservatives near lock on US courts.

Sen. Leahy condemns religious activists, Focus on the Family

A Bench Tilting Right

The 9th Circuit Follows