continuing the filibuster debate

Shifting Arguments Color Filibuster Debate

Not Long Ago, GOP Blocked Judicial Picks and Democrats Demanded Up-or-Down
Votes

WASHINGTON (May 3) - Time was, Republicans buried Bill Clinton's judicial picks by the dozen in the Senate Judiciary Committee and Democrats indignantly demanded a yes-or-no vote for each.

That was then.

This is now, when Democrats block a far smaller number of President Bush's court nominees - and Republicans heatedly insist the Constitution itself requires a vote.

''Give them a vote. A vote up or down,'' Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said recently, speaking of seven appeals court nominees Democrats have vowed to block. ''That's what we've always done for 214 years before this president became president.''

Except for more than 60 nominees whose names Clinton sent to the Senate between 1995 and 2000.
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Conservatives used the filibuster against civil rights legislation a half century ago.

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No politician is exempt from some hypocrisy, but when you see & hear what the repubs have done and said - and their outrageous lies - compared to the Dems, you can see who has more principles, in general. If the repubs would be willing to compromise in the least (as the Dems have always done, whether they should have or not), then these debates would not be happening. But the repubs will not be happy until the have absolute, complete control over EVERYTHING. This is all because bush has stubbornly re-nominated 10 people who are so far to the right of the mainstream that they are the ONLY nominees that were not sent through previously. If he would nominate someone just slightly less radical then we wouldn't be having this discussion. Sickening what they are doing to this country.