Listening to people like Arlen Specter on the floor earlier in the week on C-SPAN as debate began, I am not at all convinced that Frist had the votes he needed to pull the nuclear trigger. The Republicans, by and large, sickened me in this fiasco. Ads running stating that we send Senators to D.C to do one simple thing - vote. That, I'm sorry to say, is simply not true. I vote for an individual to REPRESENT me. and that means representing me by voice, political action, and any discussions between Senators within the chambers of the Senate.
So, I was nauseous at the notion that Republicans were more interested in a power grab than legislating for America. I was thrilled to hear about Democrats and Republicans working together to come up with a solution. And I'm fully aware that there was going to be no way for Democrats OR Republicans to get everything they wanted out of the deal - that's part of what compromise involves.
But by shrewdly shifting the debate to the filibuster, Republicans got more of what they wanted. Their judicial nominees are getting their party-line votes. Democrats assert that they "saved the filibuster" - but DID they? Frist and other Republicans have all stated several times that just because the crisis has been averted for now, the nuclear option remains an option. Other Republicans involved in the deal like Sen. DeWine and Sen. Graham have echoed the threat.
So, Democratic Senators give up the fight on nominees, still have the nuclear gun to their head, and simply kick the can of responsibility further down the road?
I'm ALL for deal-making and compromise, and think this was orchestrated to come to the point it did, for the theatricality of the event, and so that Senators could score some political points. The problem hasn't been solved with this compromise, however. These nominees will sail through the Senate, more nominees will be brought forward, and the cycle will begin once again.
Nice work, Senators. Now go back to your troughs, pigs.
