That faint glow on the horizon? Why, that's the Nuclear Option!

Ahhhh yes…. The Nuclear Option.

You would have thought that the humiliating defeat of Senate (sometimes Majority, sometimes Minority) Leader Tom Daschle would have taught them a lesson. You would have thought that Republican threats to shut down government and the disastrous consequences would have left an impact.

It hasn’t.

The democrats are currently running around like besotted idiots. The party of Ted Kennedy (“glub, glub”) wanders about… complaining because Republicans have the temerity to demand up or down votes on judicial nominees.

Yeah… I know all about filibuster… cloture and the like.

The question here is this: why is it that the leadership of the democrats refuses to allow an up or down vote on these nominees?

On the local scene, no less a legislative luminary then State Representative Jim McIntire (D-Seattle… what else?) demolished a lawful Initiative of the people of this state when he was instrumental in destroying I-601.

For Rep. McIntire, it’s all about “allowing the majority to govern.” (Even though I was under the apparent misimpression that the majority, in passing I-601, WAS governing.)

Certainly, that same sentiment should prevail in the United States Senate, should it not?

The stage is set. Two female judicial nominees are on the floor… one of which happens to be black. Democrats have, stupidly (as is happening with more and more frequency) boxed themselves in by setting up the trigger.

They threaten to “shut down government” (and can that be an altogether bad thing?) if Republicans pull that trigger and get rid of the rule concerning filibustering as it applies to judicial nominees.

Here are the democrat’s options:

a. Do what they’ve stupidly said they were going to do… and suffer for it accordingly.
b. Cave and agree to an up or down vote.

Unfortunately for the democrats, the Republicans hold all the cards. Democrats have allowed themselves to be outmaneuvered at every level on this matter. In taking the multiple face-shots that come with eating the stupid chips democrat leadership consume by the truck full, they are apparently efforting the idea of consolidating their base.

This is just another sign of the Dr. Dean-Mr. Hyde influence.

Do they think this nonsense plays well in the Red states?

This last election provided a golden opportunity for democrat introspection and reorganization. It provided a chance for the democrats to throw off the yolk of ultra-socialism and leftist radicalism that has inculcated their vision and their thought processes.

Clearly, in foolishly choosing to force the issue by throwing a legislative fit, they show weakness instead of statesmanship, a complete lack of viable alternatives and the mentality of a gang. They also show themselves incapable of making the changes that many of them know MUST be made… thereby making them increasingly irrelevant as they hand opportunity after opportunity to Republicans, enabling the Right to grind their collective heels into democrat necks.

The bomb is coming. And when it goes… the Senate democrats will glow in the dark. But they won’t get their way.

Tip of the hat to realclearpolitics.com

Wednesday, April 20 2005
NUCLEAR OPTION MELTDOWN: It's a shame we've come to this point in the battle over judges. Not necessarily a surprise, but a shame nonetheless. The main reason for the showdown, of course, is because Democrats have gone way over the line in using the filibuster in an unprecedented and abusive way.

What's frustrating, however, is that I can't help but think part of the reason we are where we are is because the Republican leadership has mismanaged the public relations part of the battle. This should not be a tough sell to the American people, folks.

Most people would agree that at the very least these judicial nominees deserve a simple up and down vote. It's a basic issue of fairness. Most people would probably also agree - or could easily be persuaded to agree - with the view that the Democrats, who are doing something never before done in the history of the country, are the extremists here.

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