It Comes Down to Votes
So, it comes down to who has the votes. Senator Frist of Tennessee, R-TN, has stated that the Republicans will attempt confirm a filibustered judge tomorrow.
In the case that the Democrats still decide to fillibuster, Frist will
seek a ruling from the presiding officer (in this case it will be Vice
President Dick Cheney) that it only takes a majority vote of the
members to confirm a judge, not a super majority of 60 to seek cloture
on debate.
A lot of handwringing is going on in Republican
circles that they might want to fillibuster judges in the future, but
the question is, when does this back and forth stop? When will our
elected officials start doing what’s right for the country instead of
what’s best for themselves?
It is only right and fair that a
judge that makes it out of committee with a well qualified rating from
the ABA get an up or down vote in the Senate. It is also right and
fair that people there get a chance to vote on the person, and in a way
that will appease their conscience and not their political party. In
some ways, I wish there were more parties in Washington just so that
people got to work getting things done (and more efficiently done) than
spending time lining up and bullying people to vote one way or another.
I’m of the opinion that we elect people because they reflect us, not so
that they’ll conduct polls back home or that they’ll be rewarded by
special interest groups. Personally, I would like to find a way to
devalue interest groups or that a member of government not be able to
be pressured from groups that are not from their own state or region.
I don’t know how that would work, but the people are there to represent
us. I don’t want to ban political speeches, people buying ads, or
contributing to people. What I would like to do is make these
representatives put more weight on what we say than thinking they can
buy us, etc.
There’s a lot that’s wrong, and a lot that needs
reform. Let’s start with these judges and the tyranny of the minority
and work from there…
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Comments from MInTheGap
bipolrfrenzy said,
Wrote on May 17, 2005 @ 8:53 pm
The minority in the senate really understands what’s at stake here. For years, liberal judges have been confirmed and we’re now seeing the fruits of that decision. The only reason they don’t want conservative judges to occupy benches is because the judicial branch is where they have a listening ear. If that avenue were to be diminished or cut off, then that would be a great blow to them.
But I agree, qualified candidates should be given an up or down vote. What amazes me is that few people don’t seem to think the attitude of the minority in the Senate doesn’t reflect a bias on their part to seat these open vacancies with activist judges sympathetic to their worldview.
The pendulum will swing. Conservatives and liberals will control who will be nominated for these positions again. It’s important to realize that having a conservative voice in these positions gives a better balance to the system than overloading them with liberal judges.