Fillibusters

[Phantom]

The Fillibuster was originally intended to prevent legislation from getting passed by the senate and not for blocking the vote for judicial nominees.

It should not be used in judicial nominations for two resons:

1. Unlike Legislation, judicial nominees are elected officials, I don't see anybody fillibustering the general election, do you?

2. The original intent of the fillibuster was to block legislation, not block the vote on a potential candidate.

[Sl0vi]

ehmm... what is a Fillibuster???

[OP2Patriot]

The dictionary defines it as:

The use of obstructionist tactics, especially prolonged speechmaking, for the purpose of delaying legislative action.

Basically, 40 or so out of 100 senators are blocking Bush's judicial nominees, using a rule that hadn't been used in 200 years. The "nuclear option" as it is called, is to modify the Senate rules so that judicial nominees can't be filibustered.

There is much misunderstanding out there on this issue, some think that it is American Senate tradition, it isn't. It would be if it had been used plenty in the mid to late 19th and 20th centuries, but it was never used then. Another misunderstanding is that in the Senate there needs to be minority rights. This is just the Democrats rhetoric trying to justify having some majority-like power.

What is going on is that 40 or so Senators are being obstructionists afraid of losing a good grip on the institution that is the last hope for the Democrats, the Judicial System. The reason why abortion is such a big deal here in America was that we never voted for it, it was imposed upon us by the Supreme Court. What the left can't get through in legislation they try to get through in the judiciary through activist judges.  

[Phantom]

What is going on is that 40 or so Senators are being obstructionists afraid of losing a good grip on the institution that is the last hope for the Democrats, the Judicial System. The reason why abortion is such a big deal here in America was that we never voted for it, it was imposed upon us by the Supreme Court. What the left can't get through in legislation they try to get through in the judiciary through activist judges.

Yah, that pretty much sums it up.

Another misunderstanding is the lie that the Republicans used the same tactics in the Clinton Administration.

Here are the facts: During the Clinton administration Republicans held the majority, and they did not use the fillibuster to delay voting on Clinton's Judicial nomenees. The nomenees would be turned down in the commitee before they reached the senate floor, and the ones accepted would be voted upon in the senate.

That is not the case today, the Republicans once again hold the majority, and the nomenees have been approved in commitee. The Dems don't want even a vote on the nomenees so they threaten to use fillibuster tactics to delay or cancel the vote.

In my opinion, this isn't some peice of legislature, this is the delaying of the vote for important officials.

Think about it, what if during the last election some party threatened a fillibuster (if it was allowed) to delay the elections? I don't think people would be too happy.