In Washington, Darned If They Do, Darned If They Don't -- GOPUSA

In Washington, Darned If They Do, Darned If They Don't
By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Morning Editor
May 23, 2005

(CNSNews.com) -- Republicans have "pulled the trigger" to launch the nuclear option, prompting a liberal advocacy group to circulate an emergency petition to "preserve our independent courts."

MoveOn.org's political action committee predicts that a parliamentary maneuver to end the judicial filibuster, when it comes on Tuesday, will be a squeaker because the votes of six senators are still "up in the air."

Therefore, starting on Monday, MoveOn PAC said it will deliver emergency petitions to the Senate floor every three hours until the vote happens. Every senator will receive "thousands of pages from their constituents demanding that they stand up and do the right thing."

In an email message to supporters, MoveOn.org offers the following three reasons for liberals to sign the emergency petition:

"If you care about the minimum wage -- and you don't want judges ruling it unconstitutional -- now's the time to act.

"If you care about environmental laws -- and you don't want judges striking them down -- now's the time to act.

"If you care about your right to privacy -- and you don't want the government telling your family how to live, worship, or even how to die -- now's the time to act."

The message says thousands of MoveOn members will gather outside Senate offices and courthouses in every state, staging round the clock "Citizens' Filibusters to Stop the Right Wing Power Grab."

MoveOn says Republicans are so desperate for power, they want to "break" Senate rules by denying Democrats the right to filibuster.

Republicans say it is the Democrats who are breaking Senate tradition: never before in the nation's history has the filibuster been applied to judicial nominees.

Republicans say they want to end the filibuster of judicial nominees only -- the minority party would still be able to filibuster legislation.

Republicans say Democrats are circumventing the Constitution by creating a situation where 60 votes (the number required to end a filibuster) are required before a judicial nominee may be approved by a simple majority of the full Senate.

Republicans say all they want is an up-or-down vote on those nominations that make it out of committee to the full Senate.

The issue has galvanized both the right and the left, as each side weighs the potential benefits and pitfalls of forcing a vote -- or blocking a vote -- on the seven stalled judicial nominees.

Democrats have threatened to bring Senate business to a halt if Republicans successfully bar filibusters of judicial nominees.

The campaigns for and against the nuclear option include television and print advertisements, petitions, and an overwhelming number of phone calls, letters, and emails to Senate offices.

Both sides agree the judge issue has "gone nuclear" because of anticipated, imminent vacancies on the U.S. Supreme Court.