About Me
- Name: Nick W.
- Location: Wisconsin, United States
Libertarian observations from within the Ivory Tower by an archivist, librarian and researcher.
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A university is just a group of buildings gathered around a library. ~Shelby Foote
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
The "Nuclear Option"
An interesting viewpoint on filibusters and judicial nominations over at The Ornery American. Orson Scott Card is one of my favorite authors, and a thoughtful fellow. According to his previous columns, he has been primarily a Democrat throughout his life, yet he is a devout Mormon and therefore pro-life and against gay marriage.
Regardless, I think he frames the question in the proper manner, and I think he clearly illustrates the problem we currently have with American's highly polarized political atmosphere. Which is why I think Tagliabue can work (and no, John, Chelsea can not. Nor would I want her to. If we're going to change the Constitution, let's let Schwarzenegger run, not a 25-year old.). People in the middle have no good options right now (and contrary to Card, I don't view Bush as "moderate" except in the sense that he's more like the stereotypical Democrat on fiscal matters than a stereotypical Republican), but in an era of easily disseminated information, one can be created.
But I digress. As much as I dislike Bill Frist in general, I think he's right to force the issue on the judicial filibuster-- disagreeing with a jurist's general political philosophy should not be sufficient reason to keep them from being appointed if the majority of the senate feels the candidate is qualified and acceptable.
Regardless, I think he frames the question in the proper manner, and I think he clearly illustrates the problem we currently have with American's highly polarized political atmosphere. Which is why I think Tagliabue can work (and no, John, Chelsea can not. Nor would I want her to. If we're going to change the Constitution, let's let Schwarzenegger run, not a 25-year old.). People in the middle have no good options right now (and contrary to Card, I don't view Bush as "moderate" except in the sense that he's more like the stereotypical Democrat on fiscal matters than a stereotypical Republican), but in an era of easily disseminated information, one can be created.
But I digress. As much as I dislike Bill Frist in general, I think he's right to force the issue on the judicial filibuster-- disagreeing with a jurist's general political philosophy should not be sufficient reason to keep them from being appointed if the majority of the senate feels the candidate is qualified and acceptable.
Labels: Politics
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OSC is a clear thinker. It is hard to believe he's a democrat.
"In other words, the only people with a chance of getting approved by both of the warring sides in the Senate are judges who have done nothing, who have had no clear thoughts, or who have been such ambitious weasels they have avoided doing anything that might offend anybody."
"Now, let's get this straight right now: The filibuster is the real "nuclear option." It's the Democrats with the filibuster who are shutting down the Constitutional power of the President by threatening to shut down Congress, period."
"(This is, by the way, the reason why it is very good for a political party to have members who are not in ideological lockstep with the majority of the party, and both parties are foolish if they expel or drive out members who are not ideologically pure. You want people within your party to keep you from becoming insanely extremist.)"
"Because the mainstream media is the absolute ally of the extremist Left in America today. They've been pounding us with pro-abortion, pro-gay-marriage propaganda for years now. And they are perfectly ready to paint any change in the Senate rules as a horrible infringement of the "rights" of the Senate."
"The irony is: George W. Bush really is a moderate, or as close to one as America can possibly get as President these days. It's not his fault that he lives in an era when the parties have sorted themselves out into ideological extremes, to a degree previously seen only in the years leading up to the Civil War."
I have to disagree with you Nick. Bush may not be a moderate, but he isn't a true-blue conservative either. Come on, he created a federal entitlement program! He refuses to safeguard our national borders. He hasn't used the veto, not once, even when it should have been, on the camping finance reform act, for example.
"In other words, the only people with a chance of getting approved by both of the warring sides in the Senate are judges who have done nothing, who have had no clear thoughts, or who have been such ambitious weasels they have avoided doing anything that might offend anybody."
"Now, let's get this straight right now: The filibuster is the real "nuclear option." It's the Democrats with the filibuster who are shutting down the Constitutional power of the President by threatening to shut down Congress, period."
"(This is, by the way, the reason why it is very good for a political party to have members who are not in ideological lockstep with the majority of the party, and both parties are foolish if they expel or drive out members who are not ideologically pure. You want people within your party to keep you from becoming insanely extremist.)"
"Because the mainstream media is the absolute ally of the extremist Left in America today. They've been pounding us with pro-abortion, pro-gay-marriage propaganda for years now. And they are perfectly ready to paint any change in the Senate rules as a horrible infringement of the "rights" of the Senate."
"The irony is: George W. Bush really is a moderate, or as close to one as America can possibly get as President these days. It's not his fault that he lives in an era when the parties have sorted themselves out into ideological extremes, to a degree previously seen only in the years leading up to the Civil War."
I have to disagree with you Nick. Bush may not be a moderate, but he isn't a true-blue conservative either. Come on, he created a federal entitlement program! He refuses to safeguard our national borders. He hasn't used the veto, not once, even when it should have been, on the camping finance reform act, for example.
# posted by 
: 11:21 AM
: 11:21 AM
Yo, Johnnie!
Reread my post, my friend. I too disagree with Card that Bush is a moderate. For some of the same reasons you cite. OSC thinks he's a moderate.
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Reread my post, my friend. I too disagree with Card that Bush is a moderate. For some of the same reasons you cite. OSC thinks he's a moderate.
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