Last night the Senate confirmed Mukasey as attorney general, but they didn’t have to. They could have filibustered it and made the Republicans come up with 60 votes, just like the Republicans do to them ALL THE TIME!
Someone showed me this article this afternoon a it pisses me off! The title is “Reid Allowed Vote On Mukasey In Exchange For Military Funding Bill” which is disturbing enough, but this is the part that’s really disturbing:
What of the talk that Reid might allow a filibuster of the Mukasey confirmation vote? Asked why this didn’t happen, a leadership source claimed that it was because Dem leaders were convinced that Repubs would be able to break off enough Dems to reach the 60 vote threshold and defeat the filibuster.
“They would have gotten 60,” the leadership source says, adding: “Some on the Democratic side honestly fundamentally don’t believe in filibustering cabinet secretaries. We are on the cusp of a new administration, and we think it will be a Democratic one. Filibustering here would have set a bad precedent.”
Why is the leadership concerned about “a bad precedent” when the alternative is to let every other country and all of the future Americans will think that WE think torture is OK. Also, this strategy won’t work and now democratic voters will think that the Democrats in the Senate are all wimps. Greg Sargent, the author of that article, says
Of course, this argument will ring hollow to some. Good behavior by Dems now is hardly likely to produce the same on the part of Republicans; indeed, they’ve already been filibustering like nothing else. And it also seems likely that the Dem leadership preferred to avoid the filibuster because it really wanted to get the defense approps bill passed as a shield against GOP criticism (though it can also be argued that there’s pressure on Dems to get defense approps passed for other reasons) and so leaped at the chance to do this. That seems to be the reason that Dems rushed the vote through last night. Critics will point out that Dem worry about GOP attacks was hardly a good enough reason to wave the Mukasey vote through.
Forget critics. Who DOES think that last night’s vote was a good idea?
November 9, 2007 at 10:22 pm
Brava.
November 9, 2007 at 10:22 pm
Democratic voters already KNOW that the Dems in office are wimps. Goopers know it too. The torture is on us.
November 9, 2007 at 11:58 pm
Excellent analysis, Cassie. I fear though that the leadership will be like the Greeks who didn’t believe your namesake’s predictions. We live in dangerous times, but young people like you are about our only hope.
November 10, 2007 at 2:42 am
You’ve described this latest outrage in an eloquent nutshell, Cassie. I’ve bookmarked your blog, and enjoy following it. More power to you, Madame (future) President!
November 10, 2007 at 6:06 pm
“Last nights vote a good idea” Love the Snark and Irony Last nights vote was a prime example of Spinelessness read the Longshot comic book limited series graphic novel. A race of spineless slugs oppresses those WITH A SPINE! The pictures alone are worth it.
I expect this response from battered women at least they have a reason.
This is exactly why we have to replace the Bush Dogs and Hilary in Congress and the Senate, sure send them to therapy I’m all for that.
But they cannot fight for the little guy because they have their own issues about confronting authority! Which is what we need the most now!
Show me a Dem who will fight!
Oh yeah your in Texas whats your opinion of Noreiga should I send him more cash?
February 27, 2008 at 8:08 am
This is a mental note to myself I want to toss out there before I forget! I feel that some of the longterm compromises that Bush has introduced need a more drastic clean up than simply electing a new president. G.B. is not only impeachable but also guilty of serious crimes against humanity. It doesn’t matter if George Bush goes to jail, he’s already a prisoner of his own corrupt mind. He and his buddies should perhaps return the money they hemmoraged out of the economy, HOWEVER, the more pressing issue is that the country and the world should not have to suffer the outrageous corrupt laws and practices he introduced which not only are destroying world economy but will undermine progress towards decent solutions in a timely manner. This should be declared, proclaimed somehow, and his dirty work should be tossed out wholesale. I am sure there are enough brilliant legal minds to create a legal framework to proceed, and more seriously, a committee should be set up to create a new sort of declaration of world rights to have a speedy remedy in the future for lousy dictators who want to throw out Human rights, the Geneva Convention, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the planet. There is no reason to put up with this bullshit and no reason for fillerbustering, that is like crossing your legs to avoid rape when you should be useing a stun gun. There is no reason sane and just people must stop a rogue elephant by making a peanut trail and crossing their fingers.