Decision ‘08

The Biggest Republican Victory of 2005

NOTE: Don’t forget the newest Carnival of the Chillin’, hosted by AJ. Deadline for submissions is 6 p.m. tomorrow, unless the Alito vote is postponed. My entry follows…

Samuel Alito will be confirmed. Clearly, there is no stomach for a filibuster, despite all the fuss aimed at appeasing the radical base, and the votes are there to override in any event. We now can look back at the judicial compromise of last May and ponder what it wrought.

The Gang of 14 suffered from the typical Senatorial affliction of deadly pomposity, but they crafted an agreement that could not have worked better for the Republicans. The immediate consequence was the quick confirmation of several judges previously deemed unacceptable by the Democrats. The more important consequence, as we have seen, was the agreement to a new standard for filibusters, that of ‘extraordinary circumstances’. Though nebelous, to be sure, the term gave cover to Republicans while placing a new burden on Democrats. It was a masterful stroke, and huge victory that was widely overlooked at the time.

In the wake of the deal, we now have Chief Justice John Roberts, a man whose appeal was near universal, but clearly a man of conservative leanings, and he will soon be joined by Samuel Alito, a declared conservative who is replacing a woman largely seen as the moderate swing vote on the Rehnquist court. That the court will shift right seems almost inevitable…and despite the grief such a statement brings to the hearts of Democrats, this is as it should be…George W. Bush has twice been elected president, in no small part because he promised to put conservatives on the bench. The regrettable Harriet Miers episode notwithstanding, he has done just that. The Gang of 14 played an instrumental role in allowing that to happen, and for that, they deserve our thanks.

4 Responses to “The Biggest Republican Victory of 2005”

1 The Strata-Sphere Says:
January 30th, 2006 at 9:27 am
Carnival Of The Chillin’ - Alito

On the eve of Alito’s confirmation to the US Supreme Court we wanted to hear from members of the Coalition of the Chillin’ on what the Gang of 14 Agreement meant as we look back to all that has transpired since. I think it is fair to say …
2 The Strata-Sphere » Blog Archive » Carnival Of The Chillin’ - Alito Says:
January 30th, 2006 at 9:32 am
[…] Coalition founder Mark Coffey calls the Gang of 14 agreement the biggest GOP victory in 2005. And given the results it is hard to argue it has been anything but a victory. […]
3 The Politburo Diktat » Blog Archive » Alito Confirmed 58-42 Says:
January 31st, 2006 at 1:32 pm
[…] Decision ‘08 » The Biggest Republican Victory of 2005 Samuel Alito will be confirmed. Clearly, there is no stomach for a filibuster, despite all the fuss aimed at appeasing the radical base, and the votes are there to override in any event. We now can look back at the judicial compromise of last May and ponder what it wrought.The Gang of 14 suffered from the typical Senatorial affliction of deadly pomposity, but they crafted an agreement that could not have worked better for the Republicans. The immediate consequence was the quick confirmation of several judges previously deemed unacceptable by the Democrats. The more important consequence, as we have seen, was the agreement to a new standard for filibusters, that of ‘extraordinary circumstances’. Though nebelous, to be sure, the term gave cover to Republicans while placing a new burden on Democrats. It was a masterful stroke, and huge victory that was widely overlooked at the time. [Permalink] [Trackback URL] Trackback URL for this entry: http://acepilots.com/mt/2006/01/31/alito-confirmed-58-42/trackback/ […]
4 Unlimited Music Downloads Says:
May 27th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Unlimited Music Downloads…

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