Redstate

Posted at 6:38am on Jun. 18, 2008 How Republicans Can Win the Energy Debate in Congress

Let's Have an Old-Fashioned Filibuster

By Bluey

My fellow contributors at RedState have had no shortage of posts the past few days on the need to drill for oil. The message is finally resonating on Capitol Hill, where House Minority Whip Roy Blunt is producing a daily gas chart and Senate Republican leaders are beginning to talk tough.

These are positive developments, but rhetoric alone will not solve our energy problems. That requires leadership and action, two things that are hard to come by in Congress.

Fortunately for the GOP, oil drilling appears to be something everyone can agree on. Republicans who don't always see eye to eye -- Sens. Ted Stevens (Alaska) and Tom Coburn (Okla.) come to mind -- are in sync when it comes to this. The party's nominee, Sen. John McCain, gave his colleagues a big boost this week with an endorsement for offshore drilling.

While McCain's energy position is far from perfect -- ANWR remains off limits for him -- Republicans can't let that slow them down. They should take this fight to the Democrats at every opportunity. And they can begin by shutting down the Senate if Democrats refuse to allow offshore drilling.

I'm talking about an old-fashioned filibuster. I know it won't be like "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," but why not make a spectacle of it? The next time Majority Leader Harry Reid tries to do something, call his bluff.

There's a reason Newt Gingrich has collected nearly 900,000 names for his petition calling for more drilling. Americans are tired of inaction. Forcing a showdown on Capitol Hill is the best move Senate Republicans could make. Not only would it bolster the party in the short term, but it would also give GOP leaders some backbone for future fights.

Posted in Congress | Congress | Energy | filibuster | oil | Republicans — Comments (26)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:01pm on Jan. 19, 2008 The Gang of 14 helped Bush?

the hardline left was neutered by the gang

By Charles Bird

Two writers from the Weekly Standard made the case that the Gang of 14 proved a success for President Bush and the GOP. For one thing, there was a better-than-even chance that the Frist-led "nuclear option" would crash and burn. For another, except for two judges unfortunately thrown under the bus, Bush's Supreme Court and circuit court nominees were confirmed.

But over the course of the subsequent months, the Gang of 14's agreement proved to be an unequivocal success for proponents of judicial nominations: not only did President Bush successfully seat two conservative judges in the face of vociferous liberal opposition, but he also succeeded in seating a number of controversial lower-court nominees who previously had languished under the filibuster. While the agreement's "extraordinary circumstances" clause was vague and perhaps even unenforceable, the Gang never allowed it to be used successfully to allow a filibuster--most likely because the Gang of 14 also did not foreclose ultimate resort to the nuclear option in such situations.

More below the fold...

Posted in Congress | filibuster | gang of 14 | The Judicial Confirmation Wars — Comments (37)/ Email this page » / Read More »