Frist inflames Dems as he signals willingness to go nuke

... says Alito deserves up or down vote

As democrats and liberal special interests start circling their wagons in preparation for the coming Alito confirmation fight, Sen. Frist has fired a shot across the bow of them all as he used time on the Sunday talk circuit to indicate that he will support the use of the "Nuclear Option" in the Senate if Democrats try to filibuster Alito's nomination.

Of course the usual crowd of suspects (starting with Schumer of New York) is already out saying that Frist's rhetoric is bad for the country and bad for the senate, and isn't needed at this point.

The thing is, I believe that Schumer's reaction is exactly why Frist's comments were needed -- it's a shot across the bow to the Democrats warning them that if they do try to use the filibuster option, it will cost them dearly.

Democrats claim to be ready to put forth all sorts of mayhem in the senate if the nuclear option is used. They are ready to virtually bottle up all senate business, except of course for business near and dear to their hearts, also excepting emergency legislation. That's fine with me. Let them do it. Please, I beg of the GOP in the senate -- make them do it.

Make the dems be the ones that hold up all action in the senate over every thing that the senate does. Let them show what poor losers they are, and let them be responsible for shutting down the senate and perhaps the entire U.S. government with it.

Remember the last time the government was shut down? I sure do. The democrats blamed it all on the GOP, and the GOP took it on the chin hard for it. Instead of swinging back hard and properly blaming the shenanigans of the democrats for causing the shutdown, the GOP was blasted by the dems, blasted by the media, and flamed by the public for stopping the important work of the government, though in reality nothing was ever really stopped, government workers got paid time off, and government contractors got screwed over during the holiday season.

Let the democrats do it this time. Let them take the blame for being obstructionist, and let them face the wrath of the voters in the next election. It could swing the momentum back towards the GOP in a way that would leave the dems wounded for years to come. They are already a marginal party, but if they really force the nuclear option, they become a party that no one will really care about at all. They'll have lost in the last battleground they had hoped to defend, and at that point their faithful may not be as faithful anymore.

In anycase, a few snippets from the original news article follows. Multiple sources for the story, so pick your poison.

Frist begins pre-emptive strategy on Alito vote

Says he’s prepared to block Democrats if they seek to filibuster nominee

MSNBC from Associated Press * Updated: 1:40 p.m. ET Dec. 11, 2005

WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Sunday he is prepared to strip Democrats of their to ability to filibuster if they try to stall Samuel Alito’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
“The answer is yes,” Frist said when asked if he would act to change Senate procedures to restrict a Democratic filibuster. “Supreme Court justice nominees deserve an up-or-down vote, and it would be absolutely wrong to deny him that.”
In recent weeks, Senate Democrats have questioned whether Alito, a federal appeals court judge, has the proper judicial temperament and ideology to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Several Democrats have said that Alito’s views on issues such as voting rights and abortion could provoke a filibuster unless he allays their concerns about his commitment to civil rights. Alito’s confirmation hearings begin Jan. 9 in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

... more at original article

I'm including some of another version of the story also, as the quotes from Schumer are worth noting.

Frist Says He's Ready to Block Filibuster

Dec 11, 5:10 PM (ET)

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Sunday he is prepared to strip Democrats of their ability to filibuster if they try to stall Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court.
"The answer is yes," Frist said when asked if he would act to change Senate procedures to restrict a Democratic filibuster. "Supreme Court justice nominees deserve an up-or-down vote, and it would be absolutely wrong to deny him that."
Democrats immediately called Frist's words unhelpful and potentially incendiary. They said Senate Democrats are waiting for the Judiciary Committee to act on Alito's nomination before they decide what they may do.
"Sen. Frist has thrown down the gauntlet at a time when the country least needs it," said New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee. "The American people know that checks and balances are an integral part of our government."
{snip}
Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in an interview that senators should be debating Alito's qualifications on their merits rather than speculating about the possibility of a filibuster.
But, he added, once the committee acts, "all procedural options are on the table. But we are months away from facing these kinds of decisions."
{snip}
Under Frist's scenario, the GOP would seek a parliamentary ruling that declares filibusters are not permitted against judicial nominees. That ruling ultimately would go before the full Senate for a vote, with a simple majority required to prevail. Republicans hold 55 seats.
If that plays out, it then would take a majority of senators present to vote to approve a nominee such as Alito.
Such a move carries great risk. Democrats have threatened to retaliate with a fight that could snarl Senate business for months. Also, it could backfire on Republicans if they were to lose majority control of the chamber.

... again more at original article

emphasis added

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Didn't they threaten the same thing at the dawn of the Roberts confirmation hearings?
Just a threat. No meat to it. Don't panic!

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Yah, the Dems have threatened before, and the Republicans have countered threatened also.

Personally I think it's time that both sides follow through, especially since I believe that the filibuster and any slowdown/shutdown in congress will wind up killing off the Democratic party slowly but surely.

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I hope they do try it. It will be a defining moment. If the GOP does not retaliate, they will never win another majority in the senate.

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