Though we occasional CSPAN viewers know that the phrase “Senate slumber party” is somewhat redundant, tonight’s festivities are undoubtedly unique.
Almost overshadowed by the frightening prospect of Ted Kennedy in Dr. Denton’s is the fact that there is a very real danger here for the participants:
“Because Senate rules require agreement from both sides to quickly confirm a nominee, the GOP can’t force a confirmation vote as long as a Democrat is present on the floor to object. But if they fall asleep or stop paying attention, Santorum said, the GOP will immediately confirm the nominees.
‘They’re forewarned: If the floor is not protected, the vote will be’ called, Santorum said.”
What? The fate of American justice is going to ride on an extremely boring reality game show? Why, that level of irresponsible gamesmanship and callous rule-bending in governance hasn’t been seen since… um… 2003. In Texas.
Still, it’s pretty impressive that our most august legislative body is getting in on the fun. Tune in tonight to watch sleepy Republicans expressing their justifiable rage that 2% of the President’s judicial nominees have been blocked by the evil opposition (why do they have to be so darn… oppositional?). And then tune in next Tuesday for the House Appropriations Committee’s Ultimate Cagematch.
Fanny Roborat
16 comments
upyernoz
November 12, 2003 at 7:32 pm
1unfortunately the fate of american justice has ridden on a boring reality game show for almost 3 years. remember that boring florida debacle that took weeks to resolve with an incoherent supreme court decision?
tess
November 12, 2003 at 8:16 pm
2WHEEEE! FILIBUSTER! this is going to be more exciting than watching grass grow, paint dry, or strom thurmond die.
Will
November 12, 2003 at 8:37 pm
3Is this democracy at its finest, or is this the poor result of fanaticism at its worst?
tim
November 12, 2003 at 10:09 pm
4I can’t wait until they start playing “Truth or Dare”, which in the case of Republican senators is known simply as, “Dare”.
Tuesday
November 12, 2003 at 10:27 pm
5Our government is officially retarded!
katie
November 13, 2003 at 12:14 am
6Dang! Where’s Mr. Smith when you really need him??!
Judd
November 13, 2003 at 12:21 am
7Hey.. I work with the mentaly retarded, and I know for a fact they could do a much better job than what we are currently paying for. But who are we kidding, the Republicans need to distract us from the real issues, like W’s soaring popularity and how we’ve given birth to beautiful twin infant democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Maybe he’ll actually do a better job of parenting his twin democracies than he did his twin daughters!!!) 168 to 4????!!!!!, the republicans are just mad, because they just don’t know how to win.. This all seems so ROVESPUTIN… The parallels are frightening!!!!
spiralsands
November 13, 2003 at 7:48 am
8Maybe George W. can tell the Rebublican Senate puppets where to buy some cocaine. Or maybe he can get Cheney to fly some in from the ‘privatized militia’ down in Colombia. A bit of a sniff now and then and they’ll never close their eyes.
michael (in DC)
November 13, 2003 at 8:11 am
9a) I may be wrong, but I don’t think the House has an “Appropriations” committee; they have “Ways and Means.”
b) The Ways & Means committee already had their Ultimate Cagematch a couple of months ago–also known as Librarygate; when whatsisname from California called the cops on the Dems for daring to…HOLD A MEETING! In the Library! Without his permission!
sorry Adam. They’re doin’ their best to put you out of bizness.
m
sly
November 13, 2003 at 9:11 am
10Slumberparty? WooHoo!! Who wants to run a pantyraid on the Senate?
Murray
November 13, 2003 at 11:02 am
11Democrat’s idea of democracy:
The person with the most votes wins the office. The looser goes home.
Republican’s idea of democracy:
If you guys fall asleep, we will confirm our odious judges.
Even with 544,000 less votes, as long as Katherine Harris and the Supreme Court say it’s OK, we get the presidency.
With only 1.4 million dollars we can buy enough signatures to overthrow a newly re-elected governor.
We send Tom the hammer Delay to rejigger the Texas map to get us 6 new congressmen.
I always love to hear our president scold other nations on how they need to be democratic. Something a little too inconvenient for republicans.
Chicory
November 13, 2003 at 11:12 am
12Murray- you are WAY too cynical! The Rupublicans love democracy and know that God has ordained them with the ability to *know* what the US wants, needs and is best for it.
(I need to go ralph)
tom
November 13, 2003 at 11:47 am
13The real power in the Republican party right now is a guy named Gerry and a gal named Filly.
That would be Gerry Mander and Filly Buster!
John Isbell
November 13, 2003 at 1:27 pm
14I just hope they have smores. I love smores.
Evidently there were moments of interest last night, like the Dems repeatedly trashing GOP allegations with facts, until one GOP Senator finally lost it and just mowed them down with an M-16. Hell, at least it wasn’t an AK-47. Buy American!
Murray
November 13, 2003 at 3:59 pm
15John,
I believe it was a civilian AR15, an easy mistake for the military M16 which was patterned after it.
Oh don’t look at me like that! I live in hunter land PA where the main religeon is hunting.
At least it wasn’t an assault rifle which by law must have at least two of the following to be illegeal. (no kidding)(HR 3355 1994)
Rocket launcher
silencer
tripod mount
clip to hold 5 or more rounds
pistol grip
Hard to immagine we were able to get such an attack on the constitution passed.
pete
November 13, 2003 at 10:57 pm
16i know this might not belong here…
but what happened to colin powell? anyone seen him? no? anyone? no? ok then. back to partisan politics.