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Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Hewitt's writing all over the place about the filibustering of judicial nominations. Just scroll along.
For the record, I have never understood the place of the filibuster to begin with. Yes, the minority needs a voice. Yes, we need protections to insure the government doesn't go crazy on us. Yes, we need assurances that a runaway legislature doesn't thrust nonsense upon the people.
Isn't that why we have checks and balances?
As to the case of presidential appointments, that is special in the sense that the Senate is the solitary check upon the president. That is a reason for caution, of course. But caution in two senses. If it is right that popular passions need be tamed by an insular Senate, it is also right that our civil institutions need be protected from the doddering of a clubby and self-righteous Senate. Republicans and Democrats alike have used the filibuster to keep the Republic from its business when majorities ought to have been given their way long enough to hang themselves. As pompous and obstructionist as the Senate already is in the name of its self-importance, we needn't seek an extra-Constitutional imperative to assure an even greater level of noxiousness.
Dump the filibuster. And dump Reid.
posted by gbarto at 10:24 PM
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