Filibusters and hypocrites

I have never been a big fan of the filibuster. Still, I have to admit that when it comes to some of Bush's judicial nominees (Priscilla Owen in particular), I like the effect. That being said, the procedure has always seemed a bit silly to me. One would think that the Republicans have always felt that way, too. One would think that conservative religious organizations have always felt that way, too.

Well, think again.

Keith Olbermann had a segment on the filibuster furor on the April 25, 2005 edition of his MSNBC show "Countdown." The segment primarily reported on an event called "Justice Sunday," sponsored by Focus on the Family Action, which is led by James "SpongeDob" Dobson, and the Family Research Council, which is another organization of the religious right. These excerpts from "Countdown" show--once again--that the right wing is populated with hypocrites.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: Because even some conservatives don‘t think we should press the issue on requiring votes on judicial nominees. They‘re concerned that in the future, Republicans won‘t be able to use this same device to obstruct Democratic nominees.

Well, that may be true. But if what the Democrats are doing is wrong today, it won‘t be right for Republicans to do the same thing tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN: Ah, but what about yesterday? Of course, evidently it was still right when Frist filibustered Bill Clinton‘s nomination of a judge named Richard Paez to the Ninth Circuit in 2000, Republicans blocking more than 60 of President Clinton‘s judicial nominees, Democrats having blocked just 10 during President Bush‘s first term.

Members on both sides of the aisle taking offense to Senator Frist‘s threats and tactics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D), VERMONT: There seems to be this new attitude that if you oppose any of President Bush‘s judges, then that means that as a senator, you are against people of faith. Now, as a person of faith, I really resent that.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I would call on them not to go down the road of saying that the Democratic senators are not people of faith, or questioning their religious, that they‘re religious bigots. I don‘t think that helps the country, and I don‘t think that‘s fair.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

OLBERMANN: As mentioned, the filibuster stretches back not merely to Jimmy Stewart in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” but to the presidential administration of Franklin Pierce 152 years ago. And, as a last measure of the defense of the minority, it has had many supporters over the years, like the very people of faith who sponsored yesterday‘s Justice Sunday, the group Family Research Council.

Yesterday it was opposed to filibusters. Seven years ago, it was in favor of them. That‘s when Clinton and a then-Democratic plurality in the Senate wanted a man named James Hormel to become the ambassador to Luxembourg. Hormel, of the Spam and other meats Hormels, was gay, as the Senate minority bottled up Hormel‘s nomination with filibusters and threats of filibusters, minority relative to cloture, to breaking up a filibuster.

They did that for a year and a half. The Family Research Council‘s senior writer, Steven Schwartz, appeared on National Public Radio at the time and explained the value, even the necessity, of the filibuster.

“The Senate,” he said, “is not a majoritarian institution, like the House of Representatives is. It is a deliberative body, and it‘s got a number of checks and balances built into our government. The filibuster is one of those checks in which a majority cannot just sheerly force its will, even if they have a majority of votes in some cases. That‘s why there are things like filibusters, and other things that give minorities in the Senate some power to slow things up, to hold things up, and let things be aired properly.”

(emphasis added). SpongeDob and the FRC should go back and check out what Jesus said about hypocrites.