South Dakota Politics

NYT reports on Federalist Society meeting

The New York Times has a report headlined "Conservative Lawyers Voice Abundant Joy."  Excerpt:

Another speaker, former Solicitor General Theodore B. Olson, who is often called the counsel to the conservative establishment, drew whoops and loud applause when he celebrated the defeat of the Senate Democratic leader, Tom Daschle, in last week's election. The society's members especially dislike Mr. Daschle, as the leader of a Senate minority that has used the filibuster to block 10 of Mr. Bush's judicial nominees.

"Even he, by the way, got a vote," Mr. Olson said of the senator. "Not the vote he wanted, but a vote which is more than he gave 10 distinguished, honorable, exceptionally well-qualified Bush nominees."

Former SG: "Even Daschle got a vote"

The AP has a report headlined "Olson Predicts Firestorm for Next Justice" which contains the following quote from Ted Olson, former Solicitor General of the United States, at a Federalist Society event:

The crowd cheered Thursday when Olson said that five Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, who have blocked votes on 10 of Bush's judges, are in their final days in Congress. In a swipe at Daschle, who lost last week to Republican John Thune, Olson said that "even he, by the way, got a vote - not the vote he wanted but he got a vote- more than he gave 10 distinguished, honorable, exceptionally well-qualified Bush nominees."

Daschle blocks three more judicial nominations

Senator Daschle today successfully filibustered three more judicial nominations. You can view the roll call votes for the three HERE, HERE, and HERE. The nominees are respectively Henry W. Saad, Richard A. Griffin, and David W. McKeague.

This comes on the heels of the successful filibuster of William G. Myers III earlier this week.

All in all, not a bad week's worth of obstruction.

In a timely editorial today headlined "Daschle's Dead Zone," the Wall Street Journal publishes a long list of legislation with bipartisan support that Senator Daschle has effectively obstructed.

Daschle a strong voice for Earthjustice

Senator Daschle often likes to tell us he's a strong voice for South Dakota's farmers and ranchers. But after Daschle's vote yesterday to deny William G. Myers III an up or down vote on his nomination to the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, defying the request of many South Dakota agricultural interests to support the Myers nomination, it's clear that Tom Daschle is only a strong voice for Earthjustice, the Sierra Club, and Friends of the Earth.

Quentin Riggins also weighs in on this topic.

After yesterday's vote, today's edition of The Hill reports that Majority Leader Frist is once again mulling the "nuclear option" in a piece headlined "Frist backs rule change on judges."

The indispensable Howard Bashman has more.

Daschle blocks Myers nomination

DVT reports that Senator Daschle voted against the nomination of William G. Myers III to the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. John Thune's campaign issued a press release in response with the headline "Thune disappointed in Daschle for siding with liberal extremists over South Dakota farmers and ranchers."

The AP has a report headlined "Democrats Block Bush Judicial Pick."

Earlier today, I quoted an excerpt from a piece written by Alan Simpson, a distinguished former senator from Wyoming in which he stated:

Later today, the members of the Senate will face a significant choice. They can either take an honest step towards restoring some semblance of reason to the most reversed circuit court in the nation, or they can surrender to the left-wing special-interest groups, who want to keep their unfair home-court advantage in the Ninth Circuit.

As observed by John Thune, Senator Daschle has surrendered to the left-wing special-interest groups, leaving South Dakota farmers and ranchers in the lurch.

Myers nomination blocked

The nomination of William G. Myers III to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has been blocked by 44 senators. I don't know how Senator Daschle voted, but when the roll call vote is published on the Senate's website, I'll post the information.

John Thune urged Tom Daschle to vote for the nomination, and Rapid City Journal political reporter Denise Ross has a story on the issue headlined "Judge vote on Senate's desk." As DVT notes, the Argus Leader skipped the story.

National Review Online has a piece by Senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming supporting the Myers nomination headlined "One for the Ninth; Confirm Meyers, already." Excerpt:

Later today, the members of the Senate will face a significant choice. They can either take an honest step towards restoring some semblance of reason to the most reversed circuit court in the nation, or they can surrender to the left-wing special-interest groups, who want to keep their unfair home-court advantage in the Ninth Circuit. For the sake of the poorly served residents of the Ninth Circuit and the nation as a whole, let's hope that they take the high road and confirm Bill Myers.

Thune calls on Daschle to support Myers nomination

John Thune today called on Tom Daschle to support the nomination of William G. Myers III to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The nomination will face a filibuster tomorrow. The state's cattle industry strongly supports Myers, and is strongly urging Senator Daschle to support the nomination and use his vaunted clout to defeat the filibuster.

Howard Bashman has more.

Is Daschle for the ranchers or the extreme environmentalists?

The Senate is scheduled to vote on the nomination of William G. Myers III to the federal appellate bench next Tuesday. The AP has this report.

The Cattle Network has a missive headlined "Cattlemen vs. Extreme Environmentalists in US Senate Next Week." Excerpt:

Please contact your Democratic Senator and ask them to ask Senator Daschle to allow an up or down vote on Bill Myers’ nomination. Bill Myers’ nomination should not be filibustered in the Senate just because he worked for ranchers and the cattle industry – which is why he is opposed by environmentalists. Therefore, we need cattlemen and women that have Democratic Senators to begin aggressively calling these offices and asking them not to filibuster Bill Myers’ nomination, and should there be a filibuster, to vote YES for CLOTURE and allow an up or down vote on the appointment of Bill Myers to the 9th Circuit.

Earlier this week, the Aberdeen American News published an opinion piece written by the South Dakota Cattlemen's Association's director and executive director headlined "Daschle should allow vote on judge."

Will Daschle's obligations to the national Democratic Party outweigh his obligations to South Dakota ranchers on this issue? Or will he "reluctantly" support the nomination but sit on the sidelines and do nothing to battle against a Democratic-led filibuster?

Daschle the subject of Novak's "Outrage of the Week"

On this past weekend's edition of CNN's "Capital Gang," Bob Novak stated the following:

NOVAK: The stranglehold over the United States Senate by Democratic leader Tom Daschle has tightened. He has exerted life and death power over any federal judicial nomination, and many bills for the use of the filibuster.

Now he is preventing legislation, passed by both the House and Senate, from going to a Senate-House conference to iron out differences. That gives the minority of one chamber an absolute veto over everything.

In 16th Century Poland, a single member of parliament could veto any piece of legislation. Tom Daschle has that same power today.

In other words, Daschle is exercising his vaunted clout to further the interests of the national Democratic party by preventing legislation that has passed on a bipartisan basis to be ironed out in conference. And then Daschle has the temerity to blame President Bush for the poisonous partisanship in Washington. I think it's safe to say that by blocking legislation that has passed both houses of Congress, Tom Daschle is damaging South Dakota's interests and favoring the interests of the national party he leads.

Elsewhere in the news, Novak reports on Daschle's maneuverings to block the recess appointment of judicial nominees (scroll down to the "Blocking judges" heading).

New York Post editorial

A New York Post editorial published yesterday points out Tom Daschle's thoughts regarding recess appointments five years ago and compares them to his thoughts on the subject today. The piece is headlined "Daschle's Duplicity." Excerpt:

Indeed, says Daschle, "I don't blame the president for being frustrated and having lost patience. . . . The president acted, and I'm glad he did."

At least that's what he was saying five years ago - when Democrat Bill Clinton was the one making recess appointments, allowing him to bypass Senate confirmation of his federal judicial selections.

How time flies.

Now it's George W. Bush - stymied by Senate Democrats' refusal to allow many of his nominees even to come up for a vote - using the recess-appointment tool, and Daschle is singing a different tune.

In fact, Daschle said last weekend that he and his Democratic colleagues have decided to block each and every one of the president's judicial nominees unless Bush promises not to make any more recess appointments.

DVT, as always, has more.

Daschle blocks all nominations

Howard Bashman has a roundup of the latest developments in the battle over judicial nominations.

Senator Daschle made the following howler on the Senate floor yesterday:

Democrats have sought to participate in the nomination process and work together with the administration and the majority in a bipartisan fashion to confirm public servants in the highest traditions of our Nation.
Regrettably, the administration has chosen to reject the course of bipartisanship, even though Democrats have tried to accommodate the President’s goal of filling judicial vacancies.

Senator Cornyn responded by noting that Senator Daschle has been blocking a BIPARTISAN majority who would confirm these judicial nominations, were it not for the funny math in the Senate where 41 is more than 59 (as Zell Miller notes in his book):

[N]ever before in the history of the United States of America have a handful of Democrats—handful of any
party—been able to successfully block a bipartisan majority from confirming President Bush’s highly qualified judicial nominees.

(Emphasis added.) Clearly, it is Senator Daschle who is really rejecting the course of bipartisanship.