Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Men, Women, and Children: A Reminiscence
That we might place the immanent launching of the "nuclear option" in some context, I'd like to remind us that none of this might be happening were it not for the powerful and moving words spoken by Trent Lott (R-MS) about a year and a half ago, during the Senate Rethugs' 33-hour floor circus meant to highlight the Democratic filibustering of a handful of Bush's neo-fascist judicial appointees. This was the same charade that featured Orrin Hatch exhibiting a sign (meant to explain the parliamentary concept of the filibuster to the general American citizenry) which read "From the Spanish word filibustero, meaning a pirating or hijacking"; Saxby "Saxby Chambliss" Chambliss wielding a "Faces of America" poster, featuring the faces (note: not all of them white) of four of the blocked nominees superimposed against a map of all the land of the United States; and Rick Santorum with a weirdly off-topic "Most Jobs Ever" placard. But the kicker was ole Trent:
Well, now Janice Rogers Brown is back. And Americans simply will allow their "children" to be filibustered any longer.
posted by Blicero : 5/18/2005 12:29:00 AM
Although Lott wasn't one of the major players in this thing (that honor went to freshman slimebags Lindsay "Lindsay" Graham, Coleman, Saxby "Saxby Chambliss" Chambliss, and a more-than-healthy dose of Jeff Sessions) his speech stood out for the peculiarity of its language. Initially Lott referred to the mistreated judicial nominees as
"These men, women and m'nahrities [read: minorities]..."
O.K., so we got the broad sketch of the 3 Categories of Judge-Types we were dealing with here...but then Lott bears down, seeks focus and detail:
"Three men, four women, a minority...all blocked by this filibuster."
Now the math is one thing (the Dems are currently filibustering four; Janice Brown can be counted as a fifth); the gender breakdown is another; but who is this solitary spotlit "minority"?
Well, the men/women/minority triad had to break down at some point:
"But don't use a procedural vote to defeat these men, women and children..."
Well, now Janice Rogers Brown is back. And Americans simply will allow their "children" to be filibustered any longer.
posted by Blicero : 5/18/2005 12:29:00 AM
