Frist and Reid Negotiate

Yahoo! News reports In private talks with Majority Leader Bill Frist, the Senate's top Democrat has indicated a willingness to allow confirmation of at least two of President Bush's seven controversial appeals court nominees (Richard Griffin and David McKeague), but only as part of a broader compromise requiring Republicans to abandon threats to ban judicial filibusters, and Reid wants a third appointee (Henry Saad) to be replaced by an alternative who is preferred by Michigan's two Democratic senators.

I certainly hope that Frist is not even seriously considering a deal like that.

Joe Gandelman blogged If there is indeed a compromise in the works it would show that the consensus is still at a premium in Congressional deliberations. Any kind of an agreement between the two parties would help defuse some of the growing polarization. But it's polarization involving one faction of the GOP versus fairly solid Democrats, somewhat split centrists, plus some more traditional Republicans.

No if anything as stupid as this agreement is even considered it would mean that Frist had totally abandoned any thought of running for President.

Betsy Newmark blogged Do you get a sense that the Democrats are beginning to cave just a tinge. First Biden floats a trial balloon of the Demos allowing five of the filibustered seven to get through. Then, news leaks out that Frist and Reid are talking on a deal and that Reid's offer is to let two of the seven to go through. What do you bet that that leak came from the Democrats who are beginning to see that they lose the battle and the war.

If the Republicans do push through the rule change on filibustering of judicial nominees, the Democrats will lose their one sure weapon in the face of a Bush Supreme Court nomination. And they'll have the choice of slowing down the Senate on important issues and then getting bad press over that or ticking off their base by not raising a bigger fuss over the filibusters.

And what's up with the idea of letting two or five of these nominees through. Isn't the Democrats' whole schtick that these nominees are so extreme that the nation would be endangered if they were seated on the bench? How could they, in good conscience, let them through? If this deal then breaks down, how can they then keep up their filibuster against those two or five nominees? Is their argument that these nominees would be acceptable if the GOP would back down on changing the rules, but without that agreement, these people are suddenly back to being unacceptable? Sounds rather more weak than usual logic. How can Biden float the idea of letting five of them through one day and then return to filibustering all seven the next? Doesn't it sound as if they're starting to worry that this could backfire on them?


Orrin Judd blogged The Democratic scramble to compromise suggests that Mr. Frist has the whip hand. He ought to learn from predecessors LBJ & George Mitchell and wield it.


The Hill reports Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has taken steps to try to soothe business and trade-association leaders who have voiced concerns that the so-called nuclear option will stymie the business agenda in Congress. But Frist has shown no sign of backing down and has indicated his intention to press ahead with his drive to stop the Democratic filibuster of judicial nominees. Frist’s every move on the judicial filibuster issue is receiving heightened scrutiny, and the issue has been transformed in recent weeks into one of the most prominent national political news stories.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters yesterday that GOP leaders are being driven to act by “radical Republicans” while predicting that the issue will help Democrats pick up Senate seats in the 2006 elections.


Wishful thinking.

• Democrat (5 possibly open, 5 somewhat vulnerable, 5 Cruisin' for a Bruisin', 3 Safe & Sound;
  Republican 5 possibly open, 4 Lean Republican, 3 Likely Republican, 3 Safe and Sound
• 6 moderately vulnerable Republican seats vs 8 moderately vulnerable Democratic seats
• 17 Democrats, 2 not running, 15 Republicans, 1 not running, 1 Independent, not running.