Frist vows to crown Bush King

Reacting to a Democratic offer in the fight over filibusters, Republican leader Bill Frist said Tuesday he isn't interested in any deal that fails to ensure that the Senate votes on confirmation for all of President Bush's judicial nominees.

Maybe Frist has forgotten that this isn't a monarchy and he is a US Congressman, not a member of the House of Lords. There are what, 10, nominees that haven't been confirmed but Frist won't rest until King George (and the Fundagelical Movement) gets everything he demands?

White House press secretary Scott McClellan, traveling in Texas with Bush, said "our view is that Senate Democrats need to stop playing politics and give all judicial nominees an up or down vote."

As I noted last night, the Fundagelicals and Republicans claimed fillibusters were necessary to protect against the "war on Christianity" (that would be Hormel's nomination as ambassador, and we all know he was nominated in a sly Clintonian move to force good Christians to convert to homosexuality if they wouldn't just try it themselves).

Since King George and the Repugs insist on re-nominating folks that were completely unacceptable in his first administration the filibuster is needed to protect freedom of religion [the inclusive form of the word, not just orthodox Christian denominations] and ensure maintenance of civil rights and the modicum of healthcare the average US citizen currently has access to.

I agree with FP that Billy-boy's profane piety may well work to the advantage of the rational among us. The faithful who, last November, abstained or voted against Democrats because they were irked at the frequently voiced disdain for the religious right are now seeing exactly what it is that's triggered those comments (the "liberal elite" who are openly hostile to religion, even when it's not imposed on them, are another issue - but they are a fringe minority). They are finally speaking up and reaching out, which should help build a strong coalition of liberals and progressives (both religious and secular) as well as bring in some moderates equally desperate to live in a rational and civilized country.

Politicians live and die by the polls, so the Republican lock-step may get tripped up as candidates start looking toward mid-term elections. If the Republicans pay attention to what the majority of their constituents want, cooler heads may prevail. If the right wing doesn't back off from their hystrionics, they may *gasp* lose power.




Tags: fundamentalism; gay; filibuster; politics

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