A New Filibuster: Just Don't Show up in Committee

An interesting take on a new way for Democrats to filibuster - simply don't show up to the committee meeting, thus preventing a quorum. It would be nice if this story got some attention, especially when Chris Matthews and friends soon start talking up the "unprecedented actions by Republicans to pack the courts" (read: "allow a Senate vote" on judges).

Failure of all eight Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee to show up for Thursday's session shut the panel down. Now Bush's judicial picks can't get a hearing at all, much less a fair one.

Of the committee's 10 Republicans, eight were on hand to consider the appeals court nomination of Thomas Griffith. Not one Democrat could be found.

Not that it would matter much if Democrats did show up. They would then simply not allow a vote on the Senate floor.

Among these nominees was Miguel Estrada, described in a Nov. 7, 2001, borderline-racist staff memo to committee member Dick Durbin, D-Ill., as "especially dangerous, because he has a minimal paper trail, he is Latino and the White House seems to be grooming him for a Supreme Court appointment.

Imagine the media feeding frenzy if a Republican had written that a Democratic nominee was "dangerous" because he was a "Latino."

Not to worry though - with these actions, I think it's simply a matter of time before the GOP shows its spine and exercises its constitutional option to allow a vote on judges.