Political Quotes

“I have served in the Senate for 37 years, and I have never seen so many judicial nominees, reported with bipartisan support, be denied a simple up-or-down vote for 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, even 11 months. And if there was any doubt that Senate Republicans insist on being the party of no, their current decision to deny votes on these highly qualified, noncontroversial district court nominees--while we are in the middle of a judicial vacancy crisis--shows what they stand for. They care more about opposing this President than helping the American people. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: [From Politico, Sept. 18, 2012] The Case for Confirming District Court Judges (By Russell Wheeler) The accepted wisdom on Congress is that the presidential campaign is likely to crowd out most real work until after Nov. 6, when all its focus abruptly changes to the fiscal cliff. There is, though, one important noncontroversial matter that the Senate should take up now--as have previous Senates at this time: confirming district judges. A government that can't do its mundane business is surely unlikely to be able to deal with more controversial problems. History shows that the Senate should be able to confirm a respectable number of long-standing district court nominations before Election Day--certainly before adjournment.…”