A Centrist Solution to the Filibuster Standoff

Charging RINO has a great report on a deal brewing among Senate centrists to end the filibuster standoff in the Senate.

As Charging RINO reports: Under the agreement, six Republicans would signal their intent to oppose the nuclear option, while six Democrats would pledge to allow votes on four of the seven circuit court nominees and would pledge to vote for cloture on all future Bush judicial nominees, including Supreme Court nominees. The result: the nuclear option isn’t deployed, a majority of Bush’s judges are brought to a vote and sanity is restored.

This is a bad deal for Majority Leader Frist because it would mean giving up on three nominees, thus failing to deliver as much as he’s promised. This is also a bad deal for Minority Leader Reid, whose party would now be forced to actually debate the judges instead of just opposing the nuclear option. And God knows the Dems don't want a real debate, they just want a veto.

If 6 Democrats sign on to this deal, they should immediately be given the keys to the party. Democrats are never going to regain power through blind opposition. Only by getting out there and arguing their viewpoints can they hope to win back the country. If these justices really are so bad, the Democrats should be able to convince enough moderate Republicans to vote against them--or at least convince the voters to punish the Republicans for confirming such extreme judges.

And if 6 Republicans sign on to this deal, they too should be given the keys to their party. Winning an up-or-down vote on 4 of 7 justices and insuring an end to future judicial filibusters for Bush nominees is a substantial win and any Republican that fails to see this is more interested in power than governing. This standoff has made both parties look bad. This deal could make 12 Senators look very, very good. Particularly to us centrists who value reasonable solutions over unending divisiveness.