ConfirmThem

By AndrewHyman Comments () / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Associated Press has a horrible article today that could easily have been written by the Democratic National Committee. I think it's even worse than the Neal article in the Washington Post, and the Greenberg piece in the LA Times. So, I sent a letter to Associated Press.

Mr. David Espo
Associated Press
2021 K street NW
Sixth Floor
Washington D.C. 20006
despo@ap.org
TEL 202-776-9400

Associated Press Headquarters
450 West 33d Street
New York, NY 10001
info@ap.org
TEL 212-621-1500

Dear Mr. Espo And Associated Press:

I would like to very loudly complain about your Associated Press article today, titled “Shifting Arguments Color Filibuster Debate." You have omitted critical facts.

First, you omit the fact that, when the GOP bottled up Clinton nominees in committee, no Democratic Senator attempted to ask the full Senate to discharge any of those nominees from committee. You and I both know why that attempt was never made: 51 Senators were not prepared to vote for it.

Second, regarding Abe Fortas, you omit the fact that the present nominees have been getting more than 50 votes for cloture, whereas he got less. Therefore, as the New York Times wrote back then, "it was difficult to determine whether the pro-Fortas supporters would have been able to muster the same majority in a direct confirmation vote." Also, many nominees have been confirmed after more than one cloture vote (e.g. Supreme Court Justices William Rehnquist and Stephen Breyer), whereas Fortas withdrew after the first cloture vote.

Third, you made it seem like Republicans who opposed the Harkin proposal are hypocrites. You omit the fact that the Harkin proposal sought to ban legislative filibusters. Frist and other GOP Senators remain proud of their vote against the Harkin proposal.

Fourth, you omit the fact that Paez and Berzon were both confirmed, and are judges today. In contrast, the Democrats nowadays have made it very clear that their goal is to filibuster for “all the hours in the universe," as Sen. Reid put it.

Personally, I found your article today much more like propaganda than news.

Sincerely,

Andrew Hyman