ConfirmThem

By AndrewHyman Posted in Senate Rules — Comments () / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Reuters reports as follows:

Bruce Josten, executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said eliminating the filibuster "is only too big a price to pay" if Democrats "shut the place down. The next question is for how long? If it's for two days, it's not too big a price," Josten said. "If it's for weeks, it's a whole different deal."

Given that the business community is somewhat concerned, here is some information that should put them more at ease.

On February 26, 2005 there was the following report about the senior Senator from Louisiana:

Landrieu said she would prefer that instead of responding to a potential GOP ban on filibusters against judicial nominees by blocking Senate action on other issues, Democrats should choose a response that is somewhere between "all-out war" and "grin and bear it."

Then on March 26, 2005 there was the following report about the two Senators from Wisconsin:

Both Kohl and Feingold said they supported a strong Democratic response to the "nuclear option," but not a virtual shutdown of the Senate. "We've never said we're going to shut the place down, nor would I, Herb Kohl, be a part of that." Feingold said the Democrats' response should "send a message," but "I certainly don't think we should bring government to a standstill or anything like what the 'Contract with America' people tried to do," a reference to the unpopular shutdown engineered by House Republicans in the 1990s.

And, on April 4, 2005 the LA Times reported as follows:

Democrats are backtracking somewhat from earlier threats to stall the Senate's operations, insisting that they will not block bills to support the troops in Iraq or that provide for other crucial government functions. They are mindful that the public blamed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) --- not former President Clinton --- for shutting down the federal government over budget conflicts in 1995. "Democrats learned their lesson from that and won't go down that road," said Jim Manley, spokesman for Minority Leader Reid. "But the Republicans will know the difference between a cooperative minority and an uncooperative minority."

If the Democrats do defy all expectations and actually shut down the government, then they will all be voted out of office in 2006, which will make the business community happy indeed (in the mean time, the GOP Senate majority would probably re-exercise the nuclear option in order to re-open the Senate).

UPDATE: See here.