Santorum Nukes Frist

By DHinMI

The Hill reports this morning that Rick Santorum,

a leading advocate of the “nuclear option” to end the Democrats’ filibuster of judicial nominees, is privately arguing for a delay in the face of adverse internal party polls.

Details of the polling numbers remain under wraps, but Santorum and other Senate sources concede that, while a majority of Americans oppose the filibuster, the figures show that most also accept the Democratic message that Republicans are trying to destroy the tradition of debate in the Senate.

The Republicans are keeping the “nuclear” poll numbers secret, whereas they have often in the past been keen to release internal survey results that favor the party. David Winston, head of the Winston Group, which conducts Senate GOP polls, did return phone calls seeking comment.

Confirming public disquiet over the “nuclear” or “constitutional” option, Santorum said, “Our polling shows that.” But, he added, public thinking had been muddied by what he called false Democratic arguments that checks and balances were being eroded.

“People see checks and balances as Democrats checking Republicans, not the legislative checking the executive or the judiciary checking the legislative,” Santorum said. Filibustering presidential nominees was not something the Founding Fathers envisioned as a tool for balancing power between the branches, he argued. In other words, Democrats have managed to convince the public of their right to check Republicans in the Senate.

Santorum’s raising of reasons that Republicans should delay the constitutional option may surprise conservative activists who count him as one of the most passionate advocates for the tactic in the Senate.

“There is no doubt that Santorum was the backbone of this from the very beginning, and he continues to be,” said Manuel Miranda, head of the National Coalition to End Judicial Filibusters, an alliance of more than 200 conservative groups working on the judges issue...

Conservative activists said they received word last week to ramp up their communication efforts on the constitutional option with the goal of having their activity peak next week, before the May recess. Also last week, a New York Times report citing senior Senate lawmakers bolstered the expectation that the showdown would happen next week.

Santorum said he has left the timing to Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.).

“I’ve been suggesting one way or the other we need to make a decision. I haven’t said [a] longer or shorter” timeframe should be followed, he said.

But GOP aides said Santorum has made known to the leadership reasons for why Republicans should not move forward on the nuclear or constitutional option.

The article goes on to say that the GOP polling shows that the Americans have "swollowed the Democrats’ and liberal groups’ message on the constitutional option."

NBC's First Read speculates that Frist is almost ready to "pull the trigger" on the Nuclear Option after he speaks this weekend at the Family Research Council's Injustice Sunday.  Maybe.  But for all but the most zealous, self-preservation trumps ideology, and Santorum has to be worried about poll numbers that show likely Democratic Senate candidate Robert Casey Jr. extending what had been a five point margin over Santorum in February to a 14 point margin in the latest Quinnipiac poll.  Combined with the GOP polling on the Nuclear Option, Santorum apparently figured out he's in bad shape and leading the charge on the Nuclear Option would just make things worse.  So, honorable guy that he is (cough cough), Santorum went and dumped responsibility for the Nuclear Option into the lap of Bill Frist.

Instead of helping him lauch the Nuclear Option, Santorum just left Frist fully exposed to the fallout. 

Comments

[RonK, Seattle]

Specter is on floor, with an extended plea to avoid the showdown. Durbin was on earlier -- breaking out of a Judiciary Cmte mtg -- to report they're headed for the showdown.

[DHinMI]

Interesting. I think of Specter as a weathervane on this issue, and if he's calling for restraint, I take that as an indication of second thoughts in the Republican caucus.

And Durbin's a savvy operator; I think it's entirely possible that he suspects they'll back off, but is saying they're moving forward to make the shock effect even greater when it doesn't happen. Maybe they really are moving forward, but I just think Durbin is a really sneaky (in a wonderful and positive) guy.

[Mike S]

Since the Judiciary Committee pushed through Owens and Brown today I don't think they have the option of putting it off now. Baby Hewy Hewitt has been getting all 10 of his listeners to call Frist and force him to go nukular.

I think we are seeing another one get away from them. I've been hoping for a loss of control on their part for a while and it looks like it's finally happening.

[demtom]

I've written in other threads today that I see the GOP taking on major damage regarding both Iraq and the economy. But this development -- along with DeLay, and lingering Schiavo blowback -- suggest yet another front on which the Dems can gain ground: that, in area after area, the GOP is just "going too far".

In many ways, Dems have already benefited from this perception. The fact that so many states are so dependably blue (NY, CA, IL, virtually all of New England) is at least partly attributable to the sense that the GOP has gone over to the loony right. This wasn't enough to win last time out, but it made even an incumbent re-election frighteningly difficult for the Republicans -- a far cry from the Nixon/Reagan years.

The press is consumed with how Dems need to change their party image, so it doesn't appear so "liberal", but they ignore the other side of the equation. The events of recent months show us there's an at least equal danger of Republicans sliding off the end of the earth.

[Crab Nebula]

Frist probably thinks that no matter the outcome of the nuclear intra party battle, he can say to the fundy base, "I tried" and be on his way to the nomination with their loyalty.