That Juan Williams, always trying to ruin Republan nonsense.              Hey Republans, you had it your way, you LOST because of it. Win back the Congress and do it your way..until then, SHUT UP and QUIT CRYING...talk about sissies.

And to Sen Brady, we've sent enough signals to the rest of the world that they don't listen any longer. Thank You Pres. Cheney

Now if the Congress can manage to revisit all the other trade agreements that violate labor standards and environmental protections...

So Lott coined the term. That does not disprove Sammons' point. Did not Democrats (and Republicans) refer to that rule by that euphamism back in 2005.  Democrats and liberal pundits were howling at the notion of changing the rules at that time and yet here they are changing the rules in the middle of the game for purely short term political payback to their union supporters.

Just like the term "liberal", I think it was coined by some evil Republican, but falsely attributed to Democrats.  Darnit.

;) 

coined by evil republicans? nah, re-invented by Republicans...that's about right.

Hmm. Beyond the politics of this, don't you think that U.S. jobs are disappearing even faster as a result of these trade policies? Ross Perot was right on NAFTA.

Not only NAFTA, but jobs are going overseas where there are no unions, lower environmental constraints, cheaper employment, and lower taxes.  Publicly traded companies function for profit, not for the better of society.

That may be true but this is a democracy and we can put democratic restraints on business. Profits are not religious dogma. If the pursuit of them is harming society we certainly can do something about that.

Of course we can, and we should.  I say tax hikes (double, perhaps?) for all American businesses who shipped American jobs overseas.  Tax breaks for American companies who keep American jobs in the U.S.

It might seem elementary, but it makes sense to me. 

I would also deny any government contracts to such companies. If they are willing to screw the taxpayer for higher profits they shouldnt expect the taxpayer to give them any business.

Another excellent idea.  :)

You're an idiot, columbus. (How's the weather in St. Louis this time of year, Billie? Welcome back dipstick)

The economy is common property. People comprise it and sustain it. People make it go. And as such we the people, not some damned handful of candy a** cut and run CEO's, get to have a say in how markets ought to function.

Yeah, but you don't suddenly tuirn around and make it look like a democratic idea!  I remember at the time thinking "if the democrats were trying to do this, the republican's would be creaming bloody murder about it!"  And now they want to confuese people and make it LOOK like it was the Dem's who inverted the tactic and tried to change the rules.

Republican's are unprincipled hypocrites.  PRINCIPLES mus apply even when they are inconvenient for you.  That's why you don't try to accumulate power that you would not grant your enemy and why you don't put limitaion on "them" that you wouldn't accept being put on yourself.  But they don't understand that becasue (1) THEY HAVE NO PRINCIPALS and (2) They drank the Rovian Kool-Aid that mead them think they'd be in power forever.

So yes, it's important when their own dirty tricks suddenly get attributed to Democrats.

GOOD CALL MMFA!!!

"I call it more like the 'nuclear option,' because that's what the Democrats called the Republican threat to change the rules back when they were trying to get judges through."

Are you REALLY this dense?  For Sammon's statement to be accurate, it would had to have read "...because that's what the REPUBLICANS called the Republican threat to change the rules..."

Sammons was using misinformation to make his point. It was a term coined by a Republican so calling it what the Democrats...is misinformation if he has a point he can make it without misinformation. Also I dont think it equivelent to talk about changing a rule like the 60 day rule with the long history of the filibuster in the Senate. Then there is your baseless assertion this is done to curry favor with Union supporters when people of MANY striped not in unions are dissatisfied with the current Trade policies. I disagree it is a long term loser for short term political gain. I think it is a long term good idea to demand labor and environmental protections in trade agreements not just for Americans but also for those IN those countries.

CORRECTION:

Bill Sammon did not say that the Demorcats "coined" the term  He only stated that they used the term.

"The nuclear option is off the table," Democratic Whip Richard J. Durbin (Ill.) said on the Senate floor, moments after the negotiators announced their deal at a crowded news conference.

- I posted this before I saw the AA and Tommy posts -

Looks like we all made the same point - put I must give them credit for being first

Exactly.

No one said anything here about the Dems "coining" anything. They've used the term. No MIS-information here....Me thinks MMFA leapt before looking.

No, not exactly. 

MMFA's accusation is attribution.  When Sammon gives credit to Democrats for using the term, but does not give credit to Republicans and the conservative media, he is making a false attribution.  

BOB NOVAK: The unprecedented Democratic blockage of 16 Bush appellate choices has led Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to attempt a maneuver that, in effect, confirms a judge by a simple majority vote of 51 rather than the 60 needed to break a filibuster -- unfortunately first self-described by Republicans as the "nuclear option." 

JOE SCARBOROUGH:  "With us now to talk about the president's brinkmanship strategy on judges and whether it's going to lead to what the Republicans are calling the nuclear option are Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner, who serves on the Judiciary Committee and House -- and Republican strategist Jack Burkman."

CHRIS WALLACE: Well, let me ask you about one of them, because some Republicans are talking about what they call the nuclear option, and that would be a ruling that the filibuster of executive nominees is unconstitutional, which would require not 60 or 67 votes but only a simple majority of 51.

NORMAN ORNSTEIN: Senate Republicans have one weapon -- what Majority Leader Bill Frist and his colleagues have called the 'nuclear option,' because it would blow up the current rules requiring a 60-vote 'supermajority' to end a filibuster.

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER: My strategy is to use every ounce of my energy to try to confirm President Bush's judges without going to the so-called "constitutional" or "nuclear option."

-------- 

WOAH!  WAIT A MINUTE!  This term doesn't poll well!  We have to shift gears and fast!  Heck, it will give us something to blame on the Democrats if we do it right, and the lapdog media will only be happy to help us...

GWEN IFILL: Does Sen. Frist have the votes in order to force this nuclear option?

Sen. JOHN KYL: Well, I'm not going to characterize it as a nuclear option. That's what the opponent....

GWEN IFILL: Or a constitutional option. Whatever term we're using today.

[...]

SEN. JOHN CORNYN: What we are suggesting is not a nuclear option. What we are suggesting is perhaps a constitutional option.

 

Nice.  It also highlights another fun bit of Republican lying as whenever they threatened the "nuclear option" they tried to claim that the blocking of some of Bush's appointments was unprecedented and certainly there had never been a filibuster on a judicial appointment before.  Quite an odd thing to try to repeatedly assert coming off of 6-8 years of Republican blockages of Clinton appointees including the use of the filibuster.

This is disturbing, because it fits in with the false frame that the media consistently presents. We all know that republicans are warmongerers and pray that the "nuclear option" may some day literally come true, yet the media outlets seek to conceal this wish by attributing the term to peace-loving democrats.

On a lighter note, I just got to a computer so didn't look over all the articles, but is there one on Oreilly raving about MMFA lastnight??

I call the Republicans warmongers because Thompsteve calls them that.

If you suggest a topic and they post it, we'll let you be an honorary MMFA commie .

I just suggested the Oreilly topic, because MMFA often overlooks his comments

Speaking of which, Worrierking, I know you don't have the special training required to monitor the EIB network, but I did some recon on my way to lunch. They're on to us, Comrade! Operation CFL is uncovered.Dittoheads are stocking up on incandescent bulbs to thwart our nefarious plan; Socialism through light bulbs!

Damn them!

First they screwed up our water fluoridation plan to conquer the world and now this.

They don't know about the recycling plan yet, do they?

Even I don't know about the recycling plan yet.

I haven't activated your chip, King. Patience.

But the dittohead caller (to Rush's nutty substitute, Jason Lewis?) is even on to the bureacracy angle-- he knows that any broken CFL will require a call to 911 and a visit from HazMat. Curse those dittoheads, they're too clever!!

Next they will be corrupting the purity of our bodily fluids

you may be on to something, General Ripper

Neo-con-taminated

You've really dropped the ball on this MMFA.

"Nonetheless, labor does not want this deal, and there's criticism of the way labor unions and their leaders are treated in Colombia."

Mass murders of union organizers condoned by the Colombian government is merely poor treatment? Screw you Brit and screw the congressional Dem who have delayed he vote so they can garner more support for this evil trade deal. This delay isn't about terminating this deal, it's about making it bulletproof.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iitBrfgAuvPkq5olQx0sYf8JbPWAD8VTA4HO0

Oh, please, Democrats.  Stop the whining.  It doesn't matter who coined the phrase.  It means to employ a tactic to utterly defeat the opposition, and that's what the current Democrat party members of the House are considering.

Speaking of the nuclear option, just wait till Hillary, Bill, and the delegates at large go into action against Obama.  Speaking as a life long Republican it'll be such fun to watch.

Semper Fidelis!

Viva Castro ?

Are you "always faithful" to the Republican Party even though Goldwater said about the current leadership "I told them that they should back off on their attacks on Hillary Clinton. (this was in 1994) "They're acting like jerks too, not conservatives. If they don't, I'm going to blast them. They're driving decent people out of public service. And they're turning off voters. It's dirty politics, and it should end."

Are or you "always faithful" to the Constitution and upholding it against all enemies, foreign and domestic?

Oh please, you are so ignorant. Anyone too stupid to know the name of the largest political party in the US ought not come in here parading their stupidity and embarass themselves as you do. The nuclear option was about the FILIBUSTER not about ANY rule change at ANY time and the republicans coined the term. We understand you have a vested interest in appologizing for such disinformation you wingnuts could NEVER sell your stupid agenda without disinformation.