Rep. John Conyers, Jr., on Judicial Nominations, Partisanship and Preserving the Filibuster

Below is an excerpt from a guest editorial by Representative John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) that was written for BuzzFlash: ... this debate is over the nature of our democracy and respect for the independent federal judiciary. For 200 years, the Senate has used the filibuster to protect the rights of the minority in Congress and prevent intensely divisive legislation from passing. The filibuster ... protect[s] our democracy from being captured by one party or faction controlling all the branches of government, precisely the situation we have today. Thank you John Conyers. As always your words are impassioned, inspiring and truthful. What a breath of fresh air you are as a member of congress. With the administration's changes in longstanding consultative policies, the filibuster represents the final option in oversight by the legislative minority in the Senate. From the beginning, this administration closed the review process by eliminating pre-nomination review by the American Bar Association and consultation with the opposition party on appellate court nominations, as had been the policy of the Clinton administration. These decisions all but guaranteed controversy around certain nominations and politicized the process. Hello!!!! Can you read this King George? Can you understand this Senator Frisk? The truth is very telling isn't it. As you can see it is NOT the Democratic Minority that is politicizing the advise and consent section of the Constitution. Look in the mirror and you shall see exactly who the culprits in this whole mess are. Please enjoy the rest of Mr. Conyers editorial by visiting BuzzFlash.com