That's easy, because the filibusters doesn't take time. This isn't a filibusters as seen in the old move, 'Mr. Smith goes to Washington,’ where no business is conducted because the floor is tied up. In this filibusters other business is conducted, except for those times about once a month when the Reps try to bring the matter to the floor for vote.
As for the Republicans being not as effective at
PR, the Republican spin machine is whirring at full speed. The Republicans were claiming (lying) that the Democratics were opposing the candidates because they are anti-Hispanic, anti-Catholic, anti-black and anti-women. They didn't mention that the same judicial candidates were opposed by Hispanic, black [black caucus, NAACP], women and religious groups. Nor did they mention that many other approved candidates were members of those groups.
The fact is that the Senate has a responsibility to review life-time judicial appointments. The Republican Senators want to rubber-stamp all Presidential nominees. A few of these nominees are extremists and should be blocked. These are positions some of these nominee have:
-don't believe that zoning laws are constitutional
-doesn't believe that states have a right to limit the amount of time a person (like doctors) can work during a week
-a person has no right of privacy in a doctor's office - it's ok to have a drug salesman in the room watching when a women is being privately examined.
- one, as a judge, tried to get a convicted cross burner out of jail.
-one nominee refused to answer questions about his professional past or his positions on matters. (I wouldn't hire someone that wouldn't answer that question, let alone give him a life-time job.)
The Democrats are the only ones living up to their constitutional responsibility. They have approved 168 of Bush's nominees and are blocking 4. That's 98% approval, so what are the Republicans complaining about? Bush should withdraw these 4 nominees and appoint others. That's what Clinton did when the Republican Senate blocked his nominees.
Time to wake up and smell the doo-doo folks.
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