Dumb, dumb, dumb move

Shame on the twelve no-show senators (REPUBLICANS Graham, DeWine, Grassley, Kyl, and Sessions and seven Democrats) for guaranteeing that several judicial nominees now won’t reach the floor before the election. Perhaps they concluded that since Judge Boyle has already been waiting 15 years to get his vote (i.e., since 1991 when he was first nominated for the 4th Circuit), he won’t mind waiting a bit longer. Given that the Republicans could lose Senate seats this November, the odds that the President’s best nominees to the Court of Appeals will be confirmed are now slim to none.

Here’s the transcript of yesterday’s aborted Judiciary Committee executive meeting.

Chairman Specter: “It’s 9:30. Will all the staffers of the absent senators please notify your principals to come to the mark-up. We have a very extensive agenda. Notice has been given that we’re going to focus on Mr. Smith and Judge Boyle this morning. Both have been voted out of committee in the past. … So will you please notify your principals to arrive and if we do not have a quorum by 9:45 we will adjourn.”

Chairman Specter: “[Gavel.] It’s 9:40. We have four senators here, all Republicans, would the staffers of absent senators notify their principals to please come to this judiciary executive session. If we do not have a quorum, as I said before, by 9:45 we’re going to adjourn.”

Chairman Specter: “It’s 9:45. We have six senators here. We do not have a quorum. Let me thank Senator Hatch, Senator Cornyn, Senator Coburn, Senator Brownback, and Senator Durbin for coming. The responsibility is heavily but really on the majority party to produce a quorum – the more senators that we have, there’s, people are very, our leadership and our caucus and the President are very anxious for us to report these nominees out. There’s no reason we couldn’t have reported out Mr. Smith today and moved ahead with Judge Boyle. … If people want to be on this committee, I’ve said this before, this is a highly prized committee, fascinating issues, lots of visibility, if people want to be on this committee, they ought to come, they ought to be on time. [Gavel.] We’re adjourned.”