Editorial: Reid is right on ‘radicals’

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 | 9 a.m.

Republican senators are fuming that only 95 percent of President Bush's first-term judicial nominees were confirmed. Democrats, through filibusters, blocked 10 nominees while voting to confirm 204. But Republicans, who control both houses of Congress and the White House, want it all. Nothing less than total capitulation by the Democrats will do. They are so emboldened that they are willing to unite church and state, and head into a showdown with Democrats that threatens to send other Senate legislation into gridlock.

The dangerous path Senate Republicans are choosing was demonstrated by Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, who this week participated in "Justice Sunday." He sent videotaped remarks to a rally organized by Christian conservative groups. The rally was held in a large Baptist church in Louisville, Ky., and attended by 2,000 people. The New York Times quoted organizers as saying it was broadcast to several hundred churches by satellite and to millions of people through Christian radio and television stations, as well as the Internet.

Of the 10 judicial nominees blocked by Democrats, President Bush has resubmitted the names of seven. It's for these seven nominees that Frist and other Senate Republicans have aligned themselves with Christian conservatives. They have encouraged the notion that Democrats are blocking the nominations because they are opposed to "people of faith." Actually, religion is not playing a role. The Democrats fear that the nominees will bring their far-right personal views on social issues to the bench. As the Republicans outnumber Democrats 55 to 44 in the Senate (there is one Independent), the time-honored filibuster is the only weapon available to Democrats -- a weapon that has been effectively wielded many times in the past by Republicans.

If the Republicans continue on this dangerous path, Senate Democrats say they will use their power to slow legislative work to a crawl. However unfortunate, we don't blame them. We believe Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, the Democrats' Minority Leader, is correct in saying the whole issue is the fault of "radical Republicans." Radical in the sense that they want a major change, away from two-party representation and toward authoritarian, one-party rule.