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March 03, 2005
Byrd Breaks Godwin's Law
Former Ku Klux Klan member Robert Byrd compared Senate Republicans to Nazis on Monday for trying to change rules about filibusters. Byrd is best known for his attempt to filibuster the Civil Rights Act in 1964.
The ADL is not happy with the former member of the KKK. Abe Foxman said, "It is hideous, outrageous and offensive for Senator Byrd to suggest that the Republican Party's tactics could in any way resemble those of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. The Senator shows a profound lack of understanding as to who Hitler was and what he and his regime represented. Senator Byrd must repudiate his remarks immediately and apologize to the American people for showing such disrespect for this country's democratic process."
If we apply Godwin's law to this situation it means the Republicans are automativally right about changing the filibuster rules. I think they are right to change the rules for other reasons. I think judges (and other nominees) should get an up or down vote from the full senate in a reasonable amount of time (say 120 or 150 days).
Captain Ed thinks that Byrd has to do much better than what he has said so far, "Put aside all of the historical inaccuracies that one has to swallow for that argument to work, such as the fact that the Enabling Law basically abdicated the Reichstag and made Hitler a dictator, and that the Brown Shirts had driven most of Hitler's political opponents out of the Reichstag by that time anyway. If we are to take Byrd's comments at face value, how can we not come to the conclusion that he sees the GOP as a malevolent threat on the order of Hitler? After all, if Republicans simply represent legitimate political opposition in Byrd's mind, then he would argue against their position based on the merits of the case. That's not what Byrd did. He deliberately and repeatedly mentioned Hitler and the Nazis to imply that as the end result we would face if the Republicans limited debate on judicial nominations."
Wizbang points out another major flaw with Byrd's Argument, "The problem with Byrd's argument (among many) is that while he wants to shroud the debate in terms of laws and the constitution what he's really fighting to save is Senate rules. Senate rules aren't laws - for the most part the only ones who give a shit when they are broken or changed is other Senators..."
Posted by Pete at March 3, 2005 05:19 PM
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