Senator Kennedy's Speech on the Nuclear Option:

America has stood for fairness, opportunity and justice. Generation, after generation, our nation has been able, often with intense debates, to give greater meaning to these values in the lives of our citizens. But what we have seen in recent years is a breach of these values in order to reward the powerful at the expense of average Americans.

Those in power passed massive tax breaks for the wealthy and short-changed everyone else.

They granted sweetheart deals to Halliburton Corporation in Iraq while our troops went without armor.

They let the polluters write the pollution rules for our water and our air.

They let the oil industry write the energy policy in secret meetings in the White House.

Two weeks ago, over the opposition of every Democrat in the House and Senate, they forced through a federal budget that preserves corporate tax loopholes at the expense of college aid, and slashes Medicaid for poor mothers to pay for tax breaks for millionaires.

They twisted arms for three and a half hours in the dead of night on the floor of the House to pass a so-called Medicare reform that rewards HMOs and drug companies at the expense of senior citizens and the disabled.

They broke the ethics rules of the House of Representatives, then changed the rules to avoid investigation.

They want to break the promise of Social Security to our citizens by privatizing it, handing it over to Wall Street, and cutting benefits for middle-income Americans.

Now, Republican leaders want to break the Senate to get their way – this time with the nation’s courts.

Read the rest of Senator Kennedy's speech

Our Comments

Here are some of your comments making your case against the GOP's "nuclear option":

“We need judges who will preserve the rights of American citizens and make decisions based on laws, not on the political agenda of the president or any other elected official. We do not want judges who can be manipulated by the current GOP leadership.

Nor do we want to be manipulated. Stop making ads that attack those who oppose GOP nominees and start telling us about the qualifications of those nominees. Or, are you trying to hide the fact that they are not qualified?”

Joyce Powell, TX

"One of the strengths of our government is in its design—checks and balances. We all learned about it in civics class, or should have. The founders of our government knew that men would over reach their power if given the chance. They ingeniously designed a government to prevent that from happening … Long live the minority voice in the senate. And cheers to the foresight of our forefathers, so let’s protect their design."

Lisa Walker, IL

“I am an evangelical Christian who is sickened by the gross abuse of power by the Republicans in the Senate, many of whom are fueled by supposedly Christian groups. As a Christian I am constantly reminded of the fact that Jesus’ power was seen in the way he eschewed gathering power to himself, and chose instead to display his power towards service to the poor. I only hope and pray that those claiming to speak for God would follow what God says and does and be mindful of the weak and powerless.”

Bill Mefford, KY

“I am growing increasingly uncomfortable with the Republican bulldozer machine. Will it run over the entire government and leave nothing reasonable standing – permanently altering the landscape? Can we stop this?”

Selina Strong


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