Will The Gang of 14 Hold Together?And more important, how do
you write an article about judicial nominations speculating on a potential filibuster without interviewing a single member?
Democratic leaders said they certainly would filibuster one of the nominees, Terrence W. Boyle, and might filibuster the second, Brett Kavanaugh, if Republicans refuse to call him back for a second hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The partisan rhetoric was the strongest signal yet that the Senate might revisit the brinkmanship that brought the chamber to the edge of crisis a year ago, when a bipartisan group of 14 members crafted a temporary cease-fire.There's a lot of talk about Frist and Schumer, but not a quote from one of the members of the Gang of 14. The important ones in this regard
are the Democrats:
* Joseph I. Lieberman, Connecticut
* Robert C. Byrd, West Virginia
* E. Benjamin Nelson, Nebraska
* Mary Landrieu, Louisiana
* Daniel Inouye, Hawaii
* Mark Pryor, Arkansas
* Ken Salazar, Colorado
Byrd and Nelson are unlikely to support the filibuster as they are in tough reelection fights in states that are more conservative than they are. Lieberman of course has the opposite problem; he's under attack from his own party and may see this as an opportunity to tack left and regain some support from the base. Then again he may see that as hopeless.
