These are not reasonable people

I'm simply flabergasted that the Democrats are talking about compromise on the filibuster issue. So is Nick Johnson who explains his position in an article entitled, "Are Democrats making deals with the devil?" We need an opposition party that will hold fast - not one that repeatedly caves in.

Here's an excerpt:

What baffles me is why Democrats are attempting to reason with Republicans and make deals over this. These are not rational, reasonable human beings they're dealing with, so why try to make deals? Rick Santorum with his usual wisdom has already compared Democrats to Hitler, saying "It's the equivalent of Adolf Hitler in 1942." I'm not making this up.
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The filibuster is a desperately needed rule of Senate order. It forces the majority party to deal with the minority party's concerns, even (and especially) when they don't want to. It prevents the Senate from going too extreme in either political direction. Republicans have filibustered when they were the minority party, and in fact led the first-ever filibuster of a judicial nominee, that of Abe Fortas in 1968.

It's especially important with regard to judicial nominees. Judges are meant to be independent, without their own political agendas. Yet the Bush administration wants radical judges that their own people have criticized as right-wing activists. These are exactly the type of nominations that should be filibustered. Judges with clear political agendas, regardless of their party affiliation, should be blocked from the bench by the minority party if necessary. That's all that's happening here: exactly what should be happening.

Yet now the spineless Democrats are caving in to the Republicans, effectively agreeing to their rule breaking. It reminds me of junior high all over again, playing volleyball during PE; when one side is convinced that it isn't the other side's turn anymore because of some rule breach, but the other side doesn't believe there was a rule breach-- each side keeps grabbing the ball and serving, convinced that it is their serve. The Republicans are breaking the rules, and now the Democrats are there "negotiating" allowing them to do it. And you know if the roles were reversed, the Republicans would be crying "foul."

I keep giving money to the Democratic Party. And I keep being disappointed by their lack of spine.