How the GOP filibustered the truth

A Top Ten guide, courtesy of Media Matters for America.

Published May 18, 2005 10:36PM (EDT)

In the weeks leading up to the showdown over the judicial filibuster, the GOP helped its supporters form their opinions on the issue with its easy-to-use (if often inaccurate) anti-filibuster talking points. Now that the debate has finally hit the Senate floor, Media Matters for America is countering the misinformation campaign with a handy primer of its own: a Top Ten list of lies conservatives has been spreading in an attempt to force confirmation of President Bush's controversial nominees to the bench.

Media Matters sets readers straight on such right-wing falsehoods as the suggestion that filibustering a judicial nominee is unconstitutional (it is not!), the claim that Democrats' blocking of Bush's nominees is unprecedented (wrong again!), and the idea that the term "nuclear option" was coined by Democrats (it was coined by Trent Lott!). Readers seeking a more complete breakdown of the issue of the day should look no further than Salon's own guide to everything you wanted to know about the "nuclear option."


By Page Rockwell

Page Rockwell is Salon's editorial project manager.

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