LCCR Joins Hundreds in Nation’s Capitol to Denounce Frist’s Threat to Trigger Nuclear Option

Washington – Today Wade Henderson, Executive Director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the nation’s oldest, largest, and most diverse civil and human rights coalition joined Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid, as well as Senators Byrd, Boxer, Clinton, Kennedy, Leahy, Durbin, and Schumer and hundreds of Americans who are opposed to Republican leadership triggering the nuclear option at a MoveOn rally in Washington, DC.

Henderson told the lunchtime crowd, “This is an emergency situation because the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, Dr. Bill Frist, has threatened to use what is called ‘the nuclear option.’ That means he’s threatening to change the rules of the United States Senate. To cut off debate in our nation’s most important deliberative body. And to force party-line votes on nominations for the federal courts, and even the Supreme Court.”

“But that is just the beginning. In fact it is the beginning of the end. If Dr. Frist successfully invokes the so-called ‘nuclear option,’ this will set a dangerous precedent that has implications far beyond our nation’s courts. What’s to stop them from cutting off debate on other issues we all hold dear?”

“What’s to stop them from cutting off debate about their plan to privatize Social Security? What’s to stop them from cutting off debate about their plans to voucherize public education? What’s to stop them from cutting off debate about their plans to cut and gut Medicare, Medicaid, early childhood education, and so many other programs that making the difference between working families getting by or falling behind?”