At James Dobson’s Democrats versus believers in God rally tonight, Sen. Frist had this passage in his speech …
Now if Senator Reid continues to obstruct the process, we will consider what opponents call the ânuclear option.â Only in the United States Senate could it be considered a devastating option to allow a vote. Most places call that democracy.
As you can see, Frist is pushing <$Ad$> the bogus argument that “nuclear option” is a phrase coined by Democrats whereas in fact, as he certainly knows, it is a phrase coined by Republicans.
In isolation, it doesn’t much matter whether we call this the ‘nuclear option’ or simply abolishing the filibuster. But it’s worth taking note of Frist’s knowing falsehood because it is quite evidently part of a larger RNC push over the course of the last week.
I’ve been made privy to the internal communications of a number of national news organizations at which there are now running arguments over whether to go along with the Republican claim that ‘nuclear option’ is a Democratic epithet or term of abuse which should be banned except in cases where Democrats are directly quoted using it.
So, as you’re reading the coverage in the coming days, watch to see which news outfits have fallen in line with the RNC-directives.
Late Update: Good Catch! Atrios finds two recent instances where Frist himself calls what they’re trying to do the ‘nuclear option’. And lest there be any question, the issue here is not so much what phrase we use to describe the abolition of the senate filibuster, it is to shine a bright light on members of the press, to see if they will accurately report that it is Republicans who are breaking precedent here, not the Democrats. Whether they fall in line on this ‘nuclear option’ mumbojumbo is just one element of the story.
