January 28, 2006

• In a speech on the Senate floor, Byrd, the longest-serving Democrat in the Senate, said he refused "simply to toe the party line when it comes to Supreme Court justices." Oddly enough, I've always thought that this was one of the strenghts of today's Republican elite: their commitment to party loyalty over their own principles or conscience. It's how they've managed to accomplish so much of their agenda. Ironic. "My considered judgment ... leads me to believe [Alito] to be an honorable man, a man who loves his country, loves his Constitution and a man who will give of his best," said Byrd, who faces re-election in November. "Can we really ask for more?" Yes! We can! Since when did having one's heart in the right place become the number one qualifier for public office?
• Alito is on record as admitting he will lie to get a job he wants. That should have disqualified him right there.
• It's a good thing his heart is in the right place, or we'd never be able to find that hard, atrophied, pea-sized little piece of shite when he dies. However, the autopsy will show that his gallbladder is the size of a watermelon. The man's got hellofa gall and big ballz to lie right to our face.
• When I voted for Nader in 2000, my apoplectic Democratic friends gave the Supreme Court issue as the number one reason why I was wrong to vote Green. To hear them tell it, the only thing standing in the way of Roe v. Wade's repeal were the Democrats. Well, Bush's first two appointees have been a Rehnquist devotee and a guy who makes Antonin Scalia look like William Kunstler, and the quisling Democrats have done nothing whatsoever. I glad Kerry's filibustering and all; it makes me feel better about voting for him in 2004 instead of Nader or Cobb. But without the rest of the Democratic Senators behind him, his effort is doomed to failure. Several senators have now said that they would either vote for Alito or, at most, vote "no" but refuse to support a filibuster. If all 45 senators showed the same level of party discipline that post-Contract With America Republicans do, they could sink the nomination. That, however, would involve some courage. From now on, when people tell me that I should change my party affiliation back to Democratic, I plan on laughing in their face. Sorry folks, but the Democrats aren't saving us from anything.
• Wow, that was pretty caustic. Sorry about that. I'm just really frustrated by all of this... the national party doesn't share any core values with its rank-and-file members, and it's incredibly sad.
• Well, since it looks like the Senate has the 60 votes to prevent/end fillibuster, this is more of a pseudo-macho move by Kerry. He can say "I wanted to fillibuster, but wasn't allowed to."
• polychrome - do you have a source for that? Would like to have something more official before I repeat it.
• Exactly what would it take roughly in money and logistics to start a new party?- I'm damn sick of the old ones.
• /off-topic Christ, I heard on some news station, yesterday or the day before, that Kerry is strongly considering a run in the next presidential election. That's a bad sign.
• I got to see Kerry at the University of Miami during the primary. He's much better in person than he comes across in the media.
• sulphatus - This CBS news link covers it. Alito basically said that he deliberately misrepresented his personal views in order to get a job.
• Thank you.
• I hope they do go ahead and try to filibuster, even if it is doomed to failure. Pragmatism is all well and good, but sometimes we need that charge of the light brigade.
• I just want it made perfectly clear that all questions about Blankets and Narcolepsy should be addressed to me. And yes, Hell yes, filibuster your ass off, John Kerry.
• 13 Senators on board at this point. Phone calls, emails and faxes are making a difference!
• This might have had a chance, but the at the time when organization was key, Kerry was on vacation overseas. Now it's too little, too late. This is a publicity stunt. It's useless.
• Government-type folks do have a habit of being on vacation when the monkey poo hits the fan, don't they?
• Alito is on record as admitting he will lie to get a job he wants. That should have disqualified him right there. Maybe it's not true, and he was just lying to get the job he wants.
• Judge Alito received the highest rating ("well qualified") from the American Bar Association - twice. He has served on an appellate court for 15 years. The Third Branch, by original design, is supposed to be free of politics. Attempts to block or fillibuster an experienced and qualified candidate are a political action, and not fulfillment of a constitutional duty.
• Power of Congress is at stake in vote on Alito
• dt118- so? No one has suggested that the guy is stupid. Given his record though, is this the sort of person who belongs at the highest tier of the third branch?
• dream on monkey boy
• 19 senators on board. Repubs do not have enough votes for cloture.
• MeFi thread.
• 22 senators voting against cloture.
• Cloture "Under the cloture rule (Rule XXII), the Senate may limit consideration of a pending matter to 30 additional hours, but only by vote of three-fifths of the full Senate, normally 60 votes."
• Thanks for linking that great thread, homonculus. I added a few comments of my own!
• So that went well...