Alito takes victory lap around Capitol Hill

[kurth]

Alito takes victory lap around Capitol Hill
Bush renames candidate left out of May court deal
By CHARLES BABINGTON
Washington Post

WASHINGTON - On the verge of a second successful Supreme Court appointment, the White House flexed its judicial muscles Wednesday, sending Samuel Alito to the Capitol for an early victory lap and renaming a contentious appellate court nominee whom Democrats managed to block in past years.

Just hours after Senate debate opened on his nomination to the Supreme Court, Alito posed for photographs and congratulations with Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and other senior GOP senators. Although a Senate confirmation vote is not expected until Friday at the earliest, the group acted as if the result was not in doubt. Alito, an appellate judge for the past 15 years, thanked "all of the senators who supported me and were kind enough to meet with me."

Meanwhile, the White House renominated Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. President Bush nominated Kavanaugh, the White House staff secretary, in July 2003, but he fell victim to intense battles between Senate Democrats and Republicans over numerous judicial appointments. A May 2005 bipartisan pact averted a showdown over judicial filibusters and enabled some contested nominees to win confirmation. But it left Kavanaugh in limbo.

The Senate Judiciary Committee's eight Democrats complained last year that Kavanaugh took several months to answer their written questions about his qualifications. Other Democrats have noted that Kavanaugh, 40, has limited courtroom experience and helped independent counsel Kenneth Starr pursue the Monica Lewinsky case during the Clinton presidency...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/3613103.html

[KSLeftyMom]

1. Dems SO need to filibuster

Filibuster. Force the Nuclear option. Walk out of the State of the Union. Preferably while flipping Chimpy McCokeSpoon the collective bird.

[hang a left]

2. Well if that ain't in your face....

I hate these people!!!

[O.M.B.inOhio]

8. Yeah, it's a big "F**k You" before the Dems have even caved! nt

[ixion]

3. how they have any 'muscle' right now is mind-boggling

this admin should have it's back pinned to the mat, if there were any REAL opposition party. :grr:

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ugarte]

6. Agreed. As bad as Roberts was, one could hold out hope he might surprise

us with an independent streak now and then, but there will be no surprises from Alito. This guy is a creepy Catholic priest in a judicial robe. Only instead of molesting boys, he'll fuck over women. You can bet the house on it.

[ewagner]

5. IN. YOUR. FACE!

Dammit!

Why can't our Democratic Senators understand that there is no compromise with these people. They want us reduced to permanent minority status and totally destroyed, if at all possible and they will settle for nothing less.

From the republican standpoint, this isn't war, it's GENOCIDE! It's all about the extinction of the Democratic Party.

Stand up and fight DAMMIT!

[Lasher]

7. I didn't think recess appointees could be reappointed.

I thought that after a presidential recess appointment had expired, the appointee could not be reinstated by another recess appointment. Obviously I was wrong. I've got to be careful not to rely on logic too much.

The (somewhat) legitimate reason for recess appointments is to temporarily install judges until Congress gets back in session. Since Congress always reconvenes before any of these appointees' first terms have expired, a second appointment should never be permitted. Personally, I don't think the president should have any power at all to make recess appointments.

[seriousstan]

9. Who was reappointed?

[Lasher]

11. Check out the third paragraph of the original post in this string

Meanwhile, the White House renominated Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

[seriousstan]

13. RENOMINATED Brett Kavanaugh . Big difference.

He was never appointed during a recess, as was Bolton to the U.N.. He was one of the nominated judges that spawned the creation of the "gang of 14". His nomination was then retracted in the deal that was made for the other nominees.

[Lasher]

16. You're absolutely right

My bad.

[cally]

10. Why are Dems rolling over like this?

I just don't get it. :argh: Recommended. We all need to see this.

[ugarte]

12. Two very cynical reasons:

Many Dems (DLC) want the Party to appeal to conservative social voters and feel a filibuster would turn them off.

In a related sense, they think a rollback of Roe v. Wade would hurt Republicans far more than Democrats, and so would be good for the Party.

Lost in all their political calculations are the real-life effects on women and the US as a whole, and the traditional Democratic base. Needless to say, they take us for granted.

[VegasWolf]

14. Lost also in their calculations are lost progressive votes. This is a

very bad calculus they are engaged in.

[KansDem]

17. No, Dems are "keeping their powder dry" for the really, really,,,

...really, REALLY BIG ONE!!!*

You just wait and see!

________
*Alito was only the "really, really, really big one."

[cally]

19. Exactly...they are all idiots. Except Boxer....nt

[VegasWolf]

15. No filibuster no further votes from me. Looks like it's 3rd Party time

and after awhile maybe we'll have a 3rd party opposition to the republicans. We know now that the democrats are not the answer any more.

[ugarte]

20. I understand the feeling, On the other hand,

if there were half a dozen more Demo senators, we probably wouldn't be having this discussion. Or if a few thousand progressives hadn't voted for Nader in 2000.

But that's all pissing and moaning at this point.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

21. keep dreaming that third party stuff...

... as long as the GOP (and NSA) can do whatever they want with votes in elections, third parties will not gain traction. Our only hope is the Democratic Party to bring about the fall of the GOP.

PS: Political movements have to start at the grassroots level, they cannot be pontificated from the top.

[KansDem]

18. Didn't the Repubs do this one other time?

Didn't Bush go around Capital Hill giving and getting "high fives" during the Bush v. Gore debacle when it was still officially undecided?

Or was there another incidence? I recall the Repubs have a way of projecting the outcome of a contentious, unresolved issue to be in their favor by pretending they had won all along.

[xchrom]

22. repukes love to win.

and they will stretch the envelope beyond recognition to achieve their goals.

that's a heads up to those who think they won't over turn roe.