Well, the Democratic Party damn well better fight Alito nomination

[MadHound]

I'm sick of watching the Dems cave on issue after issue. The IWR, funding for the IWR, the Patriot Act, the bankruptcy bill, nominations too long to enumerate, the prescription drug bill, all of this and more a significant(and usually a majority) number of Dems have rolled over on.

But with this judicial nomination, it is time to fight. With Alito's nomination we are presented with a clear and present danger to this country. Alito would pull the Court significantly to the left, and with a majority conservative court, virtually all of the progress made over the past fifty years would be rolled back.

I fully realize that the Democratic party is in the minority right now. However they have the power of the fillibuster, and they have the power of the bully pulpit. With a large majority of Americans now disgusted with Bushco, a message of opposition against this radical RW conservative nominee should resonate loudly with the majority of Americans.

There should indeed be a filibuster, and if the 'Pugs force the nuclear option, so be it, shut down the entire Congress then. It is time that a line was drawn, and that our so called leaders should be saying no further. And quite frankly, any Dem who crosses over should be made to pay, for it is high time we got rid of the quislings and DINOs in our party that betray not only the Democratic party, but our entire nation with their willing cooperation with Bushco.

So the ball is in their court. Call your reps and senators, let them know how you feel. And make it quite plain that you are expecting them to fight this outrageous nomination, and that there will be consequences if they don't.

If the Democratic caves on this very clearcut issue, why even bother calling them an opposition party? Better to label them with the truth, that they will be quislings and traitors.

[whatever4]

1. I think it's going to be interesting to see how hard they fight

if they fight together as a group at all. I'm afraid they'll fracture over this.

[MadHound]

3. So am I, that is why I'm posting this

Hopefully they have some staff member who is "keeping their finger on the pulse" of us rank and file. Perhaps they'll cruise by and see this and hopefully take appropriate action.

Sadly, the cynical side of me somehow seriously doubts it though. I've got a scary feeling that Alito will get the nod with hardly a whimper.

[whatever4]

8. "scary feeling that Alito will get the nod with hardly a whimper."

that worries me too.

I don't think it will fly. BUt, I didn't think a lot of the crap that has happened would fly. But it did. No way to tell.

[losdiablosgato]

15. Please read this

SEN. TED KENNEDY (D-MA): “You Have Obviously Had A Very Distinguished Record, And I Certainly Commend You For Long Service In The Public Interest. I Think It Is A Very Commendable Career And I Am Sure You Will Have A Successful One As A Judge.” (Sen. Ted Kennedy, Committee On The Judiciary, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 4/5/90)

SEN. FRANK LAUTENBERG (D-NJ): “I Believe Mr. Alito Has The Experience And The Skills To Be The Kind Of Judge The Public Deserves – One Who Is Impartial, Thoughtful, And Fair. I Urge The Senate To Confirm His Nomination.” (Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Congressional Record, 4/27/90, p. S5281)

FORMER SEN. BILL BRADLEY (D-NJ): “he Confirmation Of Sam Alito As U.S. Attorney For New Jersey Is Testimony To The Commitment He Has Shown And The Success Of His Efforts As A Law Enforcement Official. I Am Confident That He Will Continue To Do All He Can To Uphold The Laws Of This Nation With The Kind Of Determination And Vigor That Has Been His Trademark In The Past.” (Sen. Bill Bradley, Congressional Record, 12/8/87, p. S17427)

[Teaser]

2. Relax. They ain't caving on this.

I guarantee it.

[MadHound]

4. I wold like to be optimistic friend, I really would.

But time and again I've watched these so called liberals roll over in order to please their corporate masters and hence Bushco. I'm deeply cycnical over this nomination also. After all, if they rolled for a know torture advocate in the AG spot, what is another RW fundy on the Supreme Court?

Sorry for the doom and gloom, but my cynicism is rarely wrong, sad to say.

[seabeyond]

6. no you wouldnt. you have no desire to be optimistic from your op

bet if they dont fillibuster, throw fits on the senate floor, threaten to walk....... they have caved, by you definition. i bet you have left very little room for the democratic party to be successful here in your book.

[MadHound]

9. Excuse me, can you read minds?

If not, then quite frankly you don't know a damn thing about what I feel.

And gee, is it too much to ask for our leaders that they actually do their job and be a true opposition party?

You may be willing to give these people pass after pass, but frankly I think it is high time we held them accountable. Have you ever thought that if we had held them accountable over issues such as the IWR and the prescription drug bill we could very well not even be facing such an extreme nominee for the Supreme Court?

Actions have consequences friend, and it high time our so called leaders learned that lesson. I'm not asking for a win, for there is only a small chance of that. I'm just asking that the Dems fight the good fight and to go down swinging. And gee, you never know, they actually might be successful. You never know until you try.

[kurth]

13. NICE GUYS FINISH LAST

The Democrats in Congress have been acting like cowards in the last five years. They gave and gave, and look at what happened (Daschle, Cleland).

There is a key word in OPPOSITION Party that seems to elude people.

[seabeyond]

14. cant read minds, but can read words. including this post of

optimism

[MadHound]

16. LOL, nice try twisting words friend, but no dice

I stated that I would like to be optimistic, not that I was feeling optimistic. In fact, I've stated directly the opposite, that I was feeling quite cynical about the whole affair. But what ever, this little arguement over semantics is neither here nor there.

What is important is that our so called leaders are held, for once, accountable for their actions. It is more than high time that they started acting like an actual opposition party. But apparently, from what I've read here and elsewhere, you're more than happy to give them a pass, again and again and again. Gee, you're easy to please.

What good is it friend to be an opposition party if you don't actually oppose anything? What good is it to be an opposition party if you're going to support you opponents positions time and again? At what point do we the people say enough is enough and demand accountablity from our reps?

You obviously have a high tolerance for the quisling behaviour of these Dems. Why? Do you really expect the party to get anything without fighting for it? Do you honestly think that the Democratic party will pull in more votes if they act increasingly like 'Pugs? That theory has been tossed out the window time and again, or have you forgotten the last to election cycles.

Damnit, with Bushco's popularity in the toilet, and the American sheeple starting to wake up, don't you think that it is about time the Democrats actually fought? Or would you rather that we all rolled over once more and watch this country have its progressive ideals rolled back one hundred years? That is what is at stake with this nomination, plain and simple, and that is why it is absolutely vital that the Democratic party fight. That is, of course, unless you like the mores and morals of one hundred years ago.

[seabeyond]

17. i believe we are responsible ofr what we create

and i believe if you would like to be optimistic, there is reason you could be. and not being optimistic is what you have chosen. just what i believe. wink

[MadHound]

18. So, are you optimistic about this nomination?

Do you think that the Dems will actually fight it? Do you want them to? And will you hold them accountable when they don't?

Optimism is based on experience friend, and after the past decade or so, I have very little reason to be optimistic when it comes to the Democratic party. You may condemn it, but your condemnation is simply a straw man arguement that diverts attention from the real issue, ie that our leaders should indeed fight. Do you disagree with that premise? Are you willing to give them a pass yet again? Is anything they do OK with you, since it is all in the name of partisan politics?

[seabeyond]

19. since election 2004 i have heard many dems fighting

you say you do not hear it. which make me wonder.
yes i hold them accountable.
yes i do want a fight.
yes i expect a fight, without knowing, because it has only begun.
and yes, i will wait to see, instead of deciding and attacking now.
no i do not expect the dems to successfully fight off the vote.
i think there will be dems that support for a couple different reasons.
one of those reasons, i understand, though i may not agree with.
another of the reason, i simply dont agree with.
i will take that into account.
and i would like to see certain dems voted out and replaced with another dem.

and.... regardless of the outcome,....... i will point the finger at bush and all people that voted for bush, until election 2008.

[MadHound]

20. One can do both friend, they aren't mutually exclusive.

You can hold Bushco responsible for his atrocities and hold the Dems accountable for their lack of opposition. It isn't and either/or proposition friend, that is a strawman arguement that you were using in another thread on the issue.

And don't look upon this as an attack upon the Dems, merely a demand that they do their constitutionly mandated duty, which is to represent the will of their constituents. Is that too much to ask?

And on what grounds do you see the Dems giving the nod to Alito, and what grounds are acceptable to you and what aren't?

And it is nice to see that you're in favor of accountability, I was starting to wonder there.

Cheers

[mmonk]

5. It's my litmus test

If they don't go to the mat on this one, I will change my affiliation to "unaffiliated".

[seabeyond]

7. what is going to the mat. and this means, you will support repug

continuing to govern us. huge wow.

i need "your" definition of going to the mat. so i exactly know what it is going to take for you to vote dem, so we can throw these assholes out

[mmonk]

10. Not stopping this nomination

is supporting the republican party and it's absolute power grab, so IT WON'T MATTER if I'm affiliated or not. I will be SOLD OUT so no loyalty will be further required. Being unaffliated does not indicate I will ever vote for a republican (I never intend to). It means my money will stay in my pocket as far as overall party fundraising goes. I will contribute only to individual campaigns.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. "Go to the mat" is from wrestling, meaning "all out battle".

[zbdent]

12. Well, it is time to test the Repukes to see if they have an itchy

"nukular trigger finger" . . . now that they have shown that the White House will bow down to the Right-Wing extremists . . .