In Regard to tears....I am my husband's wife.

[ScreamingMeemie]

If he knew I was posting this he would be angry...or at least really mad. 10 years ago, a few months before we were married, we were up North in one of those podunk Twilight Zone sort of towns for his grandmother's funeral. His whole family was there and all met up at a bar a 1/4 mile from the hotel we were all staying at. On the way back from the bar, my husband was approached by a policeman as we got out of the car, who proceeded to arrest him, take him away, charge him with drunk driving and keep him in the tank all night. (for those of you lurking from "other" sites, at the time he was a die hard Republican idealist, so you can can your lousy librul lush talk). When I went to pick him up the next morning, and saw the way they were treating him...and me, I wanted to cry. When we sat in the courthouse and they charged him, I DID cry...Months later, at his trial (why did I feel he was railroaded? Because there were 74 other drunk driving cases against out of towners that very same day...) as I watched them speak about him and to him as a lowlife (this is a highly paid, highly skilled man we're talking about) I tried not to cry. But, I did. When they called him a "man with a serious abuse problem (for two beers?) I sobbed. I cried the rest of his trial and all the way home...

Ask me why. Because he is my husband, I love him, and I'd take a bullet for him if one were aimed. I would have gladly stood there in his place. But please don't hurt my baby is my thought. Whether I disagree with Mr. Alito or not,whether or not I think his wife was faking it, I'm not going to gun for her, because that would make me them. It would also make me a fucking hypocrite.

We've got bigger fish to fry...like the man himself. Write your media people. Tell them to start focusing on the real issue of the hearings. That's what I'm doing tonight. Join me.

Thanks for reading.

[Straight Shooter]

1. Apples and oranges.

You can bet that this evening Mrs. Alito is cursing and trashmouthing all the Dems with as much viciousness as she can muster from the depths of her dark, shallow soul.

I will bet you would not have cried if your husband were being fairly interrogated as the process has been done to numerous nominees.

She was out of line, period, drawing attention to herself like some 16-year-old jilted drama queen.

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. Mrs Alito is not her husband's wife? She shouldn't feel badly

watching him be grilled. You can bet your ass it would be emotional for me to watch my husband be fairly interrogated. Please don't decide for me how I would react. Thank You. And, I repeat, we have much, MUCH bigger fish to fry than stooping to their level. '''


*That's the first time I ever saw an apple with a navel. Sorry.

[Straight Shooter]

7. She crumbled as if she did not know what was going to happen.

She's been enjoying mightily the fruits of his labors and bigotry and god knows what else all these years. Someone -- a Republican -- asks a question that must be asked and she falls apart.

You know what they say about the heat in the kitchen.

[babylonsister]

3. Mrs. Grumpy, all I can do is

:hug:
Thank you.

[Texasgal]

4. Mrs grumpy

THANK YOU!

GOODNESS, THANK YOU for saying what you did, this Mrs. Alito bullshit is bullshit and sexist to boot~!

Thank you for your calm influence, you are AWESOME! :hug:

[lumpy]

115. I agree, Mrs. Grumpy

Mrs. Alito was overtaken by emotion. Her chest was heaving as though experiencing an anxiety attack before the tears came. I can emagine it must be hard to sit still for 2 days listening to what boils down to an inquisition. Ridiculous to think that this was a planned dramatic act. It is painful for all of us, after all. What she did was not wrong and she should not be pilloried for feeling her personal emotion. This should not have been played up on the 'news', nor should we make scornful remarks about the woman. It is simply hateful.

[Skip Intro]

5. Racism is more than a bad habit if you're interviewing to represent all

of the people of this country.

I understand you sympathize with her because you have been in what seems to be a similar situation. But in fact, its not the same at all.

If Alito freely and deeply associated himself with an organization that believes some in this nation have more rights, or are more deserving, inately, than others in this nation - he's needs to be grilled about that by those we've put there to do just that. Its their job. This isn't a drive home from a bar.

[SharonRB]

8. It's not that he shouldn't be grilled...

I didn't have a problem with that. But if his wife gets emotional, that's her business, even if it is on the public stage. Sometimes we can't help our emotions. No one should criticize her for that.

[Skip Intro]

15. I see. You presume her sincerity. I see photo op.

and all I can see at this very moment, when I try to picture her welling up, is rummy waving his hands like he's casting a spell.

I see deciet from a force that deals in it.

Images.

Her crying, right on cue with the repuke "outrage" at hard questions, well, I just didn't buy it. There's so much to cry for in this nation that its hard for me to feel the least bit moved emotionally by a little sadness suffered by one of his appointees.

I see what you're saying about if she's crying from love of her husband its different, but I just don't have any benefit of the doubt left for any republican. I think it was as much bs as everything ever presented by this admin.

[SharonRB]

16. I have no reason to believe she faked her crying

Her emotions were probably all pent up and when Hatch defended her husband, everything just let go. I'd give her the benefit of the doubt on this.

[Virginian]

48. She didn't cry at the bad stuff, just when someone said something nice.

I think the kind words softened her resolve.

The whole thing is tense. Leave her alone and just concentrate on the matter at hand. Don't let these guys distract you from the real issue here. These are the hearings to change the future of the Supreme Court. She has no influence, she has no vote, she won't be taking the position. It is not about her.

I don't love her, I don't hate her. Until she was pointed out as his wife, I thought she was his sister. To me, they look alike.

She is someone's mother. Would you want anyone picking on your mother like that?

[rocktivity]

121. DING DING DING! Virginian, you're our grand prize winner!

She didn't cry at the bad stuff, just when someone said something nice.
And that someone was on HER side. If she'd cried when the Democrat was grilling her husband (Kennedy didn't use the word "bigot," did he?), her emtionalism would have at least been in the proper context.

I believe that Mrs. Grumpy cried because she felt her husband's pain. I believe that Mrs. Alito cried because she felt her husband's self-pity.

:headbang:
rocknation

[bobbieinok]

133. and RW was all ready for commentators and interviewees right after

it happened?????????????

[mediaman007]

17. I agree completely...She's a substitute teacher! I'm sure she's had a lot

of worse stuff to deal with.

[SharonRB]

6. Thanks for sharing, Mrs. G

I think way too much time has been spent trashing Mrs. Alito on DU today. Her tears aren't, and shouldn't be, the issue. So what if she got emotional and had to leave the room?

You are not alone in your story. My hubby also spent a night in jail once for a DUI. He was pretty plastered, though, way more than two beers, and was alone. Unlike you, however, I was really pissed when I got the call in the middle of the night. I was already angy and worried at the same time because I had no idea where he was and at the time he used to drink too much too often (he doesn't anymore). He got an attorney and wound up going to mandatory classes and getting it wiped off his record once it was all over. The law has changed since that time, and I think he would be in a lot more trouble were the same thing to happen today.

He was pissed at me for not getting out of bed and driving to Dearborn to bail him out. I thought he deserved to be there. It was really hard going to work the next day -- I was still so angry. It was so long ago, I barely remember all of the details, but he got out in the morning.

The circumstances were so much different than what it sounds like your situation was, but I wanted to let you know you're not alone with what happened. (He'd kill me for posting, too. If we get together, not a word from either of us.)

[ScreamingMeemie]

27. If he had been plastered, I may have been pissed. Thanks for sharing

that. It's safe with me. :hug:

You are a remarkable woman Sharon...and the love that your husband has for you is very apparent.

[fishnfla]

9. I agree with apples and oranges Laura

These people are not like ordinary folks. This is the last job interview he'll ever have. The best health care in the world. Power beyond belief. Set for life.

The rest of us have to worry about roadblocks, health bills, and paycheck to paycheck.

Really, what does she have to cry about?

[ScreamingMeemie]

22. Whether I were rich or poor, powerful or weak...I'd have to say, it

would hurt to see my husband grilled like that on some level. I'm not saying that it's wrong for the media to run with it, I'm just saying it's wrong for me to stoop to the level of those we despise.

[ProfessorGAC]

91. All He Had To Do Was Decline The Nomination

If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.
The Professor

[0007]

98. Argh! Goddamn it, this isn't the twilight zone.

You're analogy is indeed a poor one. I see no affinity.

[ScreamingMeemie]

124. My analogy is that of a wife...the rest of it really means nothing. It's

filler. You are being extremely obtuse. But I think you already know that...trying to draw bricks on the glass walls of your home.

[0007]

126. In your dreams!

[ScreamingMeemie]

127. 0007 when you have something of substance to say, instead of

continually putting down people you may disagree with, perhaps we can debate, but saying "In your dreams!" means virtually nothing and just proves the sheer anger you have against those who disagree with you.

[0007]

129. If it means nothing to you, then just give it a pass, is that hard

to do?

[RebelOne]

10. Great post. I hope others will feel some compassion for Mrs. Alito.

[acmejack]

11. I loved your story, but Her exit was a performance!

rehearsed no doubt with Lindsey & Ed beforehand. I agree though, as fun as it may be to snark the unfrornate spouse of borkalitto, there are bigger doings afoot.

[eve_was_framed]

21. that was my impression too

[lumpy]

116. I have one more thing to say:

Believing Mrs. Alito's was putting on an act is pure unadulterated bullshit! The woman is not a hard boiled scheming politician whoring for her husband. Maybe you have to be a woman to understand empathy.

[Bjornsdotter]

12. I might have had some

...sympathy for Mrs Alito, if I didn't spend hours watching her smirk behind her husband for the last 3 days.

Although I do agree the media should focus on the real issues regarding the hearing, but they won't. They have rarely focused on the important issues since * was campaigning for the 2000 election.

Cheers!

[ScreamingMeemie]

23. I'm not asking you to have sympathy. I'm asking you to look at the

bigger picture. The man...not his wife, who loves him...no matter how big a creep we may think he is.

[Bjornsdotter]

35. Sorry, I just can't go there

...I watched her smirk about horrible things (the strip search of a 10-year old girl), I get the impression that she is as big a creep as he is.

I understand that she loves him (benefit of the doubt), but from what I've seen of her, she doesn't come off any better than he does. I also wondered if she's a woman who cries often....I only say that because her daughter(?) didn't seem overly concerned.

Cheers!

[ScreamingMeemie]

36. I guess then we can be thankful that she isn't nominated and get

back to the real business at hand. :) That's all I'm looking for.

[Bjornsdotter]

41. Agreed

I think waaay too much time has been spent on this....especially on the MSM.

Cheers!


It would help if I could spell!

Time to go to bed...LOL 2 spelling errors!

[meganmonkey]

13. Thanks for posting this

Let's just say this is the first thread about this topic that I have been able to post on. Wasn't in the mood to get my messages deleted today.

:thumbsup:

[SharonRB]

14. Me, too, Megan

:hi:

Way too much energy has gone into dissing Mrs. A around here today, from what I can see. I didn't even bother going into the other threads.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

30. Hi Sharon,

If you think those threads were distasteful than I really could've used your support posting in mine LOL :)


Seriously? That was the first thread I ever posted that by the end of the night fully regretted. I couldn't have imagined it was going to generate 200+ replies so quickly.

In spirit though, I had meant well...

[SharonRB]

84. Sorry I didn't see it

As soon as I saw anything about Mrs. A crying, I avoided the thread. This one didn't start out that way, plus when I saw MrsG had started it, I had to look. I'm glad I did. There are some voices of reason around here. Everything doesn't have to be a big Republican conspiracy sometimes. She's just a woman who happens to be married to someone nominated for the SCOTUS. She didn't choose to be in this position. She's allowed to get emotional and to think it's staged is ridiculous.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

125. I agree completely . The link to the one I referenced is below

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x111323

[ScreamingMeemie]

32. Some days I just shake my head...a lot.

:hi:

[carolinalady]

18. Hear hear Mrs. G.

I was pretty upset with the way people here have painted her since the beginning of the hearings. Being a judge's wife is not the same as a politician's wife. He has been on the federal court for years. She is not hardened to the kind of intense character assasination she witnessed today. Most cases a judge hears never even makes the papers. I certainly do not agree with his politics from what I have read so far, but I will not criticize the wife or make false assumptions about her politics. My husband and I often disagree on politics. He is Republican. The only reason I got him to vote for Kerry was because I had him convinced that Shrub may reinstitute the draft and we have 2 teenage boys. Thanks for your post.

[boobooday]

19. I think the stakes are very different

Your husband WAS in danger.

Alito is not. He is up for a lifetime appointment in a very prestigious job.

I cry very easily, when I'm happy, or sad, or whatever -- in fact, the other day I cried at a video of a woman dancing with her dog. And I do believe her tears may have been genuine. I'm sure it is a stressful process.

But given the fact that these are very comfortable people, who have risen quite far based on their association with racists and misogynists, and the fact that Alito supports the heinous, murderous actions of the BushCo, I'm having a hard time feeling bad for her. I don't even think they were that hard on him.

[ScreamingMeemie]

24. But...he IS her husband, as MrG is mine. No matter the situation, the

tense atmosphere is going to be the same...the want to come to aid is going to be the same. I'm not asking you to feel bad, I'm asking you to look at the bigger picture. This is a minute thing we're all getting caught up in again. Write the media and tell them not to play it up.

[bigwillq]

20. I appreciate you sharing this post.

:hug: :pals:

I do agree we have bigger fish to fry and I for one did not take part in the Mrs. Alito bashing (although in one thread I had to take a stand against her over some clown with like 40 posts who said that they (he, she, don't know) wasn't AGAINST Alito's nomination).

However, I still do not feel bad for Mrs. Alito.

[ScreamingMeemie]

26. Thanks bigwill...

...I only can put myself in the position of a wife wanting to come to the aid of her husband is all. :hug:

[Ilsa]

25. Thanks. Great post.

I just don't care about Mrs. Scalito! Yes, we have much bigger fish to fry than whether she was faking it. Let's not get distracted by bullshit.

[Eric J in MN]

28. The issue isn't the sincerity of Mrs. Alito.

The issue is the people who will be hurt if Mr. Alito is elevated to the Supreme Court.

As the blogger Atrios wrote:

I appreciate that Alito’s wife may genuinely find this stressful and bummer for her, but I just can’t stand the fact that our media which can’t seem to understand that people…who rule in favor of warrantless searches of 10 year old girls, who will likely declare the uterus state property, who shoot down almost any racial discrimination claim, and who support the practice of striking jurors based on their race might cause a few tears as well.

[proud patriot]

29. I'm an emotional person

I get it from my grandpa's side of the family
so I'm told .

I have little sympathy for tears simply because
I cry at the drop of a hat . For Joy , or pride in
my son's achievements you name and I'll cry about it .

:shrug:

[Critters2]

109. Me too!!

Honestly. The day my dog passed her canine good citizen test (after three tries), I quickly excued myself to the rest room...and quietly cried for a couple of minutes. In my defense, it was just a couple of weeks after my dog had gotten into some otc meds and very nearly died. That she was now well enough to accomplish this was completely overwhelming for me. I'd cried "like a little girl".

Imagine the blubbering mess I'd be if my spouse were nominated to SCOTUS!!

Some of us cry. It's what we do. Hardly worth being taken apart on DU.

:cry:

[Critters2]

110. Me too!

Honestly. The day my dog passed her canine good citizen test (after three tries), I quickly excused myself to the rest room...and quietly cried for a couple of minutes. In my defense, it was just a couple of weeks after my dog had gotten into some otc meds and very nearly died. That she was now well enough to accomplish this was completely overwhelming for me. I'd cried "like a little girl".

Imagine the blubbering mess I'd be if my spouse were nominated to SCOTUS!!

Some of us cry. It's what we do. Hardly worth being taken apart on DU.

:cry:

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

31. I guess I've just become a jaded cynic over the past 5 years of W

There are just so many examples of how they used 9/11 to justify their agenda. Hell, the whole cowboy/Xtian image was contrived before 2000, so it's even longer than 5 years.

I guess I've lost all sense of trust with this crowd.

But, in your case, I'm sure you are sincere when speaking about personal experience.

[WilliamPitt]

33. Nominated

Of allthe things this board could be focusing on, his wife's tears seem a little odd. I guess some people see weakness and go for the jugular. Oh, and its easy to be cruel when you're anonymous.

If people need focus, they can try this:

http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2005/11/alito_and_cap.html

Read the whole thing.

Thanks, MrsGrumpy.

[NYCGirl]

34. K&R. Thank you, MrsG.

:yourock:

[SmokingJacket]

37. She shouldn't have been there.

She should have been home sobbing her heart out in front of the TV.

The only reason to have the woman there is to "humanize" Alito. Bullshit. He should have to humanize himself.

[ScreamingMeemie]

38. Are you saying I shouldn't have been there then? Are you saying

that women cannot support their husband's? Or husbands their wives? Come on.

[Raster]

40. It's not about you. It's about her.

[ScreamingMeemie]

44. What about her? Is she going to sit on the bench? This has been

taken way too far. We are painting ourselves as hypocrites.

[B Calm]

81. Will she cry for us when her husband railroads over our rights?

[SammyWinstonJack]

100. Yeah crocodile tears, BIG ones!

:rofl: How dare those mean Democrats say such cruel things about her hubby! :rofl: As she sits behind him and in front of the camera, smirks her ass off. It's all a Rove Production and I couldn't care less how much she loves her husband or how much she has to endure the questions from the mean old Democrats. The "liberal media" is defending her, just this morning on CNN, Candy Crowley did hit piece on other political wives and how they have responded to attacks on their husbands. Had to showcase where Teresa Heinz Kerry told a reporter to "shove it". Nice! :grr:

[SmokingJacket]

45. At a job interview?

No, I would not attend my husband's job interview. It's about his ability to do the job, not about our marriage.

I don't think a justice's family has anything to do with how he will do his job, and I think it's a distraction to the people asking him the questions.

Hey, if it were my husband, I'd be freaking too. Not the point.

[ScreamingMeemie]

46. It is the point when we are making a HUGE deal of it. It is standard

procedure for wives/husbands to attend the hearings of nominated judges, cabinet members etc. I watched that part of the hearing and I wasn't distracted by it. The news made a deal of it, as is DU. It is the point.

[SmokingJacket]

52. Well I agree too much is being made of it.

But my point was that it shouldn't have been allowed to have happened -- the family is there for show and that's wrong.

Here's a humpday beer for you: :beer:

[Raster]

55. Couldn't agree more. kkkarl rove tactic number 8. Spousal sympathy card

the whole affair smacks of cheap theatrics on a national level with a televised audience. If the racist, sexist bigot scores a seat on the bench, I'm sure she'll want to shed a tear for the first woman murdered in a back-alley abortion. Maybe not. Exit stage left.

[NYCGirl]

56. But what does this have to do with whether Alito will be confirmed?

If Mrs. Alito's lack of restraint gets her husband confirmed out of some kind of sympathy vote (or the press beating up on the Democrats), then those people voting to confirm DON'T DESERVE to be elected officials. This is not the People's Choice Awards.

[Raster]

57. couldn't agree more on both counts. unfortunately...

[Raster]

39. While I can appreciate your spousal empathies, with all due respect, your

tears for your husband are nothing compared to this woman's "cry me a river" routine. Your husband wasn't in a position to threaten the lives and freedoms of millions of women. alito is. If she can't handle the heat of the committee meeting room, she should go back to the kitchen and leave the theatrics at home.

[ScreamingMeemie]

43. How do you know? And why should we care?

This is my point. She probably does care deeply for her husband. The fact is, her husband is the one in the hot seat. WRITE to your media outlets if you can...instead of trashing someone totally uninvolved in the process. We are no better than those we say are uncouth, cruel and heartless when we do this.

[Raster]

49. whatever.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x115256

http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/2006_01_08_firedoglake_archive.html#113703673459282011

[ScreamingMeemie]

50. unfortunately, I've already read that...

[The Straight Story]

68. Her spouse was in a hearing

She shows up to give him strength (team work), I don't see a thing wrong with it. Is this the first ever time a spouse or family has shown up for this sort of thing? If so, you may well have a point - otherwise we are just finding things to bitch about other than the candidate for the job.

If you think the dems are spineless enough to let it affect their vote, then vote em out of office and replace them with someone who has the guts to handle it. If they let the press or her dictate how they vote then they are more unfit than he is.

[KitchenWitch]

42. Thank you for this MrsG

I, also, would take any suffering to spare my husband.

[izzybeans]

47. Nice post. I'm my wife's husband. I cry on her behalf.

Kudos.

[Pirate Smile]

51. I gave you a K & R also.

Thanks, Mrs G. Nice post.

[saracat]

53. I am sorry Mrs Grumpy. I don't buy it. My father was a judge.

My mother was a lawyer. My mother didn't cry in public. And she had a hell of a lot more reason to cry than Mrs. Alito. She had not only the factors of my father's career to worry about( Our family was threatened by the mob and my father was beaten up) but she also had the trials of sex discrimination of her era to contend with. She lost job opportunities because she was a woman. She was made fun of and told she wasn't "feminine" She was also discriminated against frequently by women. A DA's wife told her hubby NOT to hire her as she didn't think it "appropriate "that her hubby work with a female.And later, as she began to work for the government, there were nasty political rivalries to deal with,on both her behalf and my father"s.. And my mother did NOT CRY. She got mad and she took action.And she never got mad at honest questioning or anyone holding either herself or my father to account. Mrs.Alito makes me sick and I have zero sympathy for her.

[ScreamingMeemie]

54. Then I guess that makes your mother a better woman than I.

:shrug: Mrs Alito isn't being confirmed.

[saracat]

59. No. it means my mother was in a similar situation to Mrs Alito

in that she had to witness the political repercussions of being married to a judge as well as be involved herself. She understood the game. You cannot be judged on your tears as it is an entirely different situation involving your emotional reaction to an injustice perpetuated against your spouse. Mrs.Alito is reacting emotionally(If it is not an act) to a political process that she should be familiar with. And I devoutly hope Alito isn't confirmed either.

[DemBones DemBones]

58. I agree with you, Mrs. Grumpy. I can empathize with

how Mrs. Alito may have felt and I've been disgusted by all the negative threads about her, criticizing her appearance and, today, her tears.

What wife wouldn't break into tears if she felt her husband had been unjustly accused?

Criticize the man for his views but leave his wife alone. Have a little understanding that she's not a politician's wife, but a judge's wife, so she hasn't had years of practice listening to criticism of her husband. She may be going through menopause, which can be a terrible emotional roller coaster for a woman. Like many of us in our fifties, she may also have parent or friend who's terminally ill -- we don't know what's going on in her life in addition to her husband's confirmation hearings.

Anyone who can't understand the pressure she's under and cut her some slack is being very intolerant and unkind. We're Democrats and liberals. We're not supposed to be the side that stages personal attacks.

[JI7]

60. she had no right to cry in public like that

this is different. i can understand the whole loving your husband thing. i would understand if she did it in private.

but he wants a job where he will make decisions that affect the lives of people. this should be expected. if you can't take it then don't sit there.

but THEY HAVE IT ALL. they have money. no matter what happens they will be well off. there are people out there who truly deserve to shed their tears in public and have the public understand why that is. she is so fucking selfish to cry there like that.

your case is different. you didn't seek out a public forum to cry in during a time your husband was up for a top job.

the questions he is being asked are ones HE NEEDS TO ANSWER. why doesn't he answer the fucking questions. we have a right to know. he iwll make decisions affecting us.

[Fleshdancer]

62. when was the no crying in public law passed exactly?

Some people cry easily. If it were my husband being grilled in public I might cry too. The problem is that most people think crying means someone is sad which isn't always the case. I'll cry when I'm extremely mad, frustrated, happy...any emotion when felt strongly enough. It happens and when it does, it can't be helped.

[saracat]

64. You don't cry to influence a vote or to create an impression of unfairness

If she can't control either her emotions or her face, she ought to stay home. At the very least, as a lawyers wife, she would know that.She is trying to prejudice the public and the Committee in her husband's facvor. JMHO.Even if this is an unintended consequence, it is still wrong. She should stay home.

[zanne]

93. She was placed directly in line of the camera for a reason...

If they used her to back up her husband by placing her closely behind him, it was a PR stunt. Should we believe that her crying was NOT a PR stunt? Do we know nothing about these people?

[JI7]

66. check out LSK's thread

that's how i feel. her husband is up for a top job . she knew this was coming. everyone goes through it. if she can't take it she should have stayed out of the public spotlight. but i have NO sympathy for her crying in public over what is happening. in fact she disgusts me for doing it.

now the shitty whore media is making the Dems out to be some meanies making the poor little wife cry. i wouldn't be surprised if it was a fucking act.

and Lindey Fucking Graham questioned Clinton on his dick and Monica on her tits. and he thinks Alito and his wife have it tough ?

i fucking hate the right wing and the shitty whore media which props them up.

[SharonRB]

Exactly!

I didn't see this before I posted below. We're in more trouble than I thought if there's a law against crying in public.

[SharonRB]

90. Dupe

[Critters2]

111. Ooh, yeah

I cry when I'm mad, too, which drives every man I know COMPLETELY crazy! And they all think it's an act, even though I do everything I can to NOT CRY!! My senior at my fist call would leave the room pretty quickly when we'd have a disagreement, saying "Oh, God!! I'm leaving before you start to cry". He, too, thought it was an act. And because of that, I'd try to control--unsuccessfully.

Again, some of us cry. Doesn't disqualify our spouses for SCOTUS.

:cry: :banghead:

[ScreamingMeemie]

85. "no matter what happens"...a wife is a wife across the board.

[SharonRB]

89. "She had no right to cry in public like that"?

She had no right? Who is anyone to say whether she had a right or not? Is there a law against crying in public now?

[cry baby]

61. She was genuinely upset.

I felt for her. Alito said that he and his family live a "cloistered" life. She probably has never been under this kind of pressure.

I would cry if my hubby (a dem) was being skewered by repubs. It's just too easy for me to put myself in someone else's shoes.

Thank you for your post.

[saracat]

63. May I ask how you know Mrs Alito was "genuinely upset' ? Are you

personally well acquainted with her? Or are you superimposing your reactions onto her crying? I don't wish to be mean but it seems as if no one can actually say anything about the authenticity of her actions without knowing her. All of these statements, including my own, (I don't think she was upset. I think it was an orchestrated distraction)are only one's own OPINION, not facts . We cannot KNOW what she was thinking.We don't know if she was "genuinely" anything.

[cry baby]

67. Most posts I have seen have been sure she was acting.

Read the threads...

I don't know her personally, and I cannot say for sure that the absolute fact is that she was really crying. I know in my heart because in watching the vid, I saw that the time that she started getting emotional was when Graham was saying nice things about him and saying that he had a huge number of people that were saying he was a great guy. I believe with all my heart that she was crying out of pride for her husband (as deluded as that might be).

I cry when my husband gets special awards and people say nice things about him out of pride. Some people just do that.

If you think that it's necessary to edit my post and use the words "in my opinion", then I will consider it...but it seems clear that it is only my opinion. I didn't think I had to state the obvious. It is clear that most don't have the same opinion.

[Kurovski]

65. Bless you Mrs. Grumpy, you are a sweetheart.

And you know I've known that for a long time now.

I'll just point out that the media and the Republicans are counting on just that well of emotion that everyone can relate to to turn public opinion against the Dems questioning Alito, and to turn sympathy toward Alito and away from a filibuster.

You were not on camera when your husband was attacked, you did not know what was coming your way. Mrs. Alito did. The Republicans knew what was coming, they knew the questions that were coming, they knew Alito's past and planned accordingly.

It is somewhat telling that Mrs. Alito broke down when a REPUBLICAN was speaking.

The Republican methodology of openly manipulating emotion through false means is ugly, shameless, filthy and worthy of likewise open contempt and most definitely of being called out.

You are of course correct in calling a redoubling of efforts via contacting our senators and the press. After today's venting of anger ends--tonight, one hopes--the only productive, meaningful thing to do is demand that Alito be dismissed.

And bless you again...:loveya:

EDIT: I just had yet another very cynical thought: there are some women who love their husband's enough to practice deceit to help them and themselves. Love has many forms. (Take the Macbeths, for an example.)

Everything notable put on camera by Bushco has been a sham, I don't see why this would be any different.

Nor have I seen the questioning of sam Alito as an attack worthy of tears, but then I wouldn't.

Alito belonged to a racist organization and has a history of disregard for women and minorities.

The hard questioning is hardly a cause for tears, unless one fears that one's husband's cushy job might be lost.

[Missy Vixen]

69. Wives everywhere nod in silent agreement

>I would have gladly stood there in his place. But please don't hurt my baby is my thought.<

If it hurts him, it's agony for me. Doesn't matter what it is.

I am consistently amazed at his ability to forgive.

Julie

[October]

70. Yeah, me too....but if my husband had had CAP on his resume...

I think he'd have to answer to that...

[Horse with no Name]

71. With all due respect

You're husband was railroaded by a justice system in a small town making quotas.
Her husband railroads innocent people not so unlike your husband.

[October]

72. What if she married him KNOWING he had those beliefs (CAP)?

What CAP stood for was disgusting. We should all be crying.

I worked on that campus and watched how they treated women. (Sally Frank) They were the last Ivy League university to go co-ed (1969). In 1985 they were still converting their "all boys" bathrooms to accommodate the females on campus. It's not joke, and Kennedy is right to take it seriously.

A great, great many of the Princeton alum work and have served under republican presidents -- usually after they served on the University's board. (What a network!)

It is an Ivy League University with many extremist on campus. Lots of "good ole' boys." Forget the "liberal" tag, many eschew it.

Alito needs to come clean and answer the questions. Standing by your man is one thing -- but good God, how do you marry a man with THAT on his resume!

If he's a changed man from those days, he needs to say so.

[Pastiche423]

73. Oh, for crap's sake!

I am dumbstruck by the amount of people on this thread that have lapped up the horseshit that went on today.

Forgive me, but I thought the majority of DUers did NOT want Alito confirmed. This friggen asshole has, through his past and current actions, shat again and again on our Constitution.

Do you not realize what will happen if he's confirmed? Do you really?

Haven't any of you paid attention to the slimy and disgusting tricks the repugs have been exercising for the past five years? Have the fake tears of a scripted woman made you forget all that they have done?

Have you forgotten that we are fighting for the life of our country?

Damn!

The play we observed today had nothing to do w/a wife upset w/what was going on w/her husband. It was carefully scripted to dupe everyone.

Keep on eating that horseshit, then prepare to live in a theocracy. At the same time, prepare to lose in November.

[ScreamingMeemie]

86. And I hardly imagine a few salty tears are going to win that battle

for us. We have taken the emotion of a woman and hinged the entire fate of the union on that? Now that's horseshit. :hi:

[SharonRB]

95. You are so right, MrsG

:hug:

[ScreamingMeemie]

99. Hey Sharon!

:hug: For the first time in my life, I have used the hide thread button a dozen and a half times this morning. This whole situation is out of control.

[SharonRB]

102. I feel like a gawker

It's so hard to keep your eyes off some of these, but I'm trying.

[SharonRB]

94. Not wanting him confirmed and criticizing his wife for crying

are two totally unrelated things.

[Critters2]

113. Can you cry on cue?

I have friends who are pro actors who say it's the hardest part of the job. But you think this woman was doing just that?

Puhleeze

:tinfoilhat:

[U4ikLefty]

74. Maybe you should stop comraping the two. Not in the same ballpark.

They are comletely different situatuons. If Bu$h was your husband, would you be defending his lying to the American people? I am sorry that you can empathize with a wife of a neocon & post about it...is there a posting you about how a wife should tow-the-line when thier husband is a facist??? This is what is happening now...and I could care less if she sheds crocodile tears, FEH!!!

[incapsulated]

75. Will you still defend her on DU...

When she is no longer helping her lovin' man get the sympathy of the sheeple by breaking into hysterics on cue from their coach Graham in front of a nationwide audience, and he is sitting on the court stripping you and your husband of your formally protected rights, while she drinks martinis with the Scalias at the country club and her husband pushes this country further into hell? Do you think this bitch cried for the 10-year-old her husband thought should be strip searched? We will all be crying when this court really starts to go to work.

And Hitler loved his dog. I'm so moved. :cry:

[U4ikLefty]

77. Nice

n/t

[JVS]

76. MrsGrumpy, you're a great wife. He's lucky to have you.

[rucky]

78. Maybe she cried because she was tired of living a lie?

:shrug:

What puzzles me is the part of the show that triggered the crying. He was being showered with butt-kissing compliments when she broke down & the didn't stop until after she left the room.

[eridani]

79. Monica Lewinsky didn't cry--

--while she spent nearly an entire day being verbally gang-raped by the entire US Senate. After all the details of her sex life had been offered to the public. Mrs. Alito could learn a thing or three from her and quit whining.

[Critters2]

114. Monica Lewinsky is my hero

How sad is that?

Please:eyes:

[Kurovski]

119. And making broad self-serving leaps in logic to insult someone

is downright pathetic.

But you've written "Monica Lewinsky is my hero" and omitted the quotations, so perhaps you are merely making a confession.

[eridani]

132. The questioning of Alito is vastly more dignified--

--than what the Senate inflicted on Monica Lewinsky. The former is their constitutional duty, and the latter was a national disgrace.

Alito has been sitting there all day lying. We are talking about a certifiable sociopath here, who wants the operations of government to be entirely secret even as the lives of its citizens are to be open books.

[B Calm]

80. Alito will be the judge railroading innocent people, there is a difference

[Skidmore]

82. Thank you. I agree. And she is not the nominee for this office

so why we are letting ourselves be sucked into a spin sideshow by a desparate R party now is beyond me. I imagine that if I'd been sitting there for 3 days I'd cry too. People, like it or not, get stressed and break down. It's human. I'm more concerned about her husband and the harm he can do. He's slick and a liar. Let's focus on him.

[malaise]

83. But were you looking straight at the camera

when you started crying?

[ProfessorGAC]

87. Yeah, But Mrs.G, She Cried On Cue

She waited to cry until someone was talking about what a bigot he WASN'T! The coincidence seems a little too much to bear. And, my wife agrees with me, while she would probably offer the sentiment you did in your post.

That seemed awfully staged to me.
The Professor

[ScreamingMeemie]

92. In an emotionally charged situation, I probably might react that

way if someone came to the defense of my husband. My problem here is, this is a non issue and people are running with it like it's going to change anything. Don't like the coverage? Call the media. But stooping to that level...the one they reside on, makes us hypocrites.

[ProfessorGAC]

97. Then I'm A Hypocrite

But, i did write MSNBC, The Tribune, and CNN about this. It was so perfectly timed as to be too convenient. And, if she is that overwrought, then maybe he should have declined the nomination because of the stress it would put on his wife. Like i said in an earlier post, "if you can't stand the heat. . ." The nomination to SCOTUS sheds some VERY bright lights, and if those lights are too hot, then one should pass. And, if he was the kind of husband that you were a wife, he would have declined simply not to put his wife through the grilling.

I think it's totally staged. And, if not, then he's an ogre for putting her through something for which she's clearly incapable of dealing.
The Professor

[zanne]

88. When you said "podunk Twilight-Zone sort of towns..."

Up "North", you lost me. You didn't come across as objective at all.

[LynneSin]

96. OK, here's my beef with the tears and DU reactions

The whole thing was a plant. Everything that the Alitos have done since the start of this hearing has been coached by repuke advisors to help get Alito's nomination.

You cried when your husband spent the night in jail; hell most women would including me if I had a loved one who went through what he did. Emotions are a natural part of who we are and especially so for women. Give me 5 minutes and I can force myself to cry.

Republicans wanted Alito's wife crying so they would have news soundbytes for the evening news. And somehow they twisted it to make the Democrats look bad even though it was a fricking republican saying nice things about Alito when talking to Alito's wife.

SO personally, I don't care that women cry because I'm a major cryer. I have a new boss and I've already warned him that I tend to tear up about stuff because I have really crappy over-emotional tearducts that don't pay attention to what I want them to do.

It was a setup. This isn't about the tears, this is about republicans using Mrs. Alito for the evening news. Great we have a crier, let's get this over the internets & talking-screed shows and somehow twist it that Democrats are so bad that they made Mrs. Alito cry.

So I'm sorry that I disagree about all of this. Repukes are using her!

[EFerrari]

120. And every day she sits there, she is complicit.

This is not a child or a pet or a piece of furniture. This is a sentient human being who has made a choice to be part of the DISMANTLING of reproductive rights for women, and most likely, whatever balance of power we've managed to hang on to in this country.

I despise this person. I despise her husband. And I despise what they are between them conspiring to do to this country for their personal gain.

Shoot me.

101. Apples and oranges

How can you compare the two. This woman's tears are propaganda for helping make the democrats look like bullies. This man will have power over life and death of many people and generations to come. If she can't be a well behaved bystander, she shouldn't come to the hearings. This isn't about her, it is about us.

[bloom]

103. I think you make a lot of good points

It's not her fault that the media made such a big deal out of it.

If I had been her and was truly upset - I would be mortified to have it be the big news topic of the day.

If it was just a game - that's a pretty stupid game - but it was still the media - not her - that made it into a big deal.


Thanks for your post.

[earth mom]

104. You know, I have empathy and compassion for the majority of people.. BUT!

But there is no way in HELL that I can summon more than contempt, disgust and anger for people like Alito, his overly dramatic wife and all the rest of the corrupt Bush Co cabal! :grr:

When I look at all of them, all I can see is how many lives they have destroyed AND ended for their EVIL ROTTEN SELFISH ILL GOTTEN GAINS!!! :grr:

So Alitos wittle wifey was cwying cause the mean wittle men asked him a couple of tough questions?! CRY ME A RIVER! :eyes:

[Fla Dem]

105. Mrs. Alito is not the issue, as you say, focus on what really matters.

Good post. I felt the same way. There are times when certain things happen to a loved one,(and yes I am sure Judge Alito is loved by his wife and family)that no matter how strong you thought you were, or no matter how prepared, it just hits you.

[Orrex]

106. If Mrs. Alito were undergoing confimation & Mr. Alito cried in the gallery

The press would be ridiculing him with not-so-subtle suggestions that he might be unbalanced or mentally ill. Likewise, if Alito himself had cried on the stand (overwhelmed, perhaps, by the stress of maintaining his multiple simultaneous contradictions), then we'd all wonder what the hell is wrong with him. If he can't take the heat, we'd say, he should get out of the judiciary.

Mrs. Alito is a big girl and should have known that her husband, a career shill for far-Right interests, would be facing more than one or two questions about his lucrative and offensively pro-corporate and anti-civil rights opinions over the years.

Mrs. Alito should get her shit together or get her shit out of the hearing room.


She gets no sympathy, nor does she deserve any.

[Geek_Girl]

107. I don't feel sorry for Mrs Alito

But I do think you make a good point. We should be focusing on the man himself.

[baby_mouse]

108. My sympathy for your ordeal, Mrs Grumpy... however

I do not think that your situation and that of Mrs Alito are congruent.

[Beaverhausen]

112. Thanks for this- I totally agree

The judgementalism exhibited by some DUer's regarding this woman, who I doubt anyone knows personally, is ridiculous. And should be beneath us.

:hi:

Can we focus on her husband please? More importantly, can we focus on our elected officials?

[The_Mule]

117. Respectfully,

I think that the situation with your husband was quite different from the current situation with Mr. Alito.

I personally believe the whole thing was a staged act. But, act or no, I don't want to play the Republican's game of "The Democrats are too hard on poor Mr. Alito". In other words, her tears are her business, not the business of the country. Let's get back to the questioning of Mr. Alito regardless of Mrs. Alito's tears.

[ScreamingMeemie]

123. that's the media. I'm talking as a wife. It's the same situation...a

husband under fire (whether he should be (alito's case) or not. :hi:

[wryter2000]

118. For me, it's not about her

It's about the repulsive spin they're putting on it. Even more, it's about the fact that our "news" media have swallowed the whole thing and are regurgitating it for us as if it was important.

[ScreamingMeemie]

122. And that is how I feel as well.

:hi:

[Cooley Hurd]

128. It appears Martha-Ann's breakdown was STAGED...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x12314

:grr:

[Zomby Woof]

130. I get the gist of both sides here

Your husband was not busted because of his political or judicial views - as you said, he was set up on bogus DUI charges.

Your husband did not have the potential to change the course of this country on a grand scale for the next 40 years.

Alito has both of those things going for him.

Now, I would agree that his wife should not be the issue here and that she is reacting as a spouse could be expected, and it seems cruel for her to be an object of scorn, but because the media has thrust that out there and it has been seized upon by opportunistic 'sympathizers' (including the media itself), it is understandable why there is a whiff of manipulation and set-up in the air. Unlike your husband though, the manipulation is coming from the persecuted.

Although I have no interest in participating in the spousal pile-on, I won't condemn it either. I am so goddamned vehement in my opposition to Alito, that I empathize completely with the hunger many of us feel to beat them in their continuing games of dirty emotional pool. I hate that the bar is that low as much as the next person, but I would rather some of us engage in the limbo and not get our heads bashed in with that bar.

Oh, and fuck the ones who did that to you and MrG.

And fuck the media whores who are using this episode to manipulate public opinion against the Democrats on the panel working their asses off to grill the fucker as they rightfully should.

:hug:

[Pathwalker]

131. Why didn't you bother calling a Lawyer for your husband????

In your case, you should have started calling Lawyers, looking for one who specializes in DUI cases. Since you say he's highly paid, you sure could have saved BOTH of you a LOT of grief, and possibly gotten the whole thing dismissed!!!
That being said, Mrs. Alito's tears did not change my mind one bit about her husband - I still don't want him on the Supreme Court!!!