SENATOR BILL NELSON TO VOTE NO NO NO!!! ON ALITO

[kpete]

Conservative Democrat balks on approving Alito to court
RAW STORY
Published: January 24, 2006



One of the most conservative Democrats in the Senate, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) today announced he would vote no on Judge Samuel Alito Jr.’s confirmation to the Supreme Court -- raising the possiblity of a filibuster, RAW STORY has learned. Just one Democrat has said he'll vote to confirm Alito.

Nelson's release follows.


WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida today announced he would vote no on Judge Samuel Alito Jr.’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.

The aftermath of the war in Iraq has generated a great deal of second-guessing regarding Washington's prewar planning and intelligence efforts. Largely missing from this debate has ...



Alito, President Bush’s nominee to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, won a narrow 10-8 approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier in the day. The full Senate is expected to vote later this week or early next week.

Nelson, who withheld an announcement until the judiciary panel had finished its hearings on Alito, disclosed his intention to vote no shortly after the committee’s final meeting. Said Nelson:

“I have voted for almost all of President Bush’s judicial nominees; and, I greeted Judge Alito’s nomination with an open mind. But his many legal writings, judicial opinions and evasive answers both at his hearing and in our private meeting, convinced me he would tilt the scales of justice in favor of big government over the average person.

“Because he is not the centrist voice I believe this nation needs to replace the retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who fiercely defended the rights and liberties of all Americans, I’m going to vote no on his confirmation.”

All told, during five-plus years in the Senate, Nelson has voted for 215, or 96 percent, of the president’s 225 judicial picks, including Miguel Estrada and Chief Justice John Roberts.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Conservative_Democrat_balks_on_approving_Alito_0124.html

[debbierlus]

1. WOW! GOOD SIGN - KEEP UP THE PRESSURE PEOPLE!

[Proud2BAmurkin]

31. HERE ARE HIS NUMBERS TO CALL AND SAY THANKS

http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/offices.cfm

[wakeme2008]

2. You late

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2062850

:)

[Coexist]

3. I am going to call and thank him right now!

He is one of my Senators.

[Coexist]

10. they were very pleased to hear from me -

if you are from Florida - please call and thank him, too.

[phone]

[SW FL Dem]

34. I sent him a Thank You email n/t

[bluestateguy]

4. Well, we are definenty going to get 41 No votes now

Maybe as many as 45. So the votes for a fillibuster are there. Now we just need them to have the willingness to use it.

[FreedomAngel82]

27. I hope so!

Still have to keep going though.

[understandinglife]

5. Traction. Recommended. I hope a bunch of folk call and thank him and ...

.... urge him to support a Filibuster!


Peace.

[lpbk2713]

6. He'd better.

If he wants my vote.

[FreedomAngel82]

28. Call, Email or fax and tell him that

[Grateful for Hope]

I am surprised

but this sure is good news!

:D

[mmonk]

7. Well, well

:woohoo:

[wryter2000]

8. Great news!

Who's the Senator who's going to vote yes? Lieberman?

I don't know that this means he'll be willing to filibuster, though. Or, do y'all mean this will remove anyone else's reluctance to filibuster?

[the observationist]

12. Ben Nelson (D-NE)

I am ashamed to say that my senator, Ben Nelson (D-NE), is going to vote for Alito.

[Matariki]

17. have you called his office?

[the observationist]

48. Yes.

Ben Nelson's (D-NE) staffer said that he has reviewed the investigations and met with Alito personally and has found no evidence that Alito will legislate from the Bench. Nelson's view is that as long as he doesn't legislate from the Bench he doesn't have a problem with voting for Alito.

It was apparent that Alito's personal convictions do not alarm Sen. Nelson.

[Matariki]

16. Ben Nelson from Nebraska

[wryter2000]

23. Thanks

I was getting my Nelson's confused. It's nice to have Bill on board.

[AuntiBush]

9. Kick-I-Dee & A Well-Deserved Nomina-teeed!

Hip, Hip Horray! :toast:

And for those fellow FReepers, whom I hear do not like these thingys I present:

:bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce:
:bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce:
:bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce:

[SteppingRazor]

11. Obviously, he must have read the letter I sent him...

You may all distribute kudos to me as you see fit :evilgrin:

[bear425]

32. Gimme some of them kudos, too!

Undoubtedly, it was our dual letter writing effort that did the trick. :)

edit: Now, let's call to thank him and ask him to filibuster!

[graywarrior]

13. Just called his office and thanked him and told them I hope

he really follows through with this.

[Dr.Phool]

14. Whew!!!!

It looks like all those phone calls, letters, and faxes worked!!

Thank you Senator Nelson. And my wife thanks you too.

[KoKo]

15. Delete

[Vadem]

19. KoKo1, that was Ben Nelson (D-Neb)........(some Dem!)..n/t

[KoKo]

20. Thanks....I got so worked up I thought it was Ben who changed his vote...

:D If only.... but it's good news about Bill Nelson given he usually goes with the Repugs.

[me b zola]

22. Ben Nelson is becoming the next Lieberman

[tinfoilinfor2005]

18. My Senator too. I contacted him several times and urged him

to vote no. Calling him now to thank him. :)

[kerry-is-my-prez]

25. Me too! Wow! For the 1st time, something I've done mighta made a diff.

n/t

[tinfoilinfor2005]

21. Got through on the third call

and the young man I spoke to said he was very happy to receive my call. This could have gone either way, so I am (finally) pleased with my Senator!

[kerry-is-my-prez]

24. We've gotta change "public" opinion too....

n/t

[gkhouston]

29. a lot of the public isn't paying that much attention

the media has told them it's a done deal. The public has gone back to thinking about the SuperBowl and wondering when spring will arrive and whether they'll still have a job next month.

[FreedomAngel82]

26. Good!

:bounce:

[Proud2BAmurkin]

30. BEAUTIFUL

!

[jenndar]

33. That's a relief! n/t

[samhsarah]

35. He's my senator!!!!! Thank the Goddess!!!!!!!

I have been calling, emailing, faxing, every day for the past two weeks. And now I'm really turning up the heat asking him to filibuster, filibuster, filibuster!!!!!!

[welshTerrier2]

36. expect a filibuster

call it mere voo-doo visioning if you must ... call it naive optimism ... call it hope in the face of so many contrary realities ...

but i see no way the Dems can avoid a filibuster ... clearly they see bush as a threat to the Constitution and equally as clearly they see risk of another right-wing nominee permanently tipping the Court to enable authoritarianism ...

while some criticized the Democrats for being too easy on Alito during the hearings themselves, i think they did a good job highlighting his whole "unitary executive" biases ... and they did this at a most critical time given the spying abuses ... however, and most curiously for me, the incredibly inept job the Democratic Party did after the hearings ... republicans were all over the media calling the Dems meanies and talking about how inappropriate their lines of questioning were ... they played very effectively on Alito's low key manor and scored points emphasizing his demeanor as a distraction to the critical issues at hand ...

again, Democrats failed at "rapid response" and they failed at battling for the hearts and minds of the American people ... this has to change and it better change fast ... there is no time left on America's parking meter ...

but in the end of ends, it seems to me Democrats have no choice but to filibuster ... one surefire strategy for losing any battle is to pretend you're not in one ... civility and collegiality may be a valuable asset in ordinary Congressional discourse but to believe we are in anything but a war for the survival of the republic is bury-your-head-in-the-sand naivete ...

Democrats may not have shown the necessary backbone since bush took office but they are not blind and they are certainly not fools ... never has an administration threatened the very core of our democracy to this degree ... their arrogance and their disrespect for the Constitution has been raised to a perverse art form ... Democrats know they are the last line of defense and they know that the Constitution is on their side ... in my view, they have no choice but to filibuster ... and so, speculative though it be, i say, expect a filibuster ...

[tavalon]

37. Who is the one Dem senator

who is still voting yes?

[kiteinthewind]

41. That would be Ben Nelson (NE) Call Him!! 1-202-224-6551

:mad:

[The Backlash Cometh]

38. Thank you, Bill.

[AnnInLa]

39. The Average Person

"But his many legal writings, judicial opinions and evasive answers both at his hearing and in our private meeting, convinced me he would tilt the scales of justice in favor of big government over the average person."

IMHO, our 2006 and 2008 message should be that this administration and its judicial nominees have tilted EVERYTHING in favor of big-government and corporations OVER THE AVERAGE PERSON.

This is the message that we must get out....even Lou Dobbs keeps on and on about the AVERAGE PERSON not being to get ahead in today's economy. Joe and Jill AVERAGE PERSON should be the focus of any political debate.

IMHO

[Moochy]

40. Basic First Aid

When the patient(the country) is hemorrhaging what do you do?

APPLY DIRECT PRESSURE!! :) Keep it up folks, we have to remind these people in office what there job is.

Advise and consent, oversight, co-Equal branch. C'mon Bill you can do it!

[Charlie Brown]

42. I think it will all come down to Johnson, Conrad, Dorgan, and Lincoln

If they vote for Alito, no filibuster. If one or more of them oppose, there may be some chance.

[spanone]

43. Kickin'

[seabeyond]

44. huge pat on the back nelson. way to go dude.

know it was hard for you and welcome to the democratic party, good to see you. hooooooo rah

[Sabien]

45. Tale of 2 Nelsons

While it seems that Sen. Nelson of Florida has wised up, Sen. Nelson of Nebraska has not.

"As of late Tuesday, the federal appeals court judge had enough vote commitments for confirmation — a simple majority in the 100-member Senate — with 50 Senate Republicans plus Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska publicly saying through their representatives, in interviews with The Associated Press or in news releases that they would vote for him"

This ridiculous piece was written by Jessie J. Holland and also includes this gem, "With Alito's ultimate confirmation assured, both Republicans and Democrats were preparing to use him as a campaign issue."

This was posted on yahoo news this morning. (1/25/06) called "Enough Senators to back Alito confirmation" found here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060125/ap_on_go_su_co/alito

:puke:

[IronLionZion]

47. No, you got your Nelsons mixed up

Bill from Florida - NO
Ben from Nebraska - YES

I normally sympathize with conservative Dems from red states who have to listen to their radical right-wing constituents, but voting for Scalito is morally reprehensible. It's nice to see Bill do the right thing.

[lonestarnot]

46. FANTASTICO!

[insane_cratic_gal]

49. I think that was a given, it was Nelson from NE

we were all referring to

Can we just Name them Bobby and Bob

Booby and Boob