C-Span has another democrat voting for Alito!

[LiberalInGeorgia2005]

Tim Johnson (D-SD) you traitor!

[cascadiance]

1. Another EX Democrat come future elections!

... that is if we have any future elections the way this country is going now! :(

[BlueManDude]

11. exactly right

they make these cowardly, unprincipled votes to help them in their next election - and it ends up having the opposite effect.

let's face it, our party pretty much sucks. they don't deserve us - and we deserve better.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Welcome to DU. Sucks about Johnson, though.

[MadisonProgressive]

3. Traitor to the republic, for which he sits

[Neecy]

4. oh, lordie...

Alito already has enough votes for confirmation, why on earth let them pad the total?

I'm also wondering why only 23 Democrats have declared in opposition so far. What are they waiting for?

[MadisonProgressive]

5. For the wind report

[jillan]

7. I have been wondering the same thing too.

What is going on here? Where are the rest of the dems??

The Y column keeps going up, and the N column has been staying the same.

We are screwed!:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[Neecy]

10. it's weird, isn't it?

And some (certainly not all) of the missing Dems are safe votes against Alito. Holding back is giving the Repubs some momentum here - not good.

[flpoljunkie]

12. Don't you know? They're planning a surprise filibuster.

And to think this number is only ONE more than voted against Roberts.

Oh, I get it! They must be waiting for Bush's next nomination to throw down the gauntlet, pull down the drawbridge!

Pathetic!

[Neecy]

15. ooooooh, goodie!

We just clicked up to 24 - the first uptick since yesterday afternoon.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Tesha]

13. Cue the "But he's from a *RED* state!" excuse...

Don't you know? He *HAS* to vote like a Republican because all
of his constituents are Republican and if he didn't vote just
like a Republican they'd elect a Republican and then we'd be
screwed because the Republican would vote just like a Republican!

(Got all that?)

Tesha

[MODemocrat]

14. Of course, this whole thing is a political movement

He wants to dance with the ones who brung him instead of voting for the civil rights of everyone.
Traitor that he is...:freak: :grr:

[still_one]

6. I will reserve judgement until the vote

but if they do NOT filibuster this nomination, goodbye DNC and the democratic party. I have been with you for over 30 years, and what the democrats have become in the last 6 years is a disgrace

They are part of the problem

I will wait until the vote

[LiberalInGeorgia2005]

8. AP has it now

Democatic Sen. Johnson to Back Alito Jan 26 11:05 AM US/Eastern Democatic Sen. Johnson to Back Alito Jan 26 11:05 AM US/Eastern

By JESSE J. HOLLAND Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON

Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito picked up his second Democratic supporter on Thursday, with Tim Johnson of South Dakota announcing he will vote for the conservative judge to become the nation's 110th justice.

Johnson joins fellow Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska as the only members of their party to announce Senate support for the conservative judge. Fifty-one Republicans are supporting Alito, guaranteeing his confirmation as the replacement for retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who throughout her years on the high court often has been a key fifth vote on contentious social issues including abortion, affirmative action and the death penalty.

[BlueManDude]

9. probably thinks it will innoculate him from rw attacks when he's up again

of course he will learn otherwise. johnson seems like a decent guy and i doubt he agrees with alito's judicial philosophy (unlike say nelson from NE whom i think would actually NOMINATE a guy like alito if he were president) which is what makes this so disappointing. it's hard to have respect for people who are afraid to vote their conscience. as for the politics - any dem who feels like he will pay a political price after explaining to his constituents why alito is a bad choice (and roe v wade ios merely part of the picture here) is just wrong.

so many red state pols who trim their sails in an effort to forestall a rw attack end up losing anyway. bad policy and bad politics.

[Bake]

16. Have the Dems EVER voted as a solid block?

I mean a STRAIGHT party-line vote? Or do we ALWAYS have some dipshit like Johnson or Nelson?

I'm afraid I know the answer already.

Bake

edited for typo

[mb7588a]

17. Sucks being in those states.

I'm always torn between criticizing and accepting this kind of vote.
In some cases it's justified, in some cases it's...crucified.
I think Alito is a case of the later.

[burythehatchet]

18. welcome to DU

check the Georgia forum, there is an Atlanta meetup in February.