Post Alito, what can be done?

[Meldread]

I believe that we should not only be looking at what we can do now to prevent his nomination to the Supreme Court, but prepare for what we can do in the future should Alito get nominated.

Here are two suggestions that come to mind, feel free to comment or add your own.

First, we really need to strive to control both the House and Senate by 2008. In the mean time we should be heavily investigating criminal wrongdoings or suspected wrong doings of Scalia. He's been walking a narrow line recently, and a thorough investigation into his personal life as well as his professional life may turn up something criminal. If we can find something that even hints at criminal wrongdoing and we control both the House and the Senate as well as having a Democratic President by 2008 we can call for impeachment hearings on Scalia. He can then be removed and replaced by a liberal Judge which should once again balance out the Supreme Court.

Second, we should immediately begin working on a "Right to Privacy" Act to add to the Constitution. In short, it'll uphold a persons right to make "private and moral decisions without the interference from the Government". This should be done to prevent a woman's right to choose from being over turned as well as making it unconstitutional to recriminalize sodomy. It would also disallow the government from interjecting their opinions and thoughts based on "moral beliefs". It should be worded in such a way as to be neutral and to appeal to a broad range of people - from civil libertarians, to far left liberals, to moderate Republicans... basically anyone who doesn't like the Government in people's private lives or personal business which would be 80% of America.

That would be my two pronged attack against the Alito nomination.

[Cary]

1. My current thinking is that we're destined to relive the '60s.

The pukes are going to roll back as much progress as they can, until they go too far and then all hell is going to break loose.

[gkhouston]

5. the '60's of which century? n/t

[Cary]

7. Didn't think of that.

Good question though.

[AtomicKitten]

2. The Rs want to move the debate to the states.

Abortion will remain legal in most blue states, but there is no hope for the red states. The busy bees in the states have already been working hard to make abortion unavailable due to unreasonable restrictions. Alabama has only ONE abortion clinic left, according to a documentary I just saw.

Here in California, in the course of my work, I have seen abortion procedures moved to more specialized care facilities due to unreasonable regulations to make abortion inaccessible to those that don't have insurance and can't pay.

[Meldread]

9. That is why you cut them off at the pass...

...with the Constitutional Amendment at the Federal level. Not a whole lot they can do then. It's the same approach they are taking against gay marriage. They can bitch and whine all they want, but the fact of the matter is most Americans support a woman's right to choose, and if you broaden that to personal privacy you'll even get some anti-choice folks in there as well which would throw support for the Amendment over the top. Moderate Republicans (roughly about half of the Republicans) would salivate over such an Amendment.

[izzybeans]

3. We will have to shift efforts to put more pressure on

the legislature. The entire weight of social justice will be in their hands. We will have to increase our ability to organize a response to "theives in the knight" who paste riders on bills designed to hide unjust legislation.

[daleanime]

4. Not so sure about the first one...

I'm uneasy about personal attacks. But I love the second.

[Meldread]

6. Well the thing is...

...the guy is probably up to his neck in criminal activity. I mean he was out duck hunting with Cheney right before he ruled in favor for a case that Cheney supported (and was involved in) for Christ sake. He's the most likely conservative that we can knock off the Court and I believe if we open his closet the skeletons will come out singing and dancing. If nothing else we may be able to put a lot of pressure on him to resign so that we can appoint a replacement.

Is it a bit dirty? Yeah. Is it a bit tough? You bet. But it's better than having all the civil liberties obtained over the past 30 or so years being rolled back, and sometimes the end justifies the means.

[Max Cherry]

8. This is what happens when you lose elections.......

We as party have to start WINNING elections!!! Until then the repubs will continue to control the White House, Congress and the Courts. Nov '06 is where our fight is!

[MostlyLurks]

10. #2 is a fantastic idea in any case.

Even if Alito somehow is not confirmed, this is the best idea I've seen in terms of a Democratic slate issue.

Serously - this is a brilliant idea because the only way to oppose it is to come out in favor of government intrusion into private life. It's exactly the sort of thing Lakoff talks about: a sweeping legislative/ideological concept that underpins innumerable smaller issues.

Is there any way to get this in front of somebody in the DNC power structure - somebody who can actually kick it up the line? Really, this combined with real elections reform and state-by-state eminent domain clarification bills would go a long way toward winning local and national races to come.

Mostly