WA state Senators

[Bumblebee]

Murray should be easy. Just called her office and got a message -- lines are probably busy. She will, in all likelihood, support the fillibuster but needs a push. I know there are lots of WA people in the forum; keep calling her, please! 202-224-2621

Cantwell is yet to declare how she is voting on Alito. Unlike Murray, she let us down on Iraq -- she owes us big time and is up for re-election. I got through to her office right away so her phones need to be busier: 202-224-3441

[newswolf56]

1. I wouldn't bet on either one, and here's why:

I received this weasel-worded letter from Sen. Murray yesterday:

Thank you for contacting me about the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to succeed Sandra Day O'Connor as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. I appreciate hearing from you about the important matter.

As you know, the U.S. Constitution charges the Senate with advising on and consenting to presidential nominees to the federal bench. I look forward to reviewing Judge Alito's record in detail as his nomination is considered by the Senate. I consider the Senate's advise and consent role to be one of my most important duties as a U.S. Senator, and I look forward to going through this process again.

Following the withdrawal of Harriet Miers, I called on the President to take his time and appoint a nominee who represents mainstream judicial thought and who would unite the American people and the Senate just as Justice O'Connor's nomination did two decades ago. The hasty appointment of a nominee without consulting Senators from both parties was disappointing. I am pleased that the Senate Judiciary Committee has chosen to begin confirmation hearings in January, providing ample time to review Judge Alito's nomination.

I believe that every Supreme Court justice should be fair and impartial, even-handed in administering justice, and committed to the protection of the rights and liberties of all Americans. Because the Supreme Court plays such an important role in our political system and the lives of every American, the Senate must take its time in considering Judge Alito's qualifications for a lifetime appointment to the Court without rushing to judgment.

Rest assured, I will do all that I can to learn about Judge Alito and actively participate in the Senate's confirmation process. I appreciate hearing from you, and I will keep your views in mind when making my final decision on Judge Alito's nomination.

Again, thank you for contacting me. If I can be of service in the future, please be in touch.

Sincerely,

Patty Murray
U.S. Senator

This is not the letter of someone eager to filibuster.

Meanwhile, Cantwell has not replied at all, and I wrote both senators several times through various anti-Alito websites (Working America, People for the American Way, Edwards' One America campaign etc.)

If you look at their voting records, both these senators are very definitely servants of the corporate oligarchy first and Washingtonians second if at all. Both voted for the original, enabling version of the Bush Medicare Prescription Drug Lord Benefit, both voted for the original, enabling legislation on "bankruptcy reform," and both have repeatedly voted against labor on global-economy issues. While they later reversed their votes on subsequent versions of the Prescription Drug Lord Benefit and "bankruptcy reform" -- literally the re-imposition of indentured servitude -- the damage was already done by their earlier, enabling votes: the votes that in each instance guaranteed the measure's passage. (This vote-switching is a common tactic of anti-labor politicians in states with strong labor constituencies: vote for an anti-labor measure and then, once its enactment is assured, vote against it.)

Cantwell's seat is up for grabs this fall, and though one poll shows her with a 55 percent margin, the typical 3-point error margin effectively whittles that down to 52 percent. She and Murray -- especially Murray -- have tried hard to make up for their original pro-Prescription Drug Lord Benefit vote by holding help-its-victims seminars throughout the state. But both senators are avowed anti-gun fanatics, which is a huge liability in a state where the vote is at least 70 percent pro-gun, and just as Gov. Gregoire nearly lost to Dino Rossi in 2004 over the gun issue, so could Cantwell lose in 2006. Perhaps (and this is merely skeptical speculation) Cantwell is hoping to swing some of the state's pro-theocracy vote -- about 40 percent of the electorate and the core of the Republican party -- her way, whether by voting yes on Alito or by sitting out the entire anti-appointment struggle.

As I said, I wouldn't bet on either one.

[raysr]

2. I told them both, if they

don't fillibuster Alito they've lost me. The is where the rubber meets the road as far as I concerned. Nothing trumps this.

[newswolf56]

3. Murray now says she'll vote NO on Alito:

...As was discussed at his hearing, he has a troubling record of voting for the government and corporations and against individuals. He seems to favor the entrenched power over the little guy. His record does not give me the confidence that everyone who comes before the Court will be treated fairly.

I am also deeply concerned about Judge Alito's independence. We rely on our courts as a critical check and balance against government abuse. That independent check helps to protect our rights. This is especially important today because of the growing questions about the expansion of executive power. The Supreme Court will need to evaluate whether recent executive actions are constitutional. Here, Judge Alito's unbalanced, minority view of the scope of executive power tells me he does not have the independence to be an adequate check on government abuse of our rights.

Finally, I have serious doubts that Judge Alito will uphold our rights and liberties. One example is his hostility to the right to privacy. In the hearings, he refused to say that Roe v. Wade is "settled law," and he did not adequately explain his 1985 statement that the "Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion."

Full text of statement:

http://murray.senate.gov/news.cfm?id=250775

(FYI: Will post this also as an OP on General Discussion: Alito.)