Cenk Uygur (Young Turks) BIDEN MUST WITHDRAW STATEMENT

[MelissaB]

FILIBUSTER UPDATE -- BIDEN MUST WITHDRAW STATEMENT

We are in the 71st Hour of the live on-air filibuster of Sam Alito. The people who have responded through the blogs, the show and every other outlet have been amazing. The response has literally been overwhelming. And with everyone's help, the grassroots turned out and got results.

...snip

But there is ONE BIG PROBLEM. Senator Biden just signaled a complete surrender with his comments on CNN Late Edition. I hope to God he misspoke and will clarify himself. This is his direct quote:

"I think a filibuster make sense when you have a prospect of actually succeeding," Biden said on CNN's "Late Edition." "I will vote one time to say to continue the debate. but the truth of the matter" is that Alito will be confirmed, he said.

What good does voting once to sustain a filibuster do if you are just going to buckle on the second vote. How much clearer a sign can Senator Biden send to Bill Frist that he is ready to surrender at the first sign of resistance? If you're only going to vote to maintain a filibuster once, why bother with the whole farce?

Can the Democrats be this impossibly weak? I'm hoping that this is a misunderstanding. I hope to hear soon Senator Biden has clarified this misstatement and that he could not have possibly meant that the Democrats would drag everybody -- most especially they're own constituency - through this whole process while at the same time promising to give up on the second vote.

If you are interested in this fight at all, I implore you to reach out to Senator Biden's office immediately and ask him to clarify. If we can write enough e-mails, perhaps we can get a response (as we have already done in this process many times) and Senator Biden can clear up this misunderstanding.

Here's his office's e-mail:

[e-mail]

We've come too far, changed too many minds -- AND VOTES -- to let up now. If all the great people who have been involved in this fight can focus their energies at the same time towards Senator Biden and get him to pledge to vote against cloture on the first vote, the second vote and for as many votes as necessary to ensure that the filibuster of Sam Alito is successful, we can prevail.


Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/filibuster-update-bide_b_14680.html

[seabeyond]

1. he is suppose to be sleeping. .... here is my email

no on 2nd, 3rd, 4th vote too.


No way biden. You don’t get off with that. Huh, no way. Hey dude, I was all for allowing alito to go in and screw up our nation. Maybe if EVERYONE is hurt, the politicians will start getting serious and the American people will listen. But the dems, the people are rising. That has to be respected. I am behind them all they way

You don’t give to give up on 2nd vote. Either don’t do it, or do it. no inbetween


XXXXX XXXX
Amarillo, Texas



NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security Agency may have read this email without warning, warrant, or notice. They may do this
without any judicial or legislative oversight. You have no recourse nor protection save to call for the impeachment of the current President.

[cal04]

2. I heard him before he left for some sleep. He was so mad I guess

he had to get it off his chest. He wanted every blog to post something about Biden

[Burried News]

3. Maybe his rationale is to filibuster just lomg enough to embarass

the Prez at the SOTU? I'd rather have this much support than nothing. But when it comes to either Joe, I am not sold.

[radio4progressives]

4. thanks (wrote to Biden) k&r n/t

[tocqueville]

5. I have an uneasy feeling every time I see "Young Turks"

It's a very poorly chosen nickname, understandable 10 years ago, but not today.

The Armenian Genocide (also known as the Armenian Holocaust or the Armenian Massacre) is a term which refer to the forced mass evacuation and related deaths of hundreds of thousands or over a million Armenians, during the government of Young Turks from 1915 to 1917 in Ottoman Empire.

Public assurances of equal treatment for the Empire's non-Muslim minorities that had been given in 1908 evaporated once the Young Turks were in power. Even among the Islamic majority, the Turkish-speaking segment of the Empire quickly emerged pre-eminent. In 1915 the Young Turks executed a number of Arab nationalist intellectuals in Damascus and Beirut, as well as commencing the savage persecution of the Armenian minority, which ran until at least 1918

Although the European public and many scholars commonly labeled the Young Turks as liberals and constitutionalists, these traits were never aspects of the Young Turk philosophy. A detailed analysis of their ideas reveals that the Young Turks did not adopt liberal ideas, and under the influence of the theories of Gustave Le Bon, who became their idol, they devalued parliaments as hazardous bodies. Although a rhetoric promoting constitutionalism was implemented by the Young Turks, this scheme was merely a device to stave off any intervention by the Great Powers in the domestic politics of the Empire. The Young Turks followed the principle of developing an intellectual elite to govern the Empire, never envisioning participation of the masses in policy-making or administration.

Gustave Le Bon (May 7, 1841 – December 13, 1931) was a French social psychologist and sociologist. He was the author of several works in which he expounded theories of national traits, racial superiority, herd behaviour and crowd psychology. His work on crowd psychology became important in the first half of the twentieth century when it was utilized by media researchers such as Hadly Cantril and Blumer to describe the reactions of subordinate groups to media.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Turks

[izzybeans]

17. Me too.

Seems odd and hopefully just a naive mistake. But many "young turks" these days have been denying or justifying the Armenian genocide.

[mike_c]

6. faxed him a letter....

Senator Biden,

I recently sent you a letter urging you to support a Democratic filibuster of Samuel Alito's appointment to the United States Supreme Court, and to do everything within your power to oppose and block that appointment. I summarized my reasons for rejecting Judge Alito in that letter, so I won't repeat them here.

Rather, I am writing now to ask that you clarify a comment you recently made on CNN's Late Edition. Paraphrasing your statement, you said "I will vote one time to say to continue the debate. but the truth of the matter is that Alito will be confirmed."

Senator Biden, I respectfully urge you to reconsider this defeatist position. No fight is worth pursuing unless it's worth fighting to win. Judge Alito is a dangerous nominee to the Court whose confirmation will threaten the integrity of the republic. His appointment is not inevitable if forty-one courageous Senators hold the line against cloture for as long as it takes. Disrupt the Senate's business from now until next November if necessary! America is not asking you to make a symbolic gesture-- we're asking you to fight to win, and to keep up the fight until Judge Alito's nomination is withdrawn, or until the Republicans resort to a dishonest and immoral procedural maneuver to assert the tyranny of the majority in violation of the Senate rules.

It is true that the opposition holds most of the cards in this hand, Senator, but it is incumbent upon you and your colleagues to force them to lay their cards on the table and meet the ante in the full glare of daylight, with the nation watching. Dropping your opposition will serve no purpose other than allowing them an easy victory without showing their true colors, and if we are to lose anyway, as your CNN statement suggests, why not gain something worthwhile from the struggle?

Please reconsider the sentiment you expressed on CNN, sir. The nation needs your commitment to fight to win, for as long as it takes, not meek acquiescence on the second vote. I urge you to do whatever it takes to impede the radical conservative agenda for as long as possible.

Respectfully yours,
/x/

[hootinholler]

7. Joe 'Dupont-MBNA" Biden...

You sir have your crainium embedded in your sphincter! If Alito makes it onto the court, it will be because of the likes of you and other Senators of your ilk. All of you will undergo the mother of all Crainio-Rectal-ectomies shortly after the first Unitary Executive case hits the USSC. When that time comes, realizing we the people have been royally screwed again, I shall take solace in the bubble wrap like poping sounds in DC as they are performed.

-Hoot

[aquart]

10. This is my email:

You are the epitome of the Spineless Democrat, the craven enabler of Republican Empire policies.

I turn off Sunday talk shows when you appear as the "Democrat."

WE ALWAYS LOSE WHEN WE DON'T FIGHT.

Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward. Coward.

I am less afraid of Osama than Bush. I know who's done more damage. Do you?

[understandinglife]

8. My email: "The truth of the matter, Senator Biden, ...

... is that "We the People..." are who pay you to do your job and you are not doing your job if you are not fighting every minute of every day to keep Alito off of SCOTUS. I hope that is clear, now. If not, call me at xxxxxxxxxx (my personal cellphone), and I'll explain the facts of your oath of office, your role as a US Senator, and that the majority of our fellow Citizens, of whom a majority are DEMOCRATS, object to Alito.

Get to work Senator. Stop talking nonsense and start defending our Constitution from Bush and his neoconster minions.

Thank you,

Peace.

[bvar22]

9. Maybe "HairPlugs Joe" wants to run against Cindy Sheehan?

Somebody give Cindy a call.

The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

[stickdog]

11. Biden is a bi-Dem. He swings both ways.

I liked him better when he was plagiarizing Neil Kinnock instead of Zell Miller.

[nashville_brook]

12. not presidential material

sad, really.

[jillan]

13. He just blew it.

He was appealling to moderates, even some repugs were watching him.

It's over now little Joey. You cannot play with the
big kids anymore.

[nashville_brook]

14. 'Leadership" -- it ain't for the faint of heart

[Bozvotros]

15. My email...

Senator Biden:

A Senator with as much power and as many years of experience should not
indicate that you will vote to sustain the filibuster once and then
withdraw. This sends exactly the wrong kind of message to more timid Dems.
Why must we capitulate so soon? Why couldn't you tell Wolfie, that partisan
hack, that you intended to support the filibuster strongly because Alito is
so unqualified. You said the latter just not the former.

You should have mentioned all the reasons why Alito should not be confirmed
and used Wolfie the way Dean did when he was on. It makes you look like a
tool, Joe and it makes all Dems who feel passionately about keeping this man
off the bench, look like fools. I am nearly at the point of quitting the
party Joe. With these marauding Republicans running around, it is
important that the party stick together like glue. You could help, even be
crucial in presenting a united stand and wise alternatives to the American
people.

Shock us. Shock that schmuck Wolfie and go the distance. Help bring those
strays back and make them beat us with the nuclear option. Americans will
then see what the Republicans think of the rule of law. Lets not go down
by our own hand shall we?

Please.

Respectfully,

[tsuki]

16. Biden has been playing with the Beltway Bullies too long. He'll

do what the rank and file want him to do, but his heart is with the Republicans. He wants everyone to know he's being forced to, so please Mr. BB don't be mad at me.