Who or What is frightening our leaders not to logically vote no on Alito?

[shance]

And who or what is frightening our leaders not to vote THEIR CONSCIENCE?

Seriously, what is the real truth here?

Are they being threatened, intimidated?

Are they being blackmailed?

Are they on some unspoken payroll?

What are they afraid of?

Obama and Biden come out saying its already done essentially. Is this true?

What makes no sense is how ANY of our Democratic (or even any ethical Republicans for that matter) would vote for this man if there was not something propelling them to do so.

Samuel Alito was dishonest, totally evasive in the hearing and revealed beyond a shadow of a doubt he is grossly unqualified due to his glaring ethical lapses.

Something doesnt add up. Just like the elections and like so many other things.

[Demeter]

1. I Think They Need Geritol and a Kick in the Pants

especially the women. Feinstein got hers from Cindy Sheehan already.

[joemurphy]

2. Most of them are "Red-State Democrats" and they're afraid of

the Religious Right and not getting re-elected.

[in_cog_ni_to]

3. Country first, party second, election third.

They need to do the RIGHT THING....SCREW their elections!

[jarnocan]

4. true, but I think taking a

stand would help most more than hurt.

[punpirate]

10. Okay, how so?

Do you disagree that there's a significant portion of the public out there that is waiting for the Democrats to represent them, and not either conventional wisdom or the perpetually undecided undecideds, or the corporate funders of elections?

That they don't want them to stop with just Alito? After all, Alito is Bush's thumb in the eye of the public, and Bush is not well-liked today, generally and on a variety of issues.

Alito is entwined with Bush, and about the only people saying a filibuster is unwise are the inside-the-beltway media pundits and the Republicans and the Democrats who are either scared or have been bought off. Salazar is sucking up to James Dobson on this one, and the Colorado volunteers who helped put him in office are pissed:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/1/28/233942/251

M'self, I think the only Democrats who are afraid of a filibuster are those that have some desperate need to go on seeing themselves as victims of the Republicans, as if that's some badge of honor. In fact, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Cheers.

[shance]

6. Maybe. But the appointment is so obviously extreme. Are they so dense?

Worse or are they so morally bankrupt?

I pray our leaders are not so mentally deficient.

I keep wondering why these horrific and ludicrous and Hitleresque appointments continue to go through. It seems bigger than what we are seeing.

If Alito goes through, we should fight back and demand accountability with all we have.

[Jade Fox]

5. If you can't figure out why something is happening....

usually it's about money. That's been my experience in life.

But I think this may be a case of the Dems not wanting to "make a fuss" and experience the attacks they will receive for Filibustering. It seems that the Dems persist in thinking the are taking the High Road in their dealing with the Republicans, choosing a sense of moral superiority over winning--a common problem with Liberal/Lefties. I believe the unconscious assumption lurking in this problem is that success against the Republicans lowers us to their level. I had an argument last week with someone here on DU who was saying essentially that: that we must at all costs not lower ourselves to the Republicans level, even though vigorously fighting them doesn't mean we are doing that!

[lyonn]

13. This Alito vote reminds me of the IWR vote

So many Dems were sure that voting to give bush permission to make war without further approval of the Senate was a terrible mistake. Yet Dem. Senators did just that, what was their real reason? That they believed bush and all the noise about wmd, terror, etc.? Now we seem to be facing the same kind of disaster and so many don't seem to get the big picture. Is it laziness, staying too close to the capitol building, too worried about the polls (that's my guess)? Can it be that so many of us don't get it? To me Alito will be a colossal disaster for the SC with a paper trail to prove it.

[joemurphy]

7. Cooperating with the GOP is no magic answer.

Remember what happened to Tom Daschle? That explains Dorgan and Johnson.

Ah, and then there's the situation of Mary Landrieu. My question to her is what good has cooperating with the Bush Administration done her in the past?

Landrieu was one of nine Senate Democrats to vote for Bush's disastrous 10-year, $1.35 trillion tax cut in 2001. The very next year, Republicans repaid her cooperation by targeting her and spending millions — unsuccessfully it turned out, but just barely — to oust her. In addition to President Bush, a parade of other Republicans came to Louisiana to stump for her opponent, Suzanne Terrell, including former President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, incoming Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi and Sen.-elect Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina.

So much for the advantages of being "a DLC Centrist" and hoping that cooperating with the Republicans will get you somewhere.

Some say she's voting for cloture so that Bush will release funds intended for New Orleans. If so, her hopes are unrealistic. It's like hoping for roses in December. Does she really think Bush cares about New Orleans?

Democrats will help her. The Republicans sure as hell won't. But that's Landrieu.

So much for "Profiles in Courage".

[blm]

8. The PROBLEM is that THEY REACT TO MEDIA LIES - Many lawmakers believe

media reports. They haven't yet realized that the corporate media is almost completely controlled by the GOP and their cronies.

[babylonsister]

9. Then they're dumber than a box of rocks, because WE know

the truth about the media; they have to also.

[Virginia Dare]

11. Yes, to all of it...

Big business owns every branch of our Federal Government, and they will lock the Judicial Branch nice and tight after the Alito confirmation to the point where it really won't matter who we vote for anymore. I know, it's depressing.

Speaking of fear, intimidation and blackmail--ever wonder how the anthrax attack investigation is going? Don't hear much about it anymore do we?

[MoonRiver]

12. Lately I've been thinking it's their connection to the corporate powers

that be. I have a sinking feeling that their corporate donors are putting the squeeze on because they really want Alito on SCOTUS.

[shance]

14. We are beginning to look like the old Soviet Union it seems

If we continue in this direction, we will wind up just like the Soviets.

The Soviets bankrupted their country taking the money from the people and building more killing toys and machines. Kind of like what the Bush Administration and the CIA seem to be doing to our country.

Until the greed and corruption of their government ruined the entire economy of the country.

Bankrupt and more corrupt.

America, wake the hell up.

[OneBlueSky]

15. just following the wished of their corporate sponsors . . . n/t

.