My cynicism tells me we are being played fools with the alito filibuster

[still_one]

throw a few democrats who say they will filibuster, throw a few democrats who say they will vote no on alito, but not for the filibuster, and throw an even fewer democrats who say they will vote for alito

So where do the democrats stand on this nomination?

All over the spectrum

Most of their Democratic constituents believe they should do everything, including filibuster to stop the nomination. Most Americans are pro-choice, and for seperation of powers, yet the democrats in the senate cannot even stand together on this.

They didn't have much problem voting for the patriot act mostly in unison

The directive from the DLC has made it very clear that the party should NOT filibuster

If the democrats cannot even get the votes to filibuster alito, then what does the platform stand for?

[cdsilv]

1. Time to tell them, no more money, and no more votes. Period.

As I've said before, I'll give $100 (all I can afford) to the DSCC if there is a fillibuster, successful or not.

IF our dems cave, then why vote for them or give them money - they're just the GOP in disguise.

As always, follow the money, because that is all the damn politicians do.

I really hate our election system.

[bilgewaterbill]

14. You're dead on right. Money is all these fools understand. nt

[Burried News]

2. Gonna be one innerestin environment for the State of the ...(Union?)

And that's just for starters.

[Fredda Weinberg]

3. I'd be more concerned if we all agreed

Of course, you're right to be cynical ... so am I, which is why I made a contribution to Friends of Kerry this weekend.

The lesson I think we should take from this is that we've got more power than we dreamed possible - now if we could learn to enjoy it, we'd be governing this country.

I know that I've been acting for noble motives, in enlightened self interest: the protection of worker's rights, the balance of power in a divided government and the ascendancy of justice over strict interpretation of statutes.

Sweet dreams.

[cyberpj]

30. Not this time. This guy will give Bush almighty power plus innocence

if we EVER could try him for ANYTHING.

[Fredda Weinberg]

36. We'll survive - let history try him

It's hard when you're living the first draft, but we stood up this time.

[castiron]

4. Liberals have been scared crapless.

We are truly cowed. Frozen. Whatever we do we're either elites, socialists, communists, gutless or believe in nothing. And the force of media is on the opposing side. It's pretty frightening actually.

[rainy]

5. The media keeps coming up again and again, this is our

true fight and the one we have to win before any other battles will be won.

[marions ghost]

23. U R Right

with the media helping to promote the "Liberal" stereotypes to the masses for the last 2 decades we have a huge image problem, to say the least. I agree this has affected our reps in Congress profoundly. They are afraid to act in any way that riles up their keepers. All they can do is rattle their cages.

But WE are going to liberate them and in so doing we will liberate ourselves.

WE are going to take back the Liberal Label and SHOW them what it stands for.

WE are going to make Liberal stand for Liberation from the Repuglicons.

This is our only option. Anything less is complicit with our Conservative oppressors.

[Orangepeel]

6. ya know, we aren't a 100% party

never have been, never will be (not even with the patriot act, god bless Russ Feingold)

[Cocoa]

7. Kerry ignored the DLC's advice

you should too.

He didn't see it as a "directive" as you do.

Same with Clinton, Feinstein, Lieberman and the other DLCers who also ignored the advice.

[Senator]

22. And the DLC has flipped

http://newdonkey.blogspot.com/

[dusmcj]

8. if leadership no longer serves it's public, it's time to change leadership

It's the American way, prototyped by Sr. Locke and co.

The Democratic Party has lost two Presidential elections it should have won by landslides.

I personally saw the candidate in 2004 turned from a vibrant energetic independent intellect into a handled cartoon with a fake voice and scripted content as soon as the PR lackeys and handlers got their hands on him. The simple answer is that those supplying, and commanding said content and image management couldn't find either a platform worth fighting for or a target demographic with both hands and a flashlight.

So that claims that it was the failing of the individual candidates ring mighty hollow.

We have repeatedly managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. There are indications that this is attributable to machers who style themselves the party leadership.

If this is the case, I personally remind them that their mission is not the perpetuation of their own power or that of their allies whoever they may be. Rather, it is electoral success of the Democratic Party. If needed at the cost of sacrificing said power.

Ignore the messenger and consider the message. I doubt that I am alone.

[Vinnie From Indy]

9. Purely from a political point of view

it seems like a no brainer to me that a Democrat could secure a huge number of the base Democratic voters if he or she would just stand up and say the truth about BushCo. during a filibuster. I will grant that the filibuster is an uphill battle with a small chance of success, but that misse sthe point. The point is that a filibuster would put a candidate squarely on a national platform to attack the raping and pillaging of BushCo. The political downside is minimal, in my opinion, and the potential benefits are worth the effort.

[Cronus Protagonist]

10. My cynicism tells me to send $100 to the leader of the filibuster

I have a hunch that might work.

:evilgrin:

Educate a Freeper Today!
Buttons, Stickers and Fridge Magnets made in America for brainy people
http://brainbuttons.com/home.asp?stashid=13

[seabeyond]

11. alito does not meet democrat values. i dont believe a single dem

wants alito. they are also the minority, that is the reality.

[tritsofme]

12. I don't call it cynicism, I call it common sense.

I don't think it was a coincidence that no senator was calling for a filibuster until 60 votes for cloture were already all but assured.

[still_one]

13. unfortunately, I agree

[GemMom]

15. Please elaborate?

I'm not sure I follow you?!

[tritsofme]

16. When Kerry "bravely" came out for the filibuster

I could already count out 60 votes for cloture.

It was nothing more than pandering.

[no_more_rhyming]

17. Exactly

It had already been defeated whe he started pandering. We're the idiots that thought he might be sincere. Like he never mentioned stolen election until LONG AFTER he conceded.

[blm]

20. Kerry stood because NO ONE ELSE DID. He was out of the country and

ended up having to cancel a major speech in Ireland, his work for the Senate Finance Committee in Davos, and head back within hours to get on the Senate floor last Friday.

Your "analysis" uses no facts of what actually occurred, which seems to me a strange way of analyzing ANYTHING.

[Inuca]

24. Pandering???

He exposes himself to ridicule, takes a position that may seriously hurt him politically and antagonize many of his senate colleagues, are you sure you know the meaning of the word "pandering"?

[tritsofme]

25. He sure made himself a hero around here

and the Democratic blogosphere.

He must think that is his only path back to the 2008 nomination.

[blm]

27. You attack Kerry more than you ever did Bush for 3 years.

Interesting how you don't have much to say on any of the threads unless you can bash a Democrat or agree with Republican economic views.

[tritsofme]

28. I don't find it very constructive to sit around in circle

And talk about how much I hate Bush, when I know that everyone here shares the same view.

Nevertheless, I don't need to defend my Democratic credos to you or anybody.

However I do find it flattering that you have followed me around for the past 2.5 years.

[blm]

31. Followed? No. I just have a very good memory.

Grew up in a very large family, so attaching names to views comes easily.

Yours are consistently antiKerry yet you never address facts, you only put up smears against him, and also against Reid - no matter how you use Reid when you choose for other arguments.

Interesting choices you make, tritsofme.

[blm]

18. That's NOT TRUE. And Kerry did not WANT to lead the filibuster, he was

scheduled to be out of the country during this entire period. A Judiciary Committee Dem should have stood up with Kennedy, but no one did, so Kerry stood with him.

Try your analysis using FACTS next time, instead of using only your hatred for Kerry and all Democrats.

[tritsofme]

26. I voted for Kerry, I gave him money.

I don't hate him.

But he's certainly not my type of Democrat.

Give me another Bill Clinton, a Wesley Clark, Mark Warner.

If it was going to happen Reid should have led it, but Harry is a pretty smart guy, he can count to 60.

[blm]

29. You SMEARED Kerry knowing that no other senator stepped up to

support Kennedy. You smear without mentioning one damn word about how he hadn't planned to lead a filibuster, he had firm commitments to be OUT OF THE COUNTRY ON SENATE BUSINESS and committed to a major speech in Ireland - all of which he had to srop to stand with Kennedy because NO ONE ELSE WOULD.

Kerry stuck his neck out KNOWING it would become a target. When you deliberately misconstrue the facts surrounding this action, it's called a SMEAR - a political SMEAR.

You seem to be quite persistent at it, too.

[tritsofme]

32. I counted to 60.

That's all I did.

[blm]

33. before there was ONE VOTE taken, you counted to 60 and rushed to DU to

attack anyone who dared to speak out for a filibuster and attempt to change minds?

interesting.

[tritsofme]

34. I'm not going to continue flaming with you.

I've made my position abundantly clear on the filibuster in the past, and I have demonstrated my ability to count to 60 as well.

I don't think there's much else to say.

[blm]

35. You worked to DISSUADE people from performing their civic duty.

.

[blm]

19. I think your analysis is INCORRECT. Deliberately so.

.

[TayTay]

21. This is exactly true.

Kerry did not want to do this. But no one else would stand with Ted Kennedy. So Kerry did. And he decided to elist the rank and file of the Dem Party to help.

It's a watershed moment for how the Dems 'talk' to their base.

[IndianaGreen]

37. Isn't it obvious that the only problem is the DLC?

Evan Bayh will probably vote for cloture, being the good stealth DLC/repuke that he is, but Kerry is doing GREAT!

Now, who do you think I would look favorably in 2008, Bayh or Kerry?