Some simple truths

[dsc]

Elections matter. Alito was put on the Supreme Court on Nov 2, 2004 not today. By electing Bush and a 55 seat Republican majority in the Senate, the country elected Justice Alito. Relying on a filibuster was both horrific public policy and strategicly stupid. There was no way in Hell that 41 out of 45 Democratic and Independent Senators were going to vote for a filibuster. Bush said he would do this. He said it over, and over, and over again. I don't know if the pro choicers and gays who voted for him anyway didn't believe him, didn't care, or thought they could somehow stop this, but they should have known better.

The Supreme Court decides more than abortion cases and privacy cases. We lost votes we should have been able to win because almost every other word out of our mouths in this was abortion this privacy that. Alito has a history of favoring business over government and government over individuals. He also has a history of supporting a breath taking view of Presidential power. Yet we downplayed that and talked up abortion and privacy. That doesn't work to well if your audience ends up being North Dakotians, West Virginians, or Arkansans. Yet citizens of all three of those states might well have been receptive to discussions of Alito's rulings on gender and race discrimination cases, bankrupcy filings, and pollutions cases. Maybe a few discussions of his decisions on government regulation in the aftermath of the mine explosions might have helped.

We have to win the Senate. God forbid that Stevens or Ginsburg have to step down while Bush is in office but if they do, we need to have a Democratic Senate to make Bush have to deal a little with us on these nominations. It would also give us more votes for a needed filibuster.

Elections matter. A President Kerry would never have appointed the likes of Roberts and Alito. A majority Democratic Senate probably wouldn't have confirmed Alito. Elections matter.

[applegrove]

1. Thank you.

[Beam Me Up]

5. Who counts the votes, matters.

[MercutioATC]

2. Exactly. We get the government we deserve.

I realize that I'm preaching to the choir here, but it's probably time to "deserve" something better.

[incapsulated]

3. I agree

This was decided last election.

2006 is all that matters, now.

[Vincardog]

4. ABortion was the RW talking point. Dictator george and the Unitary

pResidency is why I opposed him.

[SnookieDog]

6. W#hy waste our energy hating on "yes" voting democrats?

We have only ourselves to blame for this. If we work harder to help elect more democrats to the senate and the WH, we wouldn't be complaining about "traitors" right now. We would be smelling the sweet aroma of freedom.

[seabeyond]

7. but the dem people wanted it. and some dems gave it to them

i agree with what you say. i dont think it was bad though that the dem stood up. i watched a lot of orginization going on in grassroots. i saw them empower themselves. each battle will get them in shape. smarter. and better in battle

but ultimately you post is reality

[PassingFair]

8. Yes, we knew what was going to happen to the Supreme Ct.

We didn't know that our OWN representatives would be SO complicit.

Voting no today was a NO BRAINER for the dems.

I can't think of a possible reason any of them should have voted yes.

I think I'm done.

[lastliberalintexas]

9. Oh bullshit

The so-called mainstream media made this all about abortion, not Democrats. People on this board and other left to moderate groups, elected Democratic officials and even some members of the media spoke rather eloquently about the damage that could be inflicted on workers, the environment, civil liberties and yes even privacy by a Justice Alito. But the national media didn't want to hear or repeat it, and THEY made this all about choice. Not us.

Stop repeating what the media said this was about instead of what the Dems really did.