The defeated attitude here is WORSE than the Alito confirmation

[Proud2BAmurkin]

Clinton got his LIBERAL justices approved with 98 votes including almost all REPUKE votes.

We get every Democrat except for a few stragglers to vote AGAINST Scumbag Scalito and people are giving up just because there was no filibuster.

Yeah it would be great if they all voted for a filibuster but that doesn't mean the othre ones should be voted out for "only" voting agaist the puke.

Anyone who gives up on democrats for voting NO on Scalito but no on a filibuster is an idiot crybaby.

WAAH WAHH WAHH.

[mmonk]

1. You are exposing your lack of understanding of what this means

[seabeyond]

4. respectfull the op has a point. we know what it means.

why we didnt want bush to win in 2004. because of the supreme court. if nothing else, because of the supreme court.

[ChipsAhoy]

2. Shaddup!

If you don't see how HUGE this loss is to our country, then YOU have the problem.

I'll cry if I want to!!!

[Proud2BAmurkin]

5. I agree it's a HUGE win for fascists but no appointee would be much better

all Idiot Son would do is get someone who didn't have as long of a paper trail. he was going to get 2 fascist justices no matter what we did. period.

[rodeodance]

3. I am just plain tired tonight--but we all will keep it up while the momen-

tum is high.

[Webster Green]

8. What momentum?

We're fucking toast.

[depakid]

25. Really... unbelievable

Hand momentum over to the right extremists just when they were on the ropes- and legitimize their policies with the State of the Union scheduled for the next day! Brilliant.

Sorry- but what's left of the party's in shambles and won't overcome this mistake.

Actually after this blows over, I'm not going to be posting much on anything except issue and policy threads. No sense in banging your head against the wall for what's destined to be a losing cause.

[lastliberalintexas]

6. Clinton got a liberal justice appointed? Wow- who knew?

Clinton got a couple of moderate justices appointed, and even a few liberal judges to the lower courts. But literally hundreds of Clinton nominees to the lower courts were blocked by the republicans, because they understand the importance of the courts.


You apparently have no idea of the damage that the Roberts Court can inflict if you don't think that the Dem votes were that bad. Alito, Roberts and even Thomas could be on the bench 40 years from now- and likely will for at least 25-30. A generation or 2.

Any "Dem" who voted for cloture also voted for a Corporatist Court, whether they want to admit it or not. And spin to the contrary just won't work this time.

[cascadiance]

18. Next time a Dem president gets a choice, he should...

pick a candidate WITHOUT consulting the Republicans if we have a majority in the Senate.

Pick the absolute youngest and most healthy possible candidate that we can that is liberal. I'm sure that Hatch had Ginsburg's health and age figured into his recommendation. Roberts by comparison will be on the court MUCH longer!

[RoyGBiv]

20. "Literally" hundreds?

You might want to check your numbers. It was actually 114 lower court nominations that were blocked by Republicans in his eight years as President.

Guess how many they blocked while they were in the minority.

While you're at it, check out some numbers on 1992 and what Democrats were able to accomplish despite Republican attempts to block them during that year.

[lastliberalintexas]

21. Sorry, that wasn't a slam on Clinton or the Dems

It was merely commentary on how the definition of "liberal" has changed in the past 25 years. Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer are decent, moderate, thoughtful jurists- probably the kind of people who should be serving on the bench rather than ideologues of either side. But by no means are they *liberal* in any place except Bush's America.


And yeah, my numbers were just a touch of hyperbole. :)

[RoyGBiv]

22. Sorry ... I missed your point ...

Had I not waded through some of the crap I've seen on DU tonight, I might have been paying closer attention.

Yeah, it's not like he actually got liberals appointed to SCOTUS. On that point you are absolutely correct.

Reminds me of an anecdote from college I'll briefly share. (This was the summer of 2000.)

I was taking a seminar on political election cycles, and one of the students made a comment during a presentation about how Clinton had "packed" the Court with liberals. We had about 15 - 20 people in the seminar as I recall, and it was fairly evenly split ideologically, so I had managed to keep my mouth shut, respectfully, during formal presentations such as this student was giving and saved my comments for Q&A sessions and in-class discussions. But that comment tore it.

The rules of these presentations allowed us to interrupt, respectfully and according to a formal process involving asking the "moderator," i.e. professor, for permission, to ask for clarification of points raised. I did so. And it was not pretty. And he never finished his presentation as the entire class erupted into discussion of the Clinton Presidency, the meaning of "liberal" vs. "conservative," etc. The professor actually encouraged it since that kind of debate was what he was trying to generate. That guy and I ripped into each other the rest of the summer.

[iamjoy]

7. Do You Realize The Seriousness Of This

I am a little annoyed at all the Democrat bashing, yes, I am pissed at the ones who didn't stand up and fight. Yes, I am annoyed at Republicans who try to claim the moderate label but then support Alito.

I don't think most people realize what a threat these judicial nominees pose to our liberty. Perhaps a filibuster would have brought some of this to light.

If nothing else, delaying the vote even a little would would have prevented Dubya from having a victory to crow about in his SOTU tomorrow nite. I'm not going to be able to watch that smug, smirk without my blood pressure going through the roof.

I think I got all cried out by November 4, 2004 (two days of tears and not eating was enough). I realized then what was going to happen to our country and even though I didn't think it would do much good to fight it sure beat the alternative.

[Pastiche423]

9. No

Nothing is worse than the alito confirmation.

Btw, your ignorance is showing A LOT.

[eggman67]

10. This is the reaction I was talking about on Saturday

When I said this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=263410&mesg_id=263622

It happens when people stop believing something can happen and convince themselves that it will happen in the face of all evidence and logic. This confirmation is inevitable. The best that could have been hoped for was a unified stand that would somehow reach the people and influence November. But God forbid we should strategize for that outcome, or plan for a way to deal with it. No let's just revel in denial until the cold water of reality shows up.

Could this have been successful? Sure. Was it really likely to be? No. I understand that the frustration is enough to make people want to will things to happen, but it just doesn't work that way.

The disappointment is so crushing because the expectations were unrealistic. Jeez, there was even talk of not only getting 41 against cloture but flipping 9 declared confirmation votes. There was an opportunity for a partial victory, but that's not good enough, we've gottta have all or nothing at all.

And anyone who dared to suggest that maybe the likely outcome should be planned for is a pariah.

Flame away, I'm used to it.

[bread_and_roses]

13. No. The anger is for the Quisling Dems who voted for Cloture

Period. Now, some of them will cast a vote against Alito - so what? They've given that illegitimate little puppet his "victory" - and for what mess of porridge have they sold their souls?

I hope to hell they find an empty bowl come Primary day - I don't have to hope that the gruel they get from the Junta in power will be thin enough - it will be.

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. Why all the flame threads...why? Let people be angry.

I have kids. Their future is in jeopardy and the Dems ain't cutting it in this format. I'm pissed. I'm an American, I have a right to be. Thanks. :hi:

[OnRee]

12. Everybody needs a chance to vent...

Talking about our feelings is part of the process that will allow us to get to the other side of this and figure out how to ratchet up the fight. Telling us to swallow our disappointment is a roadblock to that.

I know it's hard to see everyone discouraged--it forces you to deal with your own disappointment, perhaps...

In kindness, give everyone the evening to vent--we'll get back to work tomorrow when we can. Right now, we need each other.:pals:

[Wordie]

14. I think some of it is simply exhaustion. eom

[MercutioATC]

15. I'm not defeated, I'm plotting revenge.

Shhhhh....you're distracting me...


:)

[Neecy]

16. a few stragglers?????

Gee, I don't consider almost as many Democrats voting for cloture as those who voted against to be 'a few stragglers'.

[bigwillq]

17. The vote should've been 55-45

End of story. It's a different day and age then when Clinton, Papa Bush or Reagan were in office.
The pukes under GWB have divided this country more than at any time in recent history. They're the ones to blame for division.
The pukes, sadly, are so close-knit and committed it makes me sick because I think to myself---Why can't us DEMS do that.

That's why this is a very big deal. Not only because Alito is all but confirmed but there's so much division in our own party when in reality we all should be rallying around each other to save not only our party but our country as well.

[mello1]

19. FINE. I'M A CRYBABY. BUT I DEAL IN REALITY...

Not fantasyland. In case you haven't noticed, this party is broken. You cannot go along to get along with insane people. There is something very wrong in this country and it's time that peeps wake up and smell the bull shit.

[jsamuel]

23. It is time we stop making excuses for the 40% of our party that is so out

of it that they can't even tell how bad things are.

[OneBlueSky]

24. how many cave-ins does it take to feel defeated? . . .

it's not just Alito . . . in the past five years, the Democrats have facilitated and enabled the BushCo agenda at every turn, from the war on Iraq to the Patriot Act to bankruptcy "reform" to budget cuts -- you name it, they've caved on it . . . and we're supposed to say "good job, guys, keep it up"? . . . or "don't worry, we'll get 'em next time"? . . .

we're feeling defeated because our "representatives" in Congress are defeating us -- over, and over, and over again . . .

[B Calm]

26. I knew we had a big big problem when we had to call and fax

our senators to vote down a fascist corporatist. Damn right I feel defeated!

[SlipperySlope]

27. People are just feeling their passions

We deserve to be able to do that

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

28. Oh, quit whining about people using their right to vote the cowards out.

WAAH WAAH WAAH.