Dick Durbin should be fired as whip.*

[eyesroll]

It's the whip's job to, well, whip the party into unity. Moreso than the Senate minority leader, in fact.

He failed.

He's a wimp. (Wimpy whip = whimp?)

Fire him.

Hell, vote him out.

Oh, Boxer and Feingold too. They're deputies. Whimps, all of them. Kick 'em out.



*I'm just channelling some stupid and shrill scapegoaters who are blaming Reid for not being able to change the laws of physics, and want to remove him from leadership. But I bet some people will agree with me anyway. K&R4EVAH!!!!

[More Than A Feeling]

1. I support primarying the Alito 18, but not dismissing the leadership

There has to be some kind of continuity. This leadership team is still far superior to Daschle's efforts. Plus, all of them voted against cloture.

[gumby]

5. The Leadership Team Failed ... Big Time.

Personally I am not interested in standing in line to get my 'clock cleaned' ANY MORE.

[More Than A Feeling]

9. Neither am I, but I blame the individual senators, not the leaders.

Making an example of Lieberman and Cantwell, for starters, will be far more effective in the long run, and far more feasible. Leadership is determined within the senate, so there is not much we can do besides writing letters and making calls. We saw how well that worked.

[benny05]

28. I agree with you

About a week or so ago, I was asked to contribute to the Dem Senatorial PAC of sorts. After witnessing the most important vote yesterday, I decided I wouldn't give one red or blue dime to that PAC. Those senators who voted for cloture don't deserve my money, and they are not fighting for my rights.

Durbin did what he could. And Obama is still right about making the case to the American people, except in this instance, the Senators couldn't be convinced that Alito was wrong for the court.

[dolo amber]

2. Recommended

:thumbsup:

[swag]

15. AIPAC, anyone?

http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/050704fa_fact

[DaveinMD]

16. everything

is the fault of the Jews. Of course.

[swag]

20. My, what an awful and untrue thing to say.

[DaveinMD]

25. I was being sarcastic

because I'm sick and tired of everyone here blaming everything bad that happens on Jews. Its beyond pathetic.

[RandomKoolzip]

29. "Everyone HERE?" Like, on DU?

I had no idea we had a Jew-scapegoating problem, and that "everyone" is in on it.

[DaveinMD]

37. everyone was the wrong word

I've seen it enough that its pissed me off.

[gumby]

3. And they should take Hary Reid with them.

Worthless.

[saracat]

4. Reid must go.

[tritsofme]

6. This wasn't declared a party line vote by leadership.

Durbin's doing a great job representing me in Illinois, and I've been very happy with his performance in leadership.

[saracat]

7. Durbin didn't have the support of Reid. Durbin supported the

filibuster, but when Reid made it obvious that he didn't care, well, what could Durbin do?

[mikelewis]

8. Ya know... I don't care what you say about any other Democrat...

But calling Boxer a wimp is like calling Frist a hippie. Boxer maybe the only true Democrat we have.

[mello1]

10. Oh I will.... I plan to serve notice...

to both Durbin and 'can we all get along and serve bi-partisanally' Barack Obama. We are dealing with mentally ill people across the aisle and those who aren't brain damaged are too scared to govern. You can't reason with these people and it's time the Democrats understand this and work to regain control before the transition to facism is complete.

[eyesroll]

12. Please do not impugn mentally ill and brain-damaged people in this way.

Most of us are, or have loved ones who are suffering from mental illness.

My SO is six years out from a traumatic brain injury -- yes, brain damage -- and he would take exception to your statement.

Show some sensitivity.

:cry:

[mello1]

19. LOL! Well, what the hell do I call them?

[JohnnyCougar]

11. This is ridiculous. I hope you're not serious.

[dogman]

13. Tom DeLay might be looking for a job.

Maybe you can hire him.:sarcasm:

[benburch]

14. You can only do so much...

when you have to keep traitors like Byrd in line.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

17. Oh The Melodrama Already. My Lord. I Think Durbin And Reid Still Rock.

Some of you here are really starting to act like you have done everything perfect in life all the time.

[mello1]

21. Oh PLEASSSSSSSSSSE Stop.

Today was NOT the time for imperfections. But yall gonna see that this is no bull shyt game. Keep it up with the Pollyanna attitude like this is business as usual.

That ceased to exist on December 12, 2000.

[upi402]

23. you don't see it yet? AAHHHHHHHHH FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!

Really, don't you see that we have lost our democracy.
This is no joke, no melodrama.
This is like being judged by a Christian who beleives in talking snake stories.
Melodrama is not what this is.
It is anger over the official loss of democracy in America in the Judicial branch for many many years.

And with that, the rest. There is NO OPPOSITION PARTY!

NO MEDIA to tell that story, or any other.

We are officially fucked!

Hello!!!!

Melodrama?????

[Mass]

18. Why? How could he (they) work effectively when Reid made clear the vote

was not important?

[JI7]

22. ONLY WITH SUPPORT OF THE LEADER WHICH REID DID NOT PROVIDE

they usually do it with the backing of the Senate leader, which in this case was Reid who was not supportive.

[Hippo_Tron]

24. And who do you propose replaces them?

[saltpoint]

26. Getting an entire party delegation to vote the same is like

herding cats.

Durbin is one of my favorite U.S. Senators. He's done a great job and I'm jealous of Ilinois Democrats that they have him representing them.

[Jane Austin]

35. Hear, hear!

Hey, if you succeed in getting rid of every Demcrat who doesn't agree with you on every issue, you could be like me and get to have John Cornyn and Kaye Bailey Hutchison for your Senators.

I'd give anything to have Dick Durbin as my Senator.

[Warren DeMontague]

27. Durbin is one of the good ones.

Cut the guy some slack.

[Justitia]

30. I'll keep Boxer, thanks. -eom

[WyLoochka]

31. Durbin is solid and should stay

I think our main problem is still the out of touch DLC and DC slime "Dem Strategist" type of thinking. Durbin is not DLC - he is trying to combat that loser thinking from within.

The vote yesterday just shows us how much work we have to do to help Durbin do the "whipping" to overcome the years of Al From and cronies mesmerization of Dems. Many Senators do this reflexively now - take the chickenshit route and vote the GOP position - when a battle looms. From doesn't even have to issue an oracle from his repuke lite office, they are so well trained to do the pavlovian cave-in.

We gotta help our Whip and open up a can a whup ass on these people. Removing a non DLC Dem from a leadership position is not a good idea.

[Jane Austin]

32. It's not Dick Durbin's fault that the people of Nebraska, Louisiana,

Arkansas and North and South Dakota don't have enough sense to elect real Democrats.

The whip can only work with what he has, and if those states send him DINO's that's who he has to work with.

[Norquist Nemesis]

36. Thank you! We needed to put the pressure on moderate GOP

Senators and get them to flip. That would have been a winning strategy.

[Not_So_Right_Wing]

33. We need some Senator with spine...

Has Cindy Sheehan declared yet...?

[Norquist Nemesis]

34. BS!!! Let's put the blame where it belongs, please!

With ONE exception, Republicans voted LOCK STEP to confirm. Yes, we had three Democrats from Red states vote yes. I was surprised at Byrd's vote, but not Conrad or Nelson.

Had just NINE or TEN more Republicans voted their conscience over their party, Alito would have been a No vote. Of course, Bush would have probably just said "screw you, Congress. 'Advise and consent' is just a mere formality...I hereby appoint Samuel Alito!"

Even if every single Democrat had voted Aye, he would have been confirmed. Pressure needed to be put to bare on the moderate Republicans. So often we focus on eating our own, and often it is well deserved...but this time the pressure should have been brought to bear down hard on moderate Republicans to get them voting with the majority of Democrats. That is not Durbin's fault.