Apparently, a few DUers are almost as intellectually challenged as Bush

[brentspeak]

Most of the threads here feature at least one poster claiming that "the Dems are now responsible for letting Alito into the SCOTUS". This is different from merely saying "the Dems have no guts".

Excuse me while I snarf my coffee. Even a lengthy filibuster in this case would not have prevented the inevitable: An Alito confirmation. THAT was an ironclad certainty.

I seriously question the political sense, the common sense -- and even the intelligence -- of anyone who who believes otherwise.

[cry baby]

1. SCOTUS let it happen back in 2000.

Not the dems! Some dems have heroic hearts and unfortunately, some don't. My support and dollars will go to those who know how to fight for the Democratic Party and the American people.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. "Liberal Passions Run Amok"...

Film at 11

[Pirate Smile]

3. Hi, brentspeak. You've reached your overload limit, I see.

:popcorn:

Should we take bets on how long until this gets locked?

[JMDEM]

4. Say what?

How in the hell would a filibuster fail. You just shut the damned Senate down until the other side gives up. It's been done many times, including once by the Republicans to block an SC appointment.

[incapsulated]

5. I guess you missed the class on the "nuclear option". n/t

[JMDEM]

7. No I didn't ...

So what? Let them nuke.

Haven't any of you ever dealt with criminals before? The Republicans are a bunch of thugs who have shown repeatedly that they will take take take until there is nothing left to take. Somebody is eventually going to have to stand up to them.

Why is there any illusion left as to their motives and goals?

[incapsulated]

10. "So what, let them nuke"

Your query was how a filibuster could fail or be stopped.

They go nuclear and not only do they stop the filibuster on Alito, they stop all filibusters, period. Everything becomes a simple up or down majority vote. And they have the majority.

[Sydnie]

11. there is no illusion about their motives or their goals

We agree about that. We tried to do that today. To shed some light in a dark corner. I still think we did as long as the nay dem voters don't spin us as looser for trying.

[niyad]

6. the word is cloture, which means, when one side has enough votes,

they can shut down the filibuster. and, as indicated by the votes today, they had more than enough.

[Sydnie]

8. He's right - it was absolutely inevitable

A filibuster would have slowed the process, but it wouldn't have stopped it. The best we could have hoped for would have been 30 more hours of debate. It would then have been brought to another vote, and if there was enoough opposition, they would have tried the nuclear option.

The hope was to derail it long enough to send a message.

[JMDEM]

9. So what! Let them nuke away. Geez...

Man you just don't get it. Alito is the end of our country as we know it. So what if they pulled the nuclear option? It's over anyway.

[gordontron]

12. "Alito is the end of our country as we know it."

now that's a bit over the top don't you think?

[JMDEM]

16. Tell me why it isn't

Tell me why when Bush's claim to absolute power is taken to the SC, and is affirmed, that isn't the end of our country as we know it.

Tell me about how when Bush signs his little executive privilege slips to ignore laws passed by Congress, that isn't the end of the country as we know it. (Alito backs this view.)

Tell me how when the Bush administration kidnaps and tortures people, and holds them indefinitely without trials, and gets court approval to do so, this isn't the end of this country as we know it.

Tell my how when Bush can wiretap anyone at will, including political opponents, this isn't the end of this country as we know it.

[gordontron]

20. Because you are assuming that he will always be in power

or that his cronies will be. As much of an evil fascist regime this is, I do think that we can revert this country to the way we want it, if we elect a progressive congress and president. You might say that it is impossible to do so because the elections are rigged...and you might be right, but I still have hope for change.

wow my grammer is horrible

[JMDEM]

22. I hope you are right.

I better shut up for awhile before I get into trouble with the mods or something. I do hope you are right.

[FormerRepublican]

23. Yes, but they he can so distort the Constitution while we're waiting...

...that it won't matter. Remember, absolute power corrupts absolutely. I don't want Dems to have a Unitary Executive any more than I want Bush to. That's too much power in the hands of one man, and THAT is dangerous to our country and to our way of life. A mere change of power is not enough to correct the damage that Alito might do in his role on the SC, especially if RW factions on the court start toeing the 'puke party line.

[JMDEM]

26. Do you realize what Clinton would have done with such power?

Geez... it might have been 2 BJs instead of 1.

[FormerRepublican]

17. No.

[Selatius]

21. Not necessarily

Several of us forsaw what would happen if Bush won on Nov. 2nd, and one of the consequences was a SCOTUS that is more business-friendly and perhaps more tolerant of authoritarian tendencies that may appear in government.

[Sydnie]

14. I do get it.

I was hoping they would have to go nuclear myself, but they don't want to go that far either really. They know that their power will eventually ebb, and that would leave dems with that rule in place. Last thing they want is to nueter themselves when they find themselves in the same situation later.

That wouldn't have stopped Alito from being confirmed though, would it?

The sooner we understand that the only way we can change anything is to regain control of the House or the Senate. We must control one body to have a voice loud enough to make the earth move.

I didn't want Alito, don't get me wrong. I would love for there to have been some way to stop him. But, there wasn't.

We must come back to fight another day on an issue that we can win ... corruption looks good to me.

[guidod]

18. Why don't you use all that anger

that you have pent-up inside of you and go after your own senator DiFi? She's the one with her tail between her legs.

Do you see anything good about today, or is it all negative?

[JMDEM]

24. How'd you know my Senator was DiFi?

Actually Boxer's my Senator. I'm not sure who that other person is.

[joemurphy]

19. It was by no means clear that the "Nuclear Option" would have

ensued. We also could have responded by winning a war of public opinion due to the Republicans changing Senate rules to get their way or, alternatively, shutting down Congress in protest -- something Reid had planned to do when the Gang of 14 intervened the last time.

We didn't get the filibuster done because 19 spineless Democrats chose not to -- chiefly because they were scared shitless of fundies. That's what happened. Don't lay this "it was strategic" and "we never would have won anyway shit" on me. I'm sick of it. You can go along and get along all you want. But don't give me this bullshit about it all being inevitable. It's only inevitable because 19 Democrats made it that way.

[CottonBear]

13. Yes, yes, yes. They should've done it. Goddammit. n/t

[rooboy]

15. Hope you didn't snarf your coffee all over your dry powder. n/t

[Pirate Smile]

25. Ha, good word play.

I think I've entered slap-happy territory because that literally made me LOL. I need to go to bed.

[LeftCoast]

27. Locking

Please don't make broad-brush attacks on other DUers.