Official Opening Statements Thread - Alito Hearings Now!

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Good morning everyone! Are we ready?

:bounce:

[stray cat]

1. Please feed the cube rats

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. We'll do our best!

[Trevelyan]

71. Still time to send email petition to your Senators to STOP ALITO

http://www.savethecourt.org/site/c.mwK0JbNTJrF/b.1142525/k.3576/Stop_Alito/apps/ka/ct/contactcustom.asp?auid=1198339

[Sydnie]

2. What channel please Viva?

I had checked C-Span.org and didn't see any listing for the channel. Is it c-span 3?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. CSPAN1

Morning Sydnie!

Isn't it a lovely day for grilling neo-cons! :)

[Sydnie]

5. Why, yes it is

I brought my appetite ... you?

Thanks ... have it on now.

"oh what a beautiful morning .... " :hi:

[Viva_La_Revolution]

6. 3 minutes...

If they start on time...

[Ivote]

7. Link for c-span

www.c-span.org

[Viva_La_Revolution]

8. Spector opens the hearing...

Ceremonial introducing of the Alito family.

They look fairly normal, not like Roberts stepford brood.

[Mist]

10. Is the presence of the family, especially the daughter, meant to

inhibit negative questioning?

[yurbud]

14. Yes. And it's a way to bore people into to turning off the radio

I just figured that out.

That's why pols always thank people and say how great is to be in Pigfuck, Iowa or wherever, so that people say, "Jesus Christ, this is boring!" And stop listening, maybe even to future events.

I remember some reporter ripped Mary Landrieu about doing this kind of crap, and appropriately so.


Pols also like to remind themselves what swell people they are and polish each others nobs.

[Trevelyan]

55. Anderson Cooper was near tears during Katrina when Landrieu was playing

the grateful Senator to bush and recovered when Cooper lit into her saying that the politicos congradulating each other rubbed people the wrong way when people were dying for lack of any response.

AOL news did a good thing and had a clip of that or I would have missed it. On the front page too with a question about reporters showing their emotions if it was a good thing. I was shocked by the criticism of bushco implicit in the question instead of ignoring the reporters who were outraged and crying by the cold blooded murder of US citizens. If we keep writing to the media there is hope and there are a lot of people who are waking up but don't know about Internet truthsites or don't have Internet access. Please post alternate news sites on neutral messageboards like AOL and Yahoo.

[Sydnie]

20. No questions today I don't hink

Just statements by everyone. I think that is what I heard just before it started.

[DakotaDemocrat]

9. Introducing family

Stepford Martha
Sister Rosemary (lawyer!)
Daughter Laura (swimmer)
Son Philip (Law student)
In-Laws (Gene AF NCO, Barbara Ret. AF librarian)

Mom isn't there...

[deutsey]

11. Airing on Pacifica stations via the 'Net as well

www.pacifica.org

I'm listening to it on www.kpfa.org

[Viva_La_Revolution]

12. Leahy now...

co-chairing the hearing.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

13. The Whiskey Priest has given us a challenge...

Find the Weasel in the Alito Hearing
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x88505

:rofl:

[Viva_La_Revolution]

15. Spector Opening Statement now

Big question will be Alito's views on the right to choose. Goody! Getting to the meat already!

[gkhouston]

19. I'm surprised he dragged that out right off the bat

do you think this might be an attempt to focus the hearings solely on abortion issues and steer clear of the separation-of-powers questions which the administration would rather not have asked?

[Sydnie]

21. Oh acknowledge one elephant in the room and ignore

the other. Yep, that's the ticket.

Someone needs to ask about it all the same.

[Sydnie]

40. Whiskey Priest wins - it was Grassley! n/t

[More Than A Feeling]

16. Think Specter has seen the polls

showing that Alito will be rejected if the people believe he would overturn Roe? He's going out of his way to talk about how the three justices who wrote the Casey opinion all opposed abortion previously.

[yurbud]

17. ask him about that recusal issue out of the gate

it's all about the benjamins.

Ask about Bush v. Gore too.

[yurbud]

18. We know GOP will ask lame questions, which Dems will & who will hit hard?

[Mist]

22. Leahy stressing the importance of Alito'sviews on executive power,nt

[im10ashus]

23. Leahy's laying it out.

* had a chance to nominate a candidate that represents the diversity of America. He failed to do so. (I loosely quote).

[Sydnie]

25. Oh SNAP!

bringing up the spying!!! I'm impressed.

[liveoaktx]

65. VIDEO-Leahy-heavily edited

Leahy

[Mist]

24. Leahy's talking about O'Conner's decisions--he's positiong Alito

as being a replacement for a moderate judge, rather than just on Alito's
qualifications. Mentions O'Conner's moderate views on abortion, and her disagreement
with the * admin. re: Padilla being held without being charged. Leahy is saying this
is the standard to which Alito will be held, as he's her replacement.

[yurbud]

26. Leahy ended strong, why can't they get to the fucking point sooner

senators should talk like newspaper stories--important shit up front, crap in the back.

So the last thing they say should be about his lovely family and colorful tie, and history as the whist champ of his boarding school.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

27. Hatch (R) now

using Roberts words...
Judges are not politicians

Says there should be vigorous debate when this reaches the Senate floor.

Consider Alito's entire record, not focus on specifics 'like some interest groups'.

oh. I think he just insulted us. i'm shocked.


edit: spelling

[LSK]

28. whos talking now?

I just turned it on.

[EwokMyWeewok]

29. this guy sounds like dr breen from hl2. twice as evil. nt

[Greeby]

30. Ted Kennedy up

:popcorn:

[Sydnie]

31. Teddy up now

Slap him down Ted!

[Viva_La_Revolution]

32. Kennedy (D) now

pause and reflect on the values of our country

will the nominee embrace and uphold equal justice under law?

Alito has been here before, I chaired first hearings.

He promised certain things.

I voted for him then

His record troubles me, now.

whooo! 2nd point goes to Sen. Kennedy!!

"I'm GRAVELY concerned"
"endorses overreaching presidental power"
has acted in favor of corporations
has ruled against individuals 84% of the time (I think I got that # right)

"We have questions"

Alito has dismissed application remarks to 'just trying to get a job'

has had conflicting reasons why he broke his word.

"It is our duty to as great questions that matter to the American People"

[Sydnie]

34. He is coming out of the gate strong!

Attacking his record ... and blivet** too!

[Mist]

39. Alito did NOT look happy when Kennedy finished. n/t

[gkhouston]

45. fine. Maybe he'll get snippy with the Senators, later on. n/t

[liveoaktx]

75. He flinched when Kennedy talked about Roe v Wade

[gkhouston]

87. did he now?

he's going to have to get some thicker hide unless he's planning to do a Miers. Maybe he wasn't planning that before, but I'll bet he's starting to consider it now!

[madokie]

42. alito dam sure won't be a shoo in thats for sure

Some serious questions. it don't look good for alito

[Tin Man]

47. Kennedy delivers 'ol fashioned, over-the-knee, pants-down spanking !

:spank: Ouch - that hurts, Teddy!!

[liveoaktx]

VIDEO-Kennedy

Edited

[Viva_La_Revolution]

113. ALREADY!!??

liveoaktx - you know you rock!, right?

:)

[in_cog_ni_to]

33. So far Specter, Leahy and Kennedy have mentioned the NSA issue...

I THINK that's going to be a MAJOR issue in this confirmation, as well as abortion and the right to vote. Go Ted!

[rpgamerd00d]

35. "Not a cheerleader for an Imperial Presidency". DAAAAAMN!

Zing!

[The Witch]

36. Ali-YO-to!

:singing:

:rofl: Sorry, Teddy, but.... :rofl:

[Greeby]

37. Grassley

Turn your sound down if you value your brain cells

[in_cog_ni_to]

41. "I have a much more favorable view of Judge Alito." followed by laughter

Of course you do. :eyes:

[Junkdrawer]

58. Summary: Some People Say (tm) Alito is Fair and Balanced(tm).

Not in those words, but that was the gist. :evilgrin:

[Viva_La_Revolution]

38. Grassley (R) now

blah blah

Ya Ya. The Lawyers "praised his legal abilities" What did they say about his ideology? I'd like to know.

[Sydnie]

43. "I want to tell the American People that Judge Alito was confirmed

unanimously, not once but twice"

Well, go ahead then ... no need to stop lying now, is there?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

44. He's defending vigorously isn't he?

Should he be promoting him already, the man hasn't answered a question yet!

Hey Assley! you don't have your mind made up already? DO YOU??! Bastard.

[Sydnie]

46. He brought his judicial knee pads today

Chapped lips much? Damn.

[Sydnie]

48. Biden up n/t

[in_cog_ni_to]

49. Time for Biden Dramatics. This could be interesting.

He's usually very entertaining. :7

[Viva_La_Revolution]

50. Biden now

"It's a great Honor to be nominated" (with emphasis) "congratulations" without emphasis! very subtle. :)

"I'm puzzled about some of the things you've said"

"you're slated to replace a woman on the court. We can pretend that that is not the fact, but it is. We will be halving the number of women on the court. OConner has brought balance.

Is he insinuating that Scalito is a little to FASCIST for the position? :rofl:

[in_cog_ni_to]

51. Biden's puzzled by some of the things Alito has said and written. n/t

[Sydnie]

53. Bringing up all the far right groups he listens to

that's a good start.

[in_cog_ni_to]

54. Yup...How the Federalists "think." That will be fun

to watch.

Women's issues...Biden will question him on them. Yay!

[The Witch]

52. Biden is kicking ass. "This isn't about you. This is a major natl debate."

:yourock:

Very deferential and frank... I like the way he's talking.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

56. Tearing down the RW arguement that Judges shouldn't be

asked their opinions! We ask Noms. for Pres, and Senate, etc? The idea that we can't ask judges is crap (paraphrased, of course)

[Viva_La_Revolution]

57. EWWWW Kyl (R)

"I expect a dignified hearing and a fair up or down vote"

Thank you for your service to our country.

let me make sure everyone knows how well you satisfy our requirements for the Supreme court. lick, slobber. oh god, I think he's going to give him tongue any minute!

:puke:

[Sydnie]

59. That's the same oath blivet** took

I hope this guy understands it better than blivet** did.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

60. all the Repugs seem to have already decided...

ugh! can we just skip these guys, they're all repeating the same lines.

[Sydnie]

61. Giving them permission to evade the question

If you can't say we "they" want to hear ... say nothing.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

62. Kohl (D) now

womens rights - first off the bat. very nice.

memos
civil rights
miranda rights
ruling against individual rights
government abuses
disagree with established law

"We need to separate the retoric from the reality"

[Viva_La_Revolution]

63. Trivia

The order of opening statements is decided by committee seniority.

[Sydnie]

64. ticking them off like a "to do" list isn't he? n./t

[Viva_La_Revolution]

66. DeWine (R)

"Constitution drafted as a popular document." wtf is that supposed to mean?

Disagreed about SC knocking down a part of the Americans w/ Disabilites act

[Sydnie]

67. Defer to the will of the people

like they did when they appointed blivet**? Is that what he means?

[gkhouston]

68. last I saw, that MSNBC poll was running 73/27 against

confirming Alito. Sure you know what "the will of the people" is, Mr. DeWine?

[Sydnie]

70. Good point gk!

He meant that Alito had to consider that, not himself.

:hi: good to see you!

[gkhouston]

74. hey, Sydnie

haven't seen you around the clubhouse in a while. Thanks for the play-by-play. I'm at work; just popping over for a snippet while some programs run in the background.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

108. it's being freeped

Yes 40%
No 60%

[Viva_La_Revolution]

69. Hey, I think it's just us....

hardcore junkies. Did everyone else drift off?

[nickinSTL]

76. I'm here...keep feeding us cube rats

:thumbsup:

[gkhouston]

88. I wander in and out and appreciate the tasty tidbits. n/t

[Viva_La_Revolution]

72. Feinstein up

"environmental issues." first mention I've heard this morning

I think we're all concerned about how you approach questions of presidential authority,
torture,
detention of american citizens without due process,
electron surveillance without a warrant,
womans right to choose

[Sydnie]

73. bringing up guns

the other flank is being assaulted too, huh? Gonna have the NRA visiting ER's all over the country. I can hear heads exploding from here.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

77. Sessions (R)

ugh. his whiney little voice drives me nuts!

"your record is brilliant but modest..." Who the F*ck is he trying to kid.

already bloviating...

said modest again! fer crying out loud

a modest guy! #3 is he trying to drill the meme or what!

[The Witch]

78. oh, sessions, the only guy sleazier than grassley.

:popcorn:

[TahitiNut]

106. I rank Sessions and Hatch at the top of the unctious sleaze scale.

Posturing, saccharine, smarmy sleazebags.

[Skidmore]

79. Jeff Sessions (the Twang of Democracy) is up---

just shoot me now.

[C_U_L8R]

85. What a kiss-ass

this Sessions fellow is gonna give politicians
a bad name with all this smarminess..... YUCK

[in_cog_ni_to]

80. PUKE!!! Whiny Jeff Sessions is up.

:puke: That voice! ugh!

~~~~MUTE~~~~~

[Sydnie]

82. He can't even read coherently

Must be a graduate of the blivet** school of public address.

[kayice]

83. Sessions is a little pip squeak!

[yurbud]

81. who was the hillbilly that said there's too many concurring & dissents?

What a fucking dumbass.

Why didn't he just say, "Will you say 'yes, sir' when your corporate masters tell you how to vote, and nothing else because it may inadvertantly be used against them in the future?"

[Sydnie]

84. DeWhineeeeeeeeeeeeee

of course.

[Sydnie]

90. "by activist I mean a judge who allows his personal views to

overcome his commitment to faithfully follow the law".

finally, some one comes forward with a definition! They've only been using that term for 5 years!

[stevedeshazer]

86. God, he's kissing his ass on national TV

What a brown-noser. Sessions is despicable. I can't say enough bad things about him.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

92. Steve!

Did you recover from Saturday OK?

It was great meeting you!

[stevedeshazer]

97. I had a blast!

I admit I was a little pasty the next morning.... :)

[Viva_La_Revolution]

89. "We don't want an Activist Judge..."

"from what I understand from your approach to law, you've got it right."


SEE THERE'S YOUR PROBLEM JEFFY! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!

[Strawman]

98. Alito's gotta know Sessions is a dumbass

Regardless of his political bent. That's what I'm thinking as I look at him listen to Sessions.

[LSK]

91. Sessions intends to ask Alito if he loves the Constitution!!!

Im so relieved :sarcasm:

[Skidmore]

93. It's hard to imagine Sessions as a practicing attorney or

prosecutor. He's not the brightest bulb on the tree.

[LSK]

94. hes not even ON the tree!!! n/t

[Trevelyan]

101. Sign Our Petition to Stop Alito

President Bush wasn't willing to stand up to the far right -- now it is up to the American people and our senators to stand up for the Constitution. Sign our petition urging your senators to oppose Alito's nomination to be associate justice of the Supreme Court.

Dear Senators,

The Senate must reject President Bush's attempt to reward right-wing special interests by nominating Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court of the United States. Alito's record as an ideological activist would make his confirmation a threat to civil rights protections, reproductive and privacy rights, environmental protections, religious liberty, and laws safeguarding workers.

I urge you to vote not to confirm Samuel Alito to a lifetime position on the Supreme Court of the United States.

http://www.savethecourt.org/site/c.mwK0JbNTJrF/b.1142525/k.3576/Stop_Alito/apps/ka/ct/contactcustom.asp?auid=1198339

[Sydnie]

102. Done .. thanks for asking! n/t

[Viva_La_Revolution]

111. Done! Thanks!

:)

[Greybnk48]

95. here comes Russ

I hope he got my email

[bettyellen]

96. Feingold coming up NOW!!!

[Viva_La_Revolution]

103. Vanguard rulings...

This is going to be a very sticky point for them.

:D

[bettyellen]

112. He expects complete answers on opinions. And stressing he's replacing a

swing vote.

[stevedeshazer]

99. Feingold up!

:popcorn:

[Viva_La_Revolution]

100. 15 min break

12 out of 18 done.

6 Opening Statements to go


What's his hurry?

Ahhh, he was trying to skip Feingold? :popcorn:

[Mist]

104. Among other issues, Feingold mentions again the fact that Alito didn't

recuse himself on the Vanguard case, after saying he would. They need to hammer Alito on that one.
Actually, they need to hammer him on everything!

[bettyellen]

105. must be a Check on Executive Powers, Conflict of Interest: Vanguard

highest ethical standards. bam!

[im10ashus]

109. Hi bettyellen!

:hi:

[bettyellen]

114. hi sweetiepie!

:hi:
long time no see!

[babylonsister]

107. Feingold is rocking! Brings up spying for years by the admin! nt

[rpgamerd00d]

110. Is Feingold a judge or did Spectre screw up?

He thanked "Judge Feingold" and then went to the break.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

115. I think he had to tiddle bad...

:P

dang. the chimp breakfast replay.

[LeftCoast]

116. Viva_La_Revolution - would you like to start thread #2?

This one is getting a little long. :hi:

[Viva_La_Revolution]

119. Excellent Idea! THREAD 2 HERE

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=364

:hi:

[Sydnie]

117. EWWWWWWWWWWWWW we have to see blivet** now?

OMG... look how snotty he looks. Looking down his nose at everyone!


"he's got a lotta class" "He'll bring a lot of class" ... what are the rest of them, bums?

[Greybnk48]

118. dignified!!!!!!!!!!!

Spin word of the day!!

[LeftCoast]

120. Locking

Please continue discussion here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x89812