Schumer regrets not leading an Alito filibuster

[ProSense]

Schumer regrets not leading an Alito filibuster

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) declared that his decision not to lead a successful filibuster in January 2006 of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's nomination was one of his "greatest failings" as a senator.

In an address to liberal legal scholars of the American Constitution Society, Schumer said that after watching the work of the newly constructed "Roberts court" the past 18 months, he would block any future Supreme Court nominee of President Bush's should a vacancy arise between now and January 2009.

Schumer's address covered his views on the confirmation processes for Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts. Conservatives have hailed Roberts and Alito for their rulings and generally have said that their confirmations may prove to be the single lasting legacy of President Bush's second term.

But Schumer and liberals were alarmed by many of the 5-4 rulings that went against their interests, as well as the strong denunciations of the right wing of the court by the elderly liberal wing in its dissents. The Roberts court overturned previous rulings on partial birth abortion and campaign finance reform.

Those and other High Court rulings prompted Schumer's unusually blunt assessment of his own performance in the confirmation process, particularly during the hearings on Alito, who was widely viewed as the more conservative of the two justices. Here's what Schumer said of his own failings:

"Every day, I am pained that I didn't do more to try to block Justice Alito. Every two years, I look back and take stock of my greatest failings and regrets in the past Congress. Without question, my greatest regret in the 109th Congress was not doing more to block Alito. Alito shouldn't have been confirmed. I should have done a better job; my colleagues said we didn't have the votes, but I think we should have twisted more arms and done more."

There was an effort to filibuster the Alito nomination, led by Sens. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.), but it did not have the vocal public support of Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), then the minority leader, or Schumer or other members of Democratic leadership. While Reid, Schumer and all four Senate Democrats currently running for president voted to sustain a filibuster, they did little to actively support the idea and sometimes even mocked the effort. Only 25 senators voted to sustain the filibuster, and the next day Alito was confirmed to the seat on a 58-42 vote.

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[BattyDem]

1. No shit, sherlock!

Hey Chucky ... if you had LISTENED to your constituents when we BEGGED you to filibuster Alito, we wouldn't have that RW fanatic on the Supreme Court! :grr:

[Snotcicles]

49. Arlen Spector is the real shitbag on that deal.

Or was it Roberts, that made him crawl on his belly.

[blues90]

2. always nice to wish one had eyes in their ass .

[Horse with no Name]

3. I agree Chuck

AND I believe that by the time it is all over, it will be one of the most regretful chapters in American History.

[Kingshakabobo]

4. More insult to injury....

:eyes:

I knew that rat m--therf--cker, Alito, was up to no good when his MOMMY answered the door to the reporter and said "sure, he will overturn roe" (or words to that effect).

[mcscajun]

5. Great. NOW he's "pained" - His conscience ought to be doing quite a bit of..

:spank: :spank: :spank:

"One" of his greatest failings? What others is he going to own up to that could come close to this one?
Every single Senator who failed us in this should feel "pained" and a failure likewise, for all time. A lot of fucking good his "regret" gets us now. Idiot.

He gets NO sympathy from me, None at all.

[ramapo]

6. He played the old go along to get along game

Fool me once shame on me. Fool me again, them I'm a fucking idiot.

Most of our Democrats fall into the latter category.

[wisteria]

7. I feel like breaking into a chorus of Who's Sorry Now.

Actually, as I remember it, it was Kerry who lead the filibuster and took all the heat for it. It is a tough job to do what is right, but at least people are coming around to recognize he was right and they were wrong.
Gee,I wonder who the senators were who mocked he effort.

[rusty charly]

Schumer: say it:

"I am a shameful representative for the Democratic Party and a Failure."

Thanks for NOTHING, chucky.

[bluestateguy]

8. Oh that's OK. Alito will be off the Court in 30-40 years

:grr:

[mmonk]

9. I don't want to hear regrets personally because I wrote all these people

telling them the dangers. That's when I knew I was no where on the same wave length as the dem startegists who spit in the faces of so many citizens for whatever this strange strategy is. Sound harsh? A lot of the work I did for disabilities I'm afraid is on the way out. Understand our passion. We've been screwed as citizens with these bush appointees.

[rusty charly]

12. On how many more issues will we hear

these belated regrets?

Shoulda.

Woulda.

Coulda.

[mmonk]

16. Hopefully not many more (god save us all).

Sorry for the rant but the courts thing is where I really started getting PO'ed. I wrote my butt off to members of both parties in the senate to not confirm those clowns in robes.

[Big Pappa]

10. I regret

paying your salary Sen Schumer.It is really easy to say this now. Kinda like Sen. Clinton and Mr. Edwards regret voting for the IWR. Some of these asses act so retarded.

[Hersheygirl]

11. He should be more than sorry.

What part of 'their all liars' did he not understand? After the 2000 and 2004 elections, he should have been able to figure it out. No republican can be trusted to tell the truth.

[rusty charly]

15. Charles "SUCKA!" Schumer.

[Solly Mack]

13. oh, I somehow think that "we the people" will regret it far more than

anyone in government

[TomClash]

14. Alito and Scalia and Roberts = Opus Dei nt

[Peregrine Took]

17. How come a layman like me could see through those two and a veteran DC'r

like Schumer was taken in by them???

[marions ghost]

32. EXACTLY

Schumer is a smart guy.

How come so many of us saw this, in fact could see the whole trajectory as it's playing out now, could predict it....and people like Schumer go...duh, what happened?

They could have supported Kerry and Kennedy, who as usual, stuck their necks out.

Well I hope Schumer has many regrets. At least he's saying he does. So many don't even own up to their mistakes. :mad:

[CTyankee]

42. Chuckie and others feared being embarrassed and painted as incompetent

fools when the effort failed. These guys get so pompous they don't want to take any chances fearing how they'll be painted in the press if they fail.

This most recent filibuster effort, the all nighter, has generally been viewed in the press as a Democratic failure, not a Republican one. We don't have the votes now and we sure as hell didn't have them then. That said, however, they should be standing their ground. Just don't do it again with the cots and pizza. It looked like a giant sleepover party...

[Not Me]

18. Every time there is a 5-4 vote, I send an email to Bill Nelson (D-FL)

Reminding him that he helped put Alito on the bench by failing to stand with those in the party who tried to filibuster.

[whistle]

19. Well Chuck, don't waste time in regrets, impeach Bush and Cheney and Gonzo now!

[antigop]

20. The Lady and the Snake

http://groups.msn.com/NARCISSISTICPERSONALITYDISORDER/page2.msnw

>>
”It was really cold and a nice lady had a warm blanket. A poisonous snake nearby was shivering and begged the lady just to pick him up long enough for him to get warm. She resisted saying "you are a poisonous snake and you will bite me and I'll die!" He begged and pleaded and promised not to bite her so she finally gave in and picked him up and wrapped him in the blanket. He bit her and as she was laying there dying she asked "why did you bite me - you promised you wouldn't?" As he slithered away he looked back and said: "Lady you knew I was a snake when you picked me up!"
>>

[TygrBright]

21. We TOLD ya, Chuck, but would you lissen? NOOOoooo.... n/t

[annabanana]

22. Ah Jeez.... NOW he "gets it."

[Kingshakabobo]

27. That graphic is frickin hilarious! I'm trying to not wake the family here. n/t

[annabanana]

35. (mopaul is a genius). . . n/t

[me b zola]

23. Here's what makes me say a big FU to Schumer:

"While Reid, Schumer and all four Senate Democrats currently running for president voted to sustain a filibuster, they did little to actively support the idea and sometimes even mocked the effort."


I remember just how smarmy Schumer treated those of us who actively petitioned our representatives for a filibuster. It was this time period that Schumer made public statements calling us "the looney left" and "fringe".

Chuck, do you really need me to tell you what you can do with your regret?





:grr:

[bread_and_roses]

37. oh, i see...so we "looney Left" were....RIGHT ...again....

...now, just substitute the word "impeachment" for "filibuter" and we'll be hearing the same old song in the not too distant future...

thanks a lot, chucky. i remember racing to the polls and getting there about two minutes till close (I'd been working and couldn't get there before) to vote for you - I hadn't even heard the news and didn't know the race was already called for you - remember cheering on the way home in the car when i heard you'd won and we'd finally gotten rid of D'Amato. Thanks, Chuck, thanks a lot.

[hootinholler]

38. I prefer correct over right!

Just sayin, I've not seen much from the right that is correct these days.

-Hoot

[bread_and_roses]

54. LOL. I stand terminologically CORRECTED (n/t)

[WCGreen]

24. Well, when they start setting up the gulags in Alaska....

[Blue_In_AK]

56. HEY!!

What's THAT supposed to mean? You should be so lucky as to be sent to a gulag in Alaska. How about a gulag in Ohio?

[WCGreen]

59. I'm already there...

Trapped in an over stimulated gulag of consumerism gone wild...

Yea, me...

[Blue_In_AK]

62. I know...

(checked your profile). :) I was just correcting any possible misperception that Alaska might be gulag-like, which it most definitely is not.

[Golden Raisin]

25. Maybe they need an Oscar the Cat

to sniff out the judicial candidates that are obviously rightwing, obviously pre-vetted to be in Bush's back pocket, and obviously can be counted on to vote with Bush/Cheney/Rove/PNAC on every issue. Schumer is my Senator and I'm embarrassed to say that today. NOW he sees the light! Two conservative justices later. OK Chuck, better remember this when Justice Stevens (AGE 87) either retires or dies.

[WildEyedLiberal]

26. You fucking think, Chuck?

No, you were too goddamn busy making fun of John Kerry to worry about Alito, weren't you? So afraid Kerry might come out looking good if he led a successful filibuster of Alito - after all, that might make your pal Hillary look bad come primary time - so you were too busy going on Meet the Press and laughing it up with the talking heads about how naive and foolish Kerry was, after all, couldn't he count, we don't have the votes!

FUCK YOU CHUCK SCHUMER. Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.

[Hippo_Tron]

28. I gave them a pass with Roberts because I believed they were keeping the powder dry for the next one

And then the filibuster attempt winds up being led by John Kerry instead of the guys whose job it is to lead it.
:wtf:

[rucky]

29. I saw the film Jesus Camp tonight.

We're going to pay for this shit for YEARS.

[SoCalDem]

30. Wow, Chuckie... that makes me feel a LOT better... NOT!! n/t

[Hekate]

31. NOW he gets it? I don't know whether to laugh or cry. nt

[Nikki Stone1]

33. I'll bet he got it then. He was just intimidated, like the rest of the party

I will only buy this if Congress goes after Roberts and Alito for giving false testimony at their confirmation hearings.

[Forkboy]

34. Hindsight is 50/50

:)

[The Backlash Cometh]

36. Isn't that a fucking hoot.

The great Right-Wing Invasion began with a bang in the 90s when all these "moran" Republicans voted for the Newt Gingrich Revolution because he promised campaign reform. Then in the following decade it leaves with a whimper when George Bush's one lasting legacy becomes a conservative Supreme Court that overturns...wait for it...campaign reform!

I wonder if Jon Stewart and the Daily Show would have ever risen to such prominence if the Republican party hadn't been so generous in providing them with so much material?

[Warren Stupidity]

39. Chuck You Fucking Retard.

These clowns are real good at looking back and regretting the fucking obvious. Too bad that they can't ever seem to see the fucking obvious coming at them. Who could have expected Alito to be a total fascist tool?

[Hubert Flottz]

40. Did we or did we not BEG these people to do just that?

How could they have STILL TRUSTED...Bush or anyone connected with Bush at that point?

Edit...Stupid is the only answer I can come up with! Maybe Chuck will grow the balls and impeach some of these liars, who lied to congress under oath to get their jobs.

[dkofos]

41. I told you so. We told you so. Anyone to the left of Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini

told you so.
BUT YOUR FUCKING POWDER IS STILL DRY!!

[tom_paine]

43. Too late asshole. Now your grandchildren live with that and all the rest of your mistakes

which continue on to this day as you fail to recognize the Caesars of Amerika when they place their iron boot on your neck.

Too late, and he's just beginning to awake, if at all.

Too little and far too late, Cicero. Antony will still have your head on a pike.

[peekaloo]

44. Gee wiz Chuck maybe your next book can be about a fictional Senator

who writes books about fictional families and spends more time on its completion and subsequent promotional tour than on his responsibilities to his constituents. Just a thought.


My time frame may be skewed but it's the thought that counts. :dunce:

[Beelzebud]

45. Filibuster lasts a few days. Supreme Court justices last a lifetime...

DUH

[JudyM]

46. If you learned anything from your mistake, get pumped and rally everyone now to pound the WH.

A little more elbow grease, sir.

[Ninga]

47. Oh man, why admit this is beyond me...and this is a lesson to us all to not deny your

feelings and follow your instincts.....and more importantly.....use your experience. What good is gut instinct and experience if you don't use them for the greater good.

Yuk and Yucky.....so disappointing.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

48. Lets let Chuck know that he can redeem himself by voting to

impeach Shrub and Darth when it comes to the Senate

[UTUSN]

50. SHUMER has been out in front on our issues, sometimes one of a tiny few or the only voice

I just shake my head, when in a Democratic group, a bashing session is launched on a true Democratic leader.

[Ilsa]

52. Maybe we expect too much of our Democratic leaders.

But the stuff about how Alito was going to be was pretty damn obvious. We're going to have to put up with this fucker on the SCOTUS for decades.

[femrap]

51. Too fucking late now.....

Shit...his name is 'I-lie-too.'

I hope that he is laying the groundwork for the day when we can IMPEACH both him and Johnny Bob Taliban...they're both insane.

[Skittles]

53. oh, NOW you get it?

aw, fuck you

[Nutmegger]

55. Told you so, jackass.

That still upsets me. :mad::grr:

[cynatnite]

57. Hindsight is 20/20 n/t

[marmar]

58. How come the elected Dems only have 20/20 hindsight......

.... while the rest of us can see the shit clearly before it hits the fan? :argh:

[BlooInBloo]

60. Dirty fucking hippies: 2,356. Everyone else: 0. They really should call the game at some point.

[BenDavid]

61. Well gee there Chuck, if ands and buts

were candy and nuts we would have Hanukkah every day....

I do thank you
Ben_David

[Canuckistanian]

63. It's too bad no one mentioned it to him at the time

I remember the frenzy of posts around here at the time of Alito's confirmation hearings.

The calls to write, phone, fax, email and smoke signal senators were of top priority.

And The Honorable Charles Schumer was at the top of that particular list.

[farmboxer]

64. Anyone should have know better than to go along with Alito and

Roberts. Worse than Bork!

[NuttyFluffers]

65. "my colleagues said we didn't have the votes, ...

...but I think we should have twisted more arms and done more."

well, now you should know 2 things:

1) this type of thinking by your colleagues is the type of thinking that leads to failure, misery, and regret.

2) you are now armed with the knowledge of how passionate and driven you should be to prevent further disaster.

oh, if only we had a crisis nowadays. oh, if only we had a sort of -- how you say? -- constitutional crisis, in which we can prevent another disaster from happening. oh, and if we only had a legal blue print, one guaranteed and illustrated by our wise ancestors -- and told repeatedly about, in their effort to remind us of its import to use whenever such threats loom -- that we could use to prevent further disaster to our nation. oh, if only we had a such a tool, map, resolve, and the backing of the people to do such a thing... i'd even volunteer a name for such a tool: something short, two syllables, and probably starting with an 'i'.

[killbotfactory]

66. At least his powder's dry

[Roland99]

67. All he had to do was PAY ATTENTION!!

Sorry Chuck. But if all of us knew Scalito/Roberts were horrid, so should you have known.