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Audacity of Truth
Flyswatter in Chief:
"He had this fly that was persistently buzzing around him during the interview...he swatted his hand and he said ‘I got the sucker’...it was a, you know, Dirty Harry ‘make my day’ moment."- The NYT's John Harwood, describing Obama's killing of a fly - 6/16/09
Kerry pushes Alito filibuster
…. while in Switzerland (let’s hope he wasn’t skiing!). Via the NYT:
Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts could not attend the Senate debate on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. on Thursday. He was in Davos, Switzerland, mingling with international business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum.
But late Thursday afternoon, Mr. Kerry began calling fellow Democratic senators in a quixotic, last-minute effort for a filibuster to stop the nomination.
Democrats cringed and Republicans jeered at the awkwardness of his gesture, which almost no one in the Senate expects to succeed.
[...]
Kerry’s call for a filibuster – an effort to stop confirmation by refusing to close debate and hold a vote – was joined by his fellow Democrat from Massachusetts, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.
I’m reminded of what former Senator Zell Miller (D-GA) said about the two Massachusetts Senators in his speech before the RNC Sept. 1, 2004:
And, no pair has been more wrong, more loudly, more often than the two Senators from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry.
(Flashback: Click here to watch that speech in its entirety – it was my favorite speech from the whole convention 
)
It seems that, at least on this issue, some Democratic Senators agree that Kerry is wrong in trying to push for the filibuster of Judge Alito. Again, from the NYT:
Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic leader, sounded almost apologetic about Mr. Kerry’s statements.
“No one can complain on this matter that there hasn’t been sufficient time to talk about Judge Alito, pro and con,” Mr. Reid said on the Senate floor. “I hope that this matter will be resolved without too much more talking.”
And on Friday, Senator Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat and member of the Judiciary Committee who voted against Mr. Alito there, said he would not support a filibuster and doubted one would happen.
Speaking in a televised interview on CNN, Mr. Biden said that he thought the Republicans would inevitably force a decision, so Democrats should use their votes to “make a statement” without seeking a delay.
Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV), in a rare moment of actually being right on an issue, slammed the Alito confirmation hearings themselves. Michelle Malkin has the video.
Kerry offered a defense of his call for a filibuster on the liberal blog Daily Kos.
Is this guy not the gift that keeps on giving or what? I think after the 2004 elections, Kerry is still trying to prove that he has some relevancy on the national stage. I think the lack of support that he has received on this issue shows that he doesn’t have much, if any.
Related: Make sure to check out Doug at Below The Beltway’s post about the NYT’s stance on an Alito filibuster. Heh.
Read more via Ed Whelan at NRO’s Bench Memos, Captain Ed, Betsy Newmark, Polipundit, Outside the Beltway, The Moderate Voice, Confederate Yankee, bRight and Early, RightWinged.com, Iowa Voice, Gary Gross guest blogging at California Conservative, Say Anything
Prior Toldjah So posts on Alito:
- 10-8 party line vote sets up Senate vote on Alito
- Democrats scrap deal on Alito vote
- Sen. Joe Biden whines because nominees won’t take issue positions
- The Alito confirmation hearings: Day four
- A review of the Senators on Confirmation Row
- Thank you, Sen. Graham
- The Alito confirmation hearings: Day three
- The Alito confirmation hearings: Day two
- Alito confirmation hearings – day one
- Alito confirmation hearing promises to be a slugfest
- Leave Judge Alito’s 90 year old mother alone!
- Alito is “extremist” but Ginsburg is a “moderate”
- Planned Parenthood pulls a NARAL with ad about Alito
- Here we go: Alito is ‘anti-civil rights’
- Does Alito have the votes to get confirmed?
- Bush will pick Alito for Supreme Court
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There is no reason to filibuster this nomination. But then again there is no reason that 2 of them are still in the senate so go figure!
Blogging is like watching news on TV and being able to shout back at the commentator who offers conclusions while facts are ambiguous and few. Almost everyone can find some ‘fact’ to support their agenda, and those lacking facts can still resort to personal attack.
The party out of power goes has two choices: either offer a viable alternative or prevent the public from reaching a consensus. When those on the outside offer a plan, the public has a choice. When there is no alternative to offer, facts that present a problem can be dismissed or distorted by those who place the acquisition of power above promoting the general welfare.
The threat of a filibuster to prevent the President from filling his responsibilities under the Constitution, is political posturing of the worst kind. If the nominee was unqualified, a filibuster would be a valuable tool to delay confirmation while exposing weaknesses. There is nothing noble in obstructing the government for political gain.
Just a side note. If the conference in Davos that Kerry is attending is so important to the economies of the West, why isn’t Al Qaeda bombing it?
“No one can complain on this matter that there hasn’t been sufficient time to talk about Judge Alito, pro and con” Mr. Reid said on the Senate floor. “I hope that this matter will be resolved without too much more talking.”
Translation: “Kerry, for God sake, haven’t we gotten enough bad press already. Shut the hell up and go back to skiing down all four sides of the mountain at once.”
- Bang
ST, Thanks for the reminder of Zell’s speech. It’s my fave too. (Other than Dubya’s, of course.)
My favorite line was, paraphrased, “What’s he gonna protect us with? Spitballs?” One of the funniest lines from a convention anywhere.
By the way, I loved Sheets Byrd’s speech yesterday. He really gave Democrats, and especially the media, what for. And you could tell he was upset with the courts getting into the role of super-legislators.
This call for a filibuster is a waste of time and valuable airtime. It’s time to end the debate…it’s time to confirm Alito. I think Kerry and Kennedy’s partisan political move will come back to haunt them.
To Sen Reid – “my sentiments exactly” – I hope this will go through without much more talking. I’m tired of hearing excuses as to why they are delaying and now why they want to filibuster. It is their job to “advise and consent” on the nomination of Judge Alito not promote party platforms through a filibuster. Americans want answers and a vote!!
SENATOR ROBERT BYRD plans to vote for Alito. “I like him” he says.
I have seen banners on the side or the road that say “Give’em Hell Zell” if the man was younger and running for President he would have my vote. Zell is the only Democrat that has common sense and logic. sKerry isn’t worth the time to write about the buffoon.
(Moving this comment from Big Bang Hunter from another thread to this one — ST)
The Democratic Solidarity Redux -
- California Senator Dianne Feinstein stated her full support for a fillibuster on judge Alito’s upcoming vote for SCOTUS nomination, immediately after Senator J. Kerry called for the Democratic causus to rally, and mount such an action, to try to deny the judge the SCOTUS seat. Senator Feinstein said there was “[no] doubt that this was just too important not to fight off his nomination…” calling for other Democrats to join her.
- Interviewed a few minutes later in the halls of Congress, Senator Feinstein said she saw very little chance of such a move having any real effect, and did not think it was a wise choice for her party, nor did she think there was any chance a call to fillibuster would have the support of enough Democrats.
- Still later her office answered the accusation of flip-flopping on the fillibuster issue by stating….”[The] Senator had never said she was against atempting a fillibuster from the very beggining of Alito’s appoinment bid. That calling for it now showed she was solidly behind such a move by the Democratic caucus”…..
Huh? Heh….h-heh… h-h-h heh…..
Paging Senator Feinstein….Senator Feinstein…. please call your office….
(Personally I think she’s been spending too much time around Kerry)
- Bang
Comment by Big Bang Hunter @ 1/27/2006 – 6:30 pm
- Thanks Sistah… Forgot which thread I was on….
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