Hillary to join Kerry and Kennedy in support of Alito filibuster

Breaking with top Democrats, Senator Hillary Clinton has announced that she will join Sens. Kerry and Kennedy in supporting a filibuster for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. Via Newsday:

WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday announced she’ll join potential 2008 presidential rival John Kerry in voting to filibuster against Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, just as top Democratic leaders predicted the effort is likely doomed.

With three Democratic senators pledging support for Alito, the New Jersey conservative seems virtually assured of being confirmed by the full Senate Monday or Tuesday, party leaders predicted Friday. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters in Washington that “everyone knows” Senate Democrats couldn’t muster the 40 votes needed to support a last-ditch filibuster.

CNN is reporting the same thing today with regards to the Democrats not having enough votes in the Senate to filibuster Alito.

In related news, former Democratic party darling and now dropped-like-a-hot-potato Cindy Sheehan threatened to run against Sen. Dianne Feinstein if she doesn’t filibuster Alito. Feinstein has said she will vote against confirming Alito but not support the filibuster. I’m sure Feinstein is quaking in her boots at the very thought. In any event, Feinstein has changed her mind and will now join Kennedy, Kerry, and Clinton in attempting to filibuster Alito.

Michelle Malkin wrote last night that Ted Kennedy posted a thank you note at the liberal blog Daily Kos, making it the second time this week that a prominent Democrat (the first one was Sen. Kerry) posted on a blog many on the left claim does not represent mainstream Democrats. Hmmmm ….

I still believe Alito will be confirmed regardless of the desperate antics of those who don’t want that to happen, but this is an election year, and you can best believe that those filibuster-supporting Democrats are going to use the time they have on the floor of the Senate to make sure their base knows how they feel about Judge Samuel Alito.

More: The Washington Post reports this morning on the role leftist blogs are playing in the opposition to Alito.

Others blogging on the Dem intraparty squabbling on the Alito confirmation vote: Captain Ed, Betsy Newmark, Roger L. Simon, California Yankee, Todd Zywicki at The Volokh Conspiracy

39 Responses to "Hillary to join Kerry and Kennedy in support of Alito filibuster"

steve says:

January 28, 2006 at 9:43 am

The time has come to gift to the corrupt Republicans all Rightwing Democrats. Byrd, Nelson of Nebraska, Johnson and whoever else votes against filibuster, should be asked to leave the Democratic caucus. Peace
Big Bang Hunter says:

January 28, 2006 at 9:58 am

– Poor Hillary is really caught between a NARAL and a hard place. She can’t let sKerry make points with the al Qaeda-bats without trying to play to the base too.

– “Feinstein has changed her mind”
…. That would be the 5th time in two days. Dianne has honed the famous “Kerry flipflop maneuver” to a fine edge…

– Mother Sheehan sounds like a jilted lover. Apparently after she ripped the Teflon lady, and the left somehow lost her phone number, she discovered her tinfoil clan tend to eat their own. Now that shes no longer the media darling of the moonies, she could become a real embarrassment, sort of an “Unguided Mother Missile”. (Yes I know that statement, in particular the word “become”, is dripping with irony, but not if you’re a Liberal….heh)

– Bang
Bujutsu Blogger says:

January 28, 2006 at 10:56 am

Awesome Catch! What more could a conservative want? She just shot a hole in her boat of presidential ambition!
omapian says:

January 28, 2006 at 11:14 am

Before basking in self congratulations with the Alito nomination– be mindful that the Republican Senate has a history of compromise and the Democratic Senate marches in lockstep.
I am sure that Kerry et al know this. The filibuster is a win-win for him. In the unlikely event that Fisk can keep the mavericks in line, Kerry stood on principle while others were weak. If the Republicans fold, as has been their recent history, Kerry emerges as a great leader. If his own party abandons him (slim chance) he will be reelected by the faithful in his own district. Those who engage in any filibuster will be praised by the MSM and the otherwise apathetic public will see them as heroes.
Since much of the public can be swayed by opinion polls, there appears to be no downside for bad choices in politics. Examining off year elections suggests about 30% of the eligible population takes the time to study issues, and they tend to be evenly divided between parties. That leaves roughly 70% who form opinions watching late night talk comedy, soap operas, headlines, and sound bites. It takes only a few of those to show up on election day to offset the hard work of those who are informed on the issues. With the MSM feeding propaganda to the masses, this is not the time to relax.
Baklava says:

January 28, 2006 at 12:31 pm

That my friends was a poor attempt at staying on topic – melding his message with the topic thread (at 9:43 AM).

Thanks for the sadenning reminder omapian. The last article from Wonkette on Realclearpolitics.com reminds us that the left has NOT been convinced and sincerely believes that Alito is against individual rights, civil rights, etc.

Take this excerpt from Wonkette’s article:
Last November, New York Magazine’s Intelligencer section ran a wry summary by Dahlia Lithwick of the consequences of some Alito opinions. For example, Congress has no right to control machine guns. Making sex discrimination suits nearly impossible. Did people ever hear about this stuff? Even the red states might be bothered: “Sam Alito’s America is a land in which executives would grope assistants in closets, pedestrians would be mowed down at randomâ€¦.”

Can you believe this stuff. This is WACKY stuff that the left believes. They have a COMPLETE lack of perspective. They actually look at conservatives and people who follow the rule of law as evil and as people who WANT bad things (as if they can speak to what anyone wants.
Robert Cohen says:

January 28, 2006 at 1:45 pm

The GOP hypnotized echo chamber is freaking out and going into high gear with its propaganda that a filibuster is impossible giving encouragement comfort and solace to spineless Democrats like Reid, Salazar and others in their abject acquiesence. And of course the lackeys at MSNBC, Pentapost, NYT and the so-called MSM respond in lockstep to Rove’s commands.

But there’s fury out there about the stolen 2004 election and Democrats silence about it. And Democrats are hearing that fury and that’s why Schumer and Clinton and Feinstein have changed their minds. The pressure is going to build on other Democrats as well until they’ve got the 41. If Salazar or another quisling betrays them, there will be hell to pay. Progressives have had enough and have drawn a line in the sand. The point is to call the bullies on their bluff. What we’ve saying is make our day, pull the nuclear option. Because we all know it really doesn’t make much of a difference anyway — the Congress has no power whatsoever at this point except as a talk is cheap democratic fig leaf for an illegitimate autocracy. Let’s tear the clothes from the empire once and for all!

Might as well call a spade a spade. Demo Senators might be grinding their teeth about being called out, but the pressure is now irresistable and is boiling over like an erupting volcano. They can’t resist it anymore and the paper tiger, kleptocratic congressional GOP can growl like rabid dogs but this will keep on keeping on.
The Political Pit Bull says:

January 28, 2006 at 2:44 pm

The Fake Filibuster

The only thing more absurd than this last-ditch effort to filibuster Judge Alito is the degree to which liberals are …
Stop The ACLU says:

January 28, 2006 at 2:57 pm

Clinton Joins In On Alito Filibuster Efforts

There isn’t enough votes to support a filibuster over the nomination of Samual Alito to the Supreme Court, but that isn’t stopping some of them from making a statement out of it. Earlier this week Senator John Kerry announced his desire t…
RightWinged.com says:

January 28, 2006 at 4:09 pm

Senator Harry Reid Flip-Flops On Kerry’s Filibuster, Admits Playing Politics

UPDATE – 1/28 3:00pm CT: Hillary joins the the Filibuster march, and The Political Teen has the story. But why would she do this? She already made a huge mistake with the “Plantation” remark, and polls show that she (at…
Big Bang Hunter says:

January 28, 2006 at 5:29 pm

– Oh yes Cohen… All this “boiling over” of a small percentage of a small percentage, (leftist extremists make up less than 5% of the population as estimated by several demographic think tanks). Run for the hills. Check. Hope springs eternal in the paranoid, badly confused, and frenetic al Qaeda-bat ranks. All those promises spewed by their self-serving poly-sci profs just aren’t coming true. America is as strong a Constitutional Judeo/Christian representative democratic Republic as it ever has been, and the people who hate majority rule are entering stage 4 meltdown.

– I keep wondering how much longer the moderates in the Democratic party are going to keep playing this game of letting a small non-representative group with a “Socialist/Marxist/Free love/Pacifist/Murder babies – spare serial killers” mentality to stranggle and drag their party around by a ring in their collectives noses. I guess so far the money and support has been just too good to turn down.

– They’re 3 and 7 in the past few decades of National elections. Maybe it will take another dozen resounding rejections at the ballot box before they “get it”….

– BTW. If anyone thinks this nominee was a tough row to hoe, just wait till the next Bush appointee, which is entirely possible owing to the ages of some of the sitting Liberal judges, which will no doubt trigger an attempted political riot on the part of the Liberalcrats, who see all their shrewdly crafted “back door” judicial “legislators” on the SCOTUS being replaced.

– Bang
Publius Rendezvous says:

January 28, 2006 at 5:48 pm

What the…

If the junior senator from the Empire State is to triangulate her way into the White House in 2008, how does taking this position effect her chances? Senator Clinton is caught in a most precarious position, for no Democrat will win the White House wit…
Iowa Voice says:

January 28, 2006 at 8:08 pm

Cindy Sheehan For Senate?

Oh, for the love of….

Ms. Sheehan is considering a run for the US Senate. Apparently, there aren’t enough whack-jobs already in the Senate for her taste:

Cindy Sheehan, the peace activist who set up camp near President Bush’s Texas ranch la…
sanity says:

January 28, 2006 at 8:21 pm

What you may find eye opening is comparing the Democrats that are in RED states and up for re-election vs the ones who are not.

Also, you are probably seeing the reasoning behind the wish for filibuster is driven not by the party of Democrats, because even Reid is against filibuster in this instance, but seems to be more driven by the radical left than the more moderate democrats.

I think as this progresses we will see more of the radical left taking over the Democrat party and the moderate Democrats will have a choice to make on where they will stand. I doubt there will be a jump to Republicans, but I do think there might be more than a few that will jump to Independents.
omapian says:

January 28, 2006 at 10:25 pm

I take no comfort that some senators claim to be against the filibuster, or that they intend to vote for Alito. It will not be the first time that they stated an intention to do one thing and then do another.
If the MSM can persuade an apathetic public that this is a matter of principle, not just the last grasp at taking power from the people, the wobbles in the senate can change their minds. The filibuster has a single purpose: to obstruct the public in moving toward a consensus under the law. This is a serious threat to a government that is built upon the consent of the governed.
Baklava says:

January 29, 2006 at 2:10 am

Cohen wrote, “But there’s fury out there about the stolen 2004 election

You mean Kerry is furious and that is why HE is calling for a filibuster. He’ll get over it one day. The only thing that stole the election from him was his own lack of perspective that kept being displayed when he opened his mouth. Those last few sentence were way more factual than what you had to say about the stolen 2004 election. Facts matter to most Americans Cohen.
Robert Cohen says:

January 29, 2006 at 3:52 am

Baklava:

Not Kerry. Kerry doesn’t give a damn, and he’s way too scared and coopted anyway. He’s merely trying to cover his ass because he and Kennedy know the jig is up and even the figleaf of opposition isn’t sustainable anymore. No doubt he was a god awful candidate but that still doesn’t obscure the fact that he won the election in spite of himself because of a wave of revulsion from most of the electorate. Do some research and asking around instead of howling about “the facts”. Find out what the facts are first. Begin with freepress.org or democraticunderground.org or mark crispin miller’s web site.
ttyler5 says:

January 29, 2006 at 9:24 am

Oh goodness, Sister, Daily Kos is not a “liberal” blog, it is the queen of the hate-mongering, Big Lie-telling moonbat blogs!

How about this for a new name for moonbat blogs:

BLATS!
Lorica says:

January 29, 2006 at 9:33 am

Cohen said Democratunderground and facts in the same paragraph!!! Too funny – Lorica
Big Foot says:

January 29, 2006 at 11:28 am

Facts are what we say they are. There are no objective facts which are for the so-called reality-based community. After all we construct the new reality everyday and you out there especially in the press will strain to keep up and write and analyze it if you wish. This is a Christian revolution we’re fighting to construct a brave new world. In our post 9/11 world freedom is on the march and will reign triumphant when we roll back the Islamofascists and install, democracy, free market capitalism and eventually Christian rule in every country in the Middle East and Central Asia.

Samuel Alito is a federalist and a true believer in the crusade. Any attempt to defeat him will be met by holy wrath from the righteous. The looney left and other heretics will regret the day they tried to stop this belover Catholic brother from ascending to our high court. They will be met with fire and brimstone and sacred infamy. They will tremble as they are smitten down.

Kerry, Reid, Clinton, Kennedy will be driven from the Senate by the people’s righteous anger. And this day will be written in a special place by the hand of God. Lo, they tremble. Our Presdident and the Republican leadership are backed by the heavy hand of God. Should they succeed in blocking Alito the Congress will surely whither and the Executive will be triumphant at last with no carping from peons on the Hill.

We look forward to the day when the nuclear option will be triggered annd judgement day on the hill arrives. This will truly be rapturous. Do not flinch my holy, Christian friends from our heavenly duty to smite these atheists and unbelievers. We are doing Christ’s work on earth!
Baklava says:

January 29, 2006 at 12:10 pm

Richard. You don’t know me. I’ve researched since 1991 (when I was a liberal). I would say the places you sent me is the last place I should go (I do look at leftist sites).

Can you site evidence from any major news source that Kerry “won the lection in spite of himself”?

No.

And it aint what this thread is about anyway. You have let these places remove your lack of perspective and common sense and we could either educate you or you can act like you know everything already.
Robert Cohen says:

January 29, 2006 at 12:38 pm

Baklava:

You say you don’t look at lefty sites. You’re so ignorant and blinded. I’m a proud lefty, yet I regularly look at right wing and neocon sites — NRO, Weekly Standard, Newsmax, Fox, Powerline, etc. How can you even pretend to debate when you’re not familiar with the other side’s opinions and arguments. It just proves how intellectually bankrupt so many on the “so called” right are. at least people on the left and real conservatives are intellectually curious. You’re an intellectual super lightweight. Start getting educated and then maybe you’ll have a leg to stand on.
Big Bang Hunter says:

January 29, 2006 at 1:44 pm

Cohen. I’d say give it up, but Leftists, having no reality, or non-paronoid diven “truths” to bring to the table, have no choice but to continue on with the same tired adhominem attacks and perfidity. The left follow two main credo’s:

– Keep spewing the same lies, political slurs, fear mongering based on tortured logic and wild supposition, and distort the facts to fit your agenda over and over and eventually maybe someone will buy it.

– Evade any real debate by veering off topic, attacking your opponent, invent alternate positions, and keep restating the same pravarications until it becomes accepted fact.

– Goebel and Marx would be proud.

– Bang
steve says:

January 29, 2006 at 4:16 pm

Big Bang, you are aware that FOX, Rush and the Weekly Standard are all the propaganda arm of the Republican Party, right? Try Mother Jones for a month. Peace
CavalierX says:

January 29, 2006 at 4:21 pm

Steve, you are aware that ABC, CBS, NBC, the NY Times, the LA Times, Time Mag, CNN, NPR and all the rest are all just a small part of the Liberal propaganda machine, right? Try thinking for yourself for a month… or a minute. Peace out, brother man. (Why do Libs always close their idiotic posts with that sort of drivel, anyway?)
Lorica says:

January 29, 2006 at 6:08 pm

Hey Robert, why should Bak go to any of those websites when proud lefty stupidity is up in our faces daily. Cav has it right, why do we have to do any research when we are surrounded by liberal propaganda so constantly.
It amazes me Robert how fast you all resort to name calling when you have been bested. Bak is a very inteligent person, and inquisitive. But he put the foolishness of the left behind him and grew up to reality. We know who you are, most of us left the Dem party years ago, because of the way it was being run into the ground with it’s extremist agenda. I get so tired of the blatant deception and elitism of the left. Look at your own post Robert, “intelectual lightweight”, in NONE of Bak’s post does he name call, but look how easy it is for you to start. I cannot tell you how angry I am at your last post. Yes there is an intelectual lightweight posting on this thread, and it is the one who started the name calling. – Lorica
Baklava says:

January 29, 2006 at 6:50 pm

Richard lied with his accusation, “You say you don’t look at lefty sites.

My post included these words (lefties have no reading comprehension ability), “I do look at leftist sites

Hey man, I was there before I grew up! Sometimes you guys really get on my nerves with your pattern of INCORRECT accusations but then I have to remember thats who I was before 1991.

The rest of your paragraph is typical liberal INCORRECT accusations about me being a lightweight. I’ve read thousands of articles on a variety of subjects since 1991. I don’t need some newbie lefty coming to this site trying to make insults that only show your lack of due diligence and personal irresponsibility with words.

Lorica I think you are smarter Thanks for your kind words.
steve says:

January 29, 2006 at 7:34 pm

All MSM is corporate media, which is middle of the road. Fox is radical rightwing and just propaganda. Peace
sanity says:

January 29, 2006 at 8:13 pm

Trolling right along…right steve?

Steve says, All MSM is corporate media, which is middle of the road.

You are so far wrong on this it is unbelievable that you would even try to state this as fact when it is so easily debunked.

Middle of the road hmm? Newcaster, Reporters and Anchors for these have slid thier own personal bias against this administration into the news reports. Meanwhile when dealing with anything wrong the Democrats do, it is like pulling teeth to get them to report it.

Big suprise of the year was Couric not letting Dean getting away with falsehoods. Shocking.

You state that FOX news is radical rightwing and propaganda. Again, your statement are foolish and incorrect. While commentators are generally more right leaning they are not the news. Let me repeat that again incase you missed it. They are NOT the news. They are not News Anchors like Dan Rather.

People like Bill O’Reilly are commentators, same as Countdown with Keith Olbermann is a commentator. If you beleive what they say as the exact news of the day, then you really should tune into the REAL news and not commentators.

I have watched CBS, NBC, FOX and thier news reporting. I don’t overly see anything wrong with any of the reports. I have however caught snippets from the reporters on more left leaning media add thier own comments into the reports, which turns it from a news report into a commentator report, the reporting adding in thier two cents at times.

Here is an exercise for you steve. I want you to give EXAMPLES of Fox news propaganda as you put it. Give us links and proof so that we may discuss it. As for those of us here, if you really wish the comparison of the Middle of the road MSM types you think they are, well I am sure there are plenty here that can list you example after example of how you are wrong in those thoughts.
Lawfan says:

January 29, 2006 at 11:30 pm

Hilary has a long way to go in places like OH & MO. Abandoning the public’s consensus favoring Judge Alito in order to appeal to the ultra-left is not the way to start making up ground for 2008. This is a pointless attempt to obstruct the SCOTUS and the Senate from its business.
ArizonaTeach says:

January 29, 2006 at 11:39 pm

…And Mother Earth is the bastion of responsible and unbiased reporting? My God…I really…I have nothing to see to that. Pisces.
Baklava says:

January 30, 2006 at 12:38 am

Sanity,

I am now sanitized !
sanity says:

January 30, 2006 at 1:54 am

I guess it is a dang good thing I don’t come on as Circumstance…

You might be Circumsized….
GBA says:

January 30, 2006 at 2:00 am

What is Mother Earth? Is that a Native American thing?
PCD says:

January 30, 2006 at 8:14 am

GBA, are you being obtuse?
Big Bang Hunter says:

January 30, 2006 at 8:36 am

– Goodness sakes…is it possible….might it be… looks like it with the kind of posts we get from the Kos trolls…. its 1969 all over again… the rebirth of the …..

” Ditto Heads ! ”

– Yikes …. and I tell you….yikes

– Bang
Big Bang Hunter says:

January 30, 2006 at 7:15 pm

– Highly enjoyable watching Kennedrunk raging against the dying of the lefts “back door judicial” scam. He was almost down to getting on his hands and knees and pleading to the effect….”Hey all you wonderful al Qaeda-bats back home….look at me….I’m doing everything I can to try to obstruct trully representative government….. just keep that in mind when you go to vote in November please….plllleeeeeaaaassseeee” – What a useless form of human cellular matter…..

– Bang
GBA says:

January 30, 2006 at 7:26 pm

Bang,

Are you referring to Teddy as “Kennedrunk”?

GWB is also known as the “Kennedrunk Kid” for his DUI in Kennebunk, Maine. That’s what the locals call him.

I don’t think either of them hit the bottle anymore though.

I was really surprised that they didn’t have a brief quorum and then a vote by now. Perhaps tomorrow we’ll have a new Justice.
Pam says:

January 30, 2006 at 8:39 pm

GBA- according to an interview done by Barbara Walters with Victoria Kennedy(Ted’s wife): She has cut him down to 1 bottle of wine a night. He was 4 cocktails and 2 bottles and night The difference between the 2 is that 1 acknowledged his problem while the other continues to drown his sorrows in them….
GBA says:

January 30, 2006 at 9:41 pm

Pam,

Do you have a link to that interview? I would love to see it.

Alcoholics can stop drinking but they cannot stop being alcoholics. Bill W.

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