Tag Archives: alito

Spineless Democrats

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Yes, and yes.

I love the first link. Read the whole thing. Here are the first few paragraphs.

Effective immediately, the Democrats will be known as the lyin’-ass boyfriend party – the perfect date for progressive voters looking to be stood up, bullshitted blind, or left holding the tab.

For five years now it’s been “Please baby, baby, baby, please! I’m sorry I was a no-show last time, but hey, that was because I was working overtime to save up to do something extra special for next time, which is the really big event – right, baby?”

Last April, when the Democrats backed away from filibustering extremist appeals court nominees, it was, “Don’t you fret, baby. We’re not going to go to the mat over small fry like Owen, Pryor, and Brown because we’re saving the filibuster for the big one – you know, the Supreme Court, baby.” Months later, Democrats folded rather than fight John Roberts, the young-ish yes man with a penchant for executive privilege and a wife who used to head an anti-choice organization. After all, they said, they needed to save their energy, and the filibuster, for the next Supreme Court nominee, who would undoubtedly be worse.

Well, baby, the moment of truth has arrived. It’s Alito-time, and the lyin’-ass boyfriends are backpedaling again. Why aren’t they going to raise a ruckus this time? Aw, baby… the filibuster is just so darned hard to use with only 45 senators! And what’s the point of trying to do anything until we’ve recaptured the Senate or the White House?

I have terrible news for the Democrats: being the minority party is not their real problem.

As I said: continue reading.

Idiot Reid

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From the Boston Globe:

Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada and the minority leader, insisted that Democrats are still considering a filibuster, though other senators and top aides say it is extremely unlikely that the party will use the parliamentary maneuver to block Alito. Reid said he would not pressure fellow party members, but he predicted that most Democrats will vote no. Reid said Bush should treat it as a warning to find consensus candidates — and preferably women — for any future picks.

“I think it sends a message to the American people that this guy is not King George, he’s President George,” Reid said.

Excellent. No filibuster, but hey, at least we’ll ineffectually vote no! And yeah, Bush should totally treat this as a warning to find consensus candidates, otherwise the Democrats might ineffectually vote no again. Stop, or I’ll say “stop” again! Idiots. Complete idiots.

You want to “send a message” to the American people, write a letter. You really want to send a message to the American people, stop being spineless wimps.

I’m so fucking fed up with the Democrats.

The Basic Case Against Alito

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The Basic Case Against Alito.

By all accounts he is a low-key, pleasant man who respects disagreement and does not insult his colleagues on the bench. He is a cautious craftsman who takes small discrete steps towards his objectives rather than daring leaps. Where the law is hard and clear, he does not defy it or try to amend it judicially – though of course as a Supreme Court justice he will have scope to modify even well-settled law.

But wherever there is running room – opened up by gaps in application, conflicts in precedents, ambiguities in statutes – Alito is an activist who works steadily to push the law well beyond conventional boundaries of precedent.

The article delves into the issue of Alito’s views on executive power. Indeed, that issue seems to be a big one in the Alito hearings. But while Alito would likely be on the Court for at least 25 years, Bush has only three years left in office; today’s current events will eventually fade away. Or will they? Until recently, abuse of executive power hadn’t been a big issue since the Nixon years. It could be that the issue is just inherent in Bush’s and Cheney’s style of management and will disappear when the next president (either Democrat or Republican) comes to power with his or her own people and governing philosophy. On the other hand, fear of terrorism is probably going to be with us for a long time, even after Bush leaves office, and the presidency changes people. So executive power could continue to be a big issue from now on. It bears looking at – along with all the other issues, of course.