Update [2006-1-30 14:57:39 by BooMan]: Republican Senator John Ensign-(NV) was in a serious car accident this morning. He was taken to the hospital. His injuries are not reported as life threatening. I wish him a full recovery. As for the Alito vote, Frist needs 60 votes. Ensign will not be available to cast one of them.
Here is a new thread. And here are some good reads on the Alito confirmation/filibuster.
firedoglake
Kid Oakland
Kagro X
Also, see the latest on Chris Bowers’s polling project.
Update [2006-1-30 15:15:4 by susanhu]: Links to live Young Turks radio — their own video link is overwhelmed, but Crystalone.net’s alternate link works. They’re trying to tally vote — several still unknown.
Update [2006-1-30 15:52:36 by susanhu]: Call Carl Levin NOW — 202-224-6221
Update [2006-1-30 16:11:3 by susanhu]: John Kerry is speaking. A half-hour until the vote! I’ll start a new thread at 1:30pm ET … and i’ll need your help to track the votes! I can’t see the small print on my teevee from my ‘puter. THANKS!
and everybody else, actually…
a) as per, ummm…what’s that guy’s name…”the SCOTUS is extraordinary.”
b) has any other president in the history of this country consulted with members of the religious right when considering judicial nominees? i think not.
that is extraordinary.
Work won’t allow any blogspot sites – if anyone can keep me updated on firedoglake’s and other, it would be appreciated!
trying to as many emails out on the sly as possible today – want to keep ’em targeted! Thanks.
Once you get past the gloating tone of the headline and the quotes within the article itself, I want you to contemplate the structure and planning that the Federalist Society folks have put into play over the last twenty plus years to get to the point that Chief Justice Roberts is seated on the Supreme Court and Judge Alito is poised on the brink — maybe with only your phone call standing in his way for the cloture vote today. (Oh, and by the way, the “pop the champagne, we pulled one over on the Democrats” tone of the article has pissed off Teddy Kennedy this morning. He’s giving the Senate an earful on it as I’m typing this article.)
What I want us to think about this morning is this question: if the Democratic party and its surrogate groups are not thinking in these long-term ways, what do I need to do to step up to the plate and get the job done? And if they are thinking in long-term strategy, what can we do to help them get there faster?
Ed Meese, Robert Bork, and their coterie of ideological legal fellows pulled the Federalist Society together out of thin air and a lot of anger — pulled it together to combat ideological shifts in this nation that they found reprehensible to their own personal philosophies. The past few weeks, I’ve felt that same, simmering level of anger and frustration in readers over the Alito nomination and a lot of other issues — and I say it is high time we tapped into our own outrage and put it to some serious pro-active use.
I know there are a number of Democratic, liberal and progressive groups working against the Alito nomination. I know there are similarly positioned legal groups, let alone other interest groups in this country who have been working on these issues on our side of the ideological line. But it is time we started contemplating how to better organize ourselves.
Home for lunch. Coryn speaking and I just blew lunch. He is saying “Sam Alito’s America is the middle class America. Dems will stop at nothing to stop this nomination. Smears included”. These fucking hypocrats! How dare they talk about smearing someone after all they have done to “Swiftboat” our national heroes or even the nation itself. I am so sick and tired of their fucking lies. Sorry for the rant. I just had to get that off my chest. My computer is down at work so lunchtime will be my only time to catch the goings on for the rest of the day.
I’ve got Young Turks radio on in order to keep my sanity — and have C-Span2 at just-loud-enough so I can turn my ear if I want to hear. It helps when … oh shit .. a–holes like Orrin Hatch are speaking (like JUST NOW!)
OFFICIAL, via Young Turks
22 “confirming” Senators … may need 19 or less more … (they’re claiming that’s not a big number to get … oh dear … ) …
Young Turks really think that we’re going to get the filibuster! Who knows!
Listening to Hatch and other Republicans rail against Kennedy’s and Kerry’s filibuster attempt leads me to think it’s possible enough that it’s scaring the repubs. If there was no chance I doubt they’de be wasting time railing against it.
That’s a truly great, positive way to look at it, SS!
You’re always so positive.
Except about the Seahawks, you bum.
YES!!!! Excellent point Super. Why are they blasting Kerry and Kennedy so hard if they were not scared shitless. Oh please GSM let us be right about this. JUST THIS ONCE let the tide turn our way!
Well I have no choice now but to get behind the Seahawks since they’re the NFC (sort of) team. You won’t ever catch me rooting against an NFC team in the Superbowl. Besides, I’ve always nurtured a dream of living in Seattle where the politics and the music are to my liking. And don’t they have a sizeable Bigfoot population in Washington State? I’ve always wanted to bump into a Bigfoot and shoot the breeze ;o)
Oh that’s neat .. thank you, honey … we need you! … it’s going to be very nerve-wracking that day, but in an entirely different way from today.
yes, it’s said we have Bigfeet here .. god, would you believe I had a boss once, back in the 70s — a top exec too, and in the Forbes 400! — who made me type his screenplay about Bigfoot. Oh god.
If you ever come out, Darcy and her boss will take you hiking to some gorgeous places! They hike every weekend!
I can’t get Young Turks. The second link goes to iTunes for me. The first says server busy.
Correct. the alternite site opens iTunes because it’s an MP3 … can’t you hear it? I can.
There are several MORE links you can try:
http://relay2.crystalone.net:8002/listen.m3u
http://www.whiterosesociety.org/KincaidModem.pls
http://www.whiterosesociety.org/KincaidModem.m3u
http://www.whiterosesociety.org/Kincaid.pls
http://www.whiterosesociety.org/Kincaid.m3u
Oh god … they’re so funny .. they just played William Wallace’s / Mel Gibson speech about freedom!
I’ll believe it when I see it. Wish I could find reason to be less cynical, but I figure after what I’ve seen during my adult life that my cynicism has been well-earned.
Susan, I’m still listening to radio streaming of the Young Turks also. Here’s a link to a page with a bunch of audio links. I’ve gotten bumped off twice, but just restart the stream and it’s fine. It’s keeping me semi-sane. What a day!
Of all the democrats, I am so heartbroken over Byrd. What a shame that at the end of his career, I’m afraid that this is the vote he will be remembered for. I know I’ll never forget it… and I’ll never forgive.
They’re keeping me semi-sane too!
And tomorrow night I’m going to listen to Sam Seder’s hosting of a live commentary of the SOTU — that’ll help us keep sane too. *(I got an e-mail from Air America announcing that event: ” This Tuesday night at 7, join Air America Radio’s “The Majority Report” for Political Science Theater 3000. Sam Seder will be live at the Center for American Progress hosting a live panel before (and during) President Bush’s State of the Union Addess.”
That link tomorrow night is LISTEN to Air Americia.
I’m going to miss it (gotta go to the in-laws for final surgery planning for dad-in-law). Hope it’s podcast through iTunes (like the rest of AAR programming, yay!)…
I just put on the stream. I’m going to go get me some lunch, and then I’m going to settle in for the count.
is admitting that Roe v. Wade is at issue here.
My response to Hatch: “Well, no shit, Sherlock.” 😉
we replace “Sherlock” with “Wingnut Gasbag”? That would improve my mood immensely 🙂
Quick! I need a link to an Orrin Hatch hymn! They’s so inspiring.
I just noticed that Collins of Maine is a yes. I thought she was uncommitted. Maybe I’m wrong.
Snowe is still uncommitted.
Cochran now saying it’s time to end debate. Another way of saying no to filibuster.
has been listed as a yes since last week, I think. Snowe is supposedly sitting on the fence…
I’ve seen this before with the Senators from Maine – where they will split their vote on an issue. Maine needs its shipbuilding contracts for economic survival, so I think they work it so it’s a wash…
could be my imagination though…
Why oh why couldn’t it have been the dems turn while I am home for lunch? These assholes are really pissing me of and the blood pressure is going up by the second. I am going back to work early. Just can’t take this crap anymore.
“He answered 100s of questions” – LIIIIIAAAARRR! HE DODGED HUNDREDS OF QUESTIONS!!!!!
Must. Go. Fax. Now.
Brownback just took a backhanded swipe at Justice kenedy by saying how pleased he is with Alito’s lack of knowledge of international law
Well I guess that’s what’s the matter with Kansas.
Calls within the last hour to their offices have Dayton confirming support of the Filibuster and Dayton will abstain.
This is Very Good News.
fighting back on the usage of the ABA rating for Alito.
“United States Senate must consider more than the ABA rating b/c the ABA doesn’t look at consequences, or the balance of the court, the impact of Alito’s decisions on the average person…..The don’t recognize that Alito’s only statement Alito has made about a women’s privacy is that she doesn’t have one……hitting on FMLA…..barriers towards discrimination….effective check on teh abuse of Executive power….none of the rights we are talking about came easily to this country….we need someone who is sensitive to that history.”
CALL CANTWELL: 206-220-6400
That’s her Seattle office — per Young Turks — she’s taking a tally
“We all know what we’re getting (w/Alito)……We need to take a stand now…….this nomination is an extraordinary circumstance……we can’t go back after….the concerns arise out of his judicial record….”
Kerry just said it…
Extraordinary Circumstance
“thank Kerry for his strong commitment to this issue….this is a time, battle that needs to be fought, these votes will have an echo for years and years to come….defining vote on the constitution of the United sStates….bringing up Medicare, concerned with the problems to get medication adn coverage, deeply troubled by Iraq….all you have to do is look back at the history of the judiciary (he is launching into a great speech, they are both fired up)
a litany of instances over the course of the history that the judiciary has expanded rights to this country. WOW, he is surging with energy.
Wow
Go Kennedy Go
Bless him! I may need a tape of this so I can remember what a Democrat with guts sounds like.
CSPAN is listing Sen Conrad in the YES column for confirmation of Alito.
I’m not feeling well. And I doubt I have enough Mescal on hand to fix that.
If Sen Dorgan commits to a YES on confirmation I will have to rethink my participation in the D party…
We are close though … we have 37 — and they have 57 … six undecided so far.
there will be 15 minutes of speaking, followed by the vote as soon as they finish with roll call….it’s ZERO HOUR!!!!
I’m breathless … the Young Turks are being fabulous …
we are so damn close … so close …
shall I start the new thread now?
Specter, Frist, Reid will speak first?
Specter speaks first, then Reid, then Frist. Not positive tho. A new thread sounds good,
IT’S ZERO HOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!