Cloture vote: 4:30pm ET, Reid 4pm, Frist 4:15pm. Debate ongoing! Raw Story: GOP Chafee voting NO.
Armando urges us to keep working, and observes: “[Ted] Kennedy [made] critical point that there is absolutely no reason NOT to extend debate … it should be stressed to Senate traditionalists like [Sen. Byrd that] a significant number of Senators wish to continue debating … Why [end] NOW? … Senator Byrd has said … read all.”
Update [2006-1-30 12:56:23 by susanhu]: Armando reports that Lieberman, Chafee To Hand Political Gifts To Their Opponents … quote below (along with inspirational words from a friend) …
Update [2006-1-30 13:23:52 by susanhu]: Kos writes: “[A]s Joe Lieberman votes for cloture on the Alito nomination today, and you feel really, really angry, channel some of that energy to NedLamont.com.
Update [2006-1-30 14:34:14 by susanhu]: NEW ACLU urgent press release: “ACLU Urges Senate to Vote No on Alito Cloture Vote, Says Nominee Too Far Outside American Mainstream”
Update [2006-1-30 14:45:44 by susanhu]: Latest rumors & talk: Nag is listening to Young Turks live TV/radio, and reports that “It’s unofficial… a staffer told a caller that Mark Pryor, a member of the Gang of 14, is abstaining from this afternoon’s vote. HUGE! … And, ReddHead at FireDogLake and I have the same nose: We both think that Ed Henry at CNN is getting GOP-supplied info on the filibuster prospects — all he’s been doing is denigrating the Dems all morning. (He’s CNN’s answer to Norah O’Donnell of MSNBC … even has that same kinda Ken/Barbie look, and he’s red through and through.) … Sen. Frank Lautenberg is giving an excellent speech right now ….
E-mail Al Franken now and tell him to talk Alito/filibuster.
Senators Joe Lieberman and Lincoln Chafee are poised to hand their political rivals great gifts today. They will be energizing the opposition to their continued presence in the Senate.
CNN’s Ed Henry reports, and it appears to be correct, that the Gang of 14 will announce, AS A GROUP, that there are not extraordinary circumstances justifying filibuster of Sam Alito. Remember who is in the Gang of 14: … From Armando’s story
Update [2006-1-30 13:41:0 by susanhu]: Words of encouragement from lovely Deaniac friends — he is a retired professor of theology — whose home is in Port Angeles, Wash. but who are now in Tanzania:
TO OWN THIS GOOD AND EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FIGHT…THERE MIGHT BE A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT FROM HARRY AND BONARO OVERSTREET FROM A FEW YEARS BACK….
” YOU SAY THE LITTLE EFFORTS THAT I MAKE WILL DO NO GOOD,
THEY NEVER WILL PREVAIL TO TIP THE SCALES WHERE JUSTICE HANGS IN BALANCE,
I DON’T THINK I EVER THOUGHT THEY WOULD,
BUT I AM PREJUDICED BEYOND DEBATE’ IN FAVOR OF MY RIGHT TO CHOOSE,
WHICH SIDE SHALL FEEL THE STUBBORN OUNCES OF MY WEIGHT.”
I WISH EVERY SENATOR COULD LEARN AND PRACTICE THOSE LINES…. AND ALL THE CONGRESS. DEMOCRATS SHOULD JUST WALK OUT OF THE STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH TONIGHT. HAVING BEEN REPEATEDLY LIED TO… IGNORED, SHUT OUT OF MEETING ROOMS AND CONFERENCES…WE NEED TO THROW OUR WEIGHT AROUND, AND STOP THIS MAD TYRANNY THAT IS ABOUT TO SUBSUME US.
FIGHT ON!!!!
GRAHAM HUTCHINS
ARUSHA COMMUNITY CHURCH
ARUSHA, TANZANIA
