Why Are They in Office?

Interviews with the aides to Senate Democrats reveal a stunning lack of responsibility and integrity between their expressed horror at confirming Judge Samuel Alito, a man they state will be disastrous for the Supreme Court, and what they will actually do to stop the confirmation.

Advisers to Democratic senators are expressing great frustration at being unable to stop the man who most believe will significantly shift the nation’s highest court to the right. Today, a senior Democratic aide admitted the filibuster is a “long shot,” and that some Democrats who have announced their intention to vote against Alito have signaled they will not support a move to filibuster the vote.

Says one long time aide “There are a lot more people that want to vote no and think he’s not the right guy, and a lot less people who want to support the filibuster.....The myopia among too many Senate Democrats is stunning......They can’t see this is the fight for the future of the Supreme Court. Three years from now if Justice Alito has rolled back the right to choose, Democrats should want to be remembered for fighting tooth and nail to stop this guy......This is a fight for history, you can’t just take the issue off the table, does the country understand what’s at stake right now? Probably not. But they will when Alito does damage to our Constitution, and if we don’t fight now, voters will say a pox on both our houses.”

What type of logic allows these Dem's to sanely say they will vote against Alito – but will not filibuster?

Without a filibuster, Alito will be confirmed. Without a filibuster, the Supreme Court will be tilted against the rights of average Americans – in favor of corporations and government power – for decades to come. Without a filibuster, all the bluster and fire created by the Democrats will be revealed for what it now appears to be – just hot air. If the Democrats will not stand tall now for America, they should just go home.
Posted on The Human Stain