Update [2006-1-26 12:3:16 by NeuvoLiberal]: Please visit this FP
live thread for continued discussion. Thanks.
The session has just started following the Quorum call.
Enjoy following it and discussing it below.
Here is the link to C-Span's live streams (choose one of the C-Span2 streams). In a new window.
Have fun watching and blogging.
There is an important issue of taking a close look at the recent public opinion polls regarding the nomination. Please check my comment for some notes. I will try to add some more thoughts in an update as the day proceeds.
Update [2006-1-26 11:18:6 by NeuvoLiberal]:
If some staffers are reading, I'd like to bring to your attention this 1/9/06 Harris poll, which showed a better public opinion on Alito nomination than the more publicized Gallup poll.
- On Confirmation: Dems (14% Yes, 48% No, 38% unsure), Inds (34% Yes, 38% No, 28% Unsure).
- On confirmation if believed that Alito would vote to make abortion illegal: Dems (14% Favor, 86% Oppose), Inds (26% Favor, 74% Oppose)
The numbers changed only by a few points (5-10%) after the hearings (as noticed in other polls taken before and after the hearings). That means that most of the electorate for Democrats do oppose Alito, if Alito is to overturn Roe V. Wade. Since this is a lifetime position, and Alito is clearly strongly anti-choice, it is fairly easy to make the case to the public that one could not take the chance of putting him on the SC bench, and hence that he needed to be filibustered.
Saved Diary Content from another diary.
Reality Check: Did we do OUR job in time? (w/ Poll)
by NeuvoLiberal [Subscribe] [Edit Diary]
Mon Jan 30, 2006 at 10:09:49 PM PDT
I am as disappointed as anyone about the outcome of our filibuster drive.
And I know that dejection is the most natural reaction to it.
But if you think about it, we in the blogosphere/netroots fell short too.
* NeuvoLiberal's diary :: ::
*
I will try to make my point with some assorted and mostly unorganized thoughts.
1. Did we organize ourselves in time to have an impact on the confirmation process? By and large, no. We needed to have stepped in to action and started building the momentum for a filibuster (or rejection) of Alito no later than late december or early January.
2. Those of us with legal expertise needed to have put together a comprehensive case (with an an easy to disseminate summary of findings) against Alito's confirmation based on his record, and more importantly, found ways to give it widespread attention.
3. One may plausibly guess that the wingnuts have been hammering away at what he have tried for the last 5 days, i.e. contacting and persuading our senators, for several weeks, if not months. Can we blame Senators (solely) when they respond to those calls and factor that into their vote decisions? That is not to say that cloture voting Democrats aren't guilty their share, and we must vigorously explore fielding sound primary challenges, a remedy that I often prescribe.
Then, where do we go from here? Is leaving the party the answer? Here, I disagee with our much beloved MSOC and assert that allowing ourselves to be divided and conquered upon is absolutely not the answer, at least not until we have runoff elections around the country.
Clearly, the GOP machine currently calling shots will probably resist efforts to institute runoff elections since that works againtst its interests.
The math just isn't there for any third party effort to become an electorally viable alternative in the foreseeable future, in the absence of runoff elections.
Therefore, we have no choice but to stay in the party and find ways to empower ourselves into greater influence within the party.
The dialogue we need to have ASAP is on how we can become more effective on legislative and electoral fronts, in addition to what we already do fairly well, namely present an increasingly powerful response to the RWNM.
I will close with the recognition that while we were awfully late in launching our efforts, it was nevertheless impressive how many among us laudably rose to the occasion eventually. Thanks for those efforts and thanks for reading.
Poll
Did we fail to act in time on Alito?
Yes
No
Not sure
Votes: 19
Results
::
Other Polls
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The blogosphere has been on this story from day 1 (none / 0)
the people who have held up action have been the Democratic party leaders in Washington, who have in turn unduly restrained interest groups. I've seen it in action. The leadership was doing everything it could to avoid the filibuster word until a couple of days ago. It was a disgrace.
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities" -- Voltaire
by ohwilleke on Mon Jan 30, 2006 at 10:46:32 PM PDT
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Story yes, Action no (none / 0)
as an aside, the speech that impressed me the most was by the Sen. Mendendez, the new inductee from NJ.
With a solidaly substantive speech, he made an excellent first impression as a senator, IMO.
by NeuvoLiberal on Mon Jan 30, 2006 at 10:51:33 PM PDT
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actually, let me take that back somewhat (none / 0)
it's not clear if the independent liberal groups did much of contacting the senators etc, but what I am saying is that, had we from Kos etc drummed up support for a filibuster from earlier on, we may have had better success.
I did what I could with this diary on Wednesday, but I failed too in not jumping into action on this much earlier.
by NeuvoLiberal on Mon Jan 30, 2006 at 11:00:31 PM PDT
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"On the story" -- yeaaaah, BUT (none / 0)
not acting. Not acting the way we have been.
I for one thought we were lost, and didn't have a clue what to do to change things until Kerry posted here. Then I thought, "There's some hope." Anyone else maybe like that?
I think we need to start hammering these people, and keep it up.
I also think we need to get together with people in our neighborhoods, just socialize, to forge Dem/progressive bonds. So when it's time to act, we have our networks ready to do something.
Now to see if I follow my own advice.
by PeaceMatters on Mon Jan 30, 2006 at 11:02:36 PM PDT
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If So, Think What It Means (none / 0)
If we have to plan and organize far aheadt means that we're the opposition to our own party.
If they're our party, it's their job as elected reps to have the presence of mind to save the republic!
This is a huge jump rightwards for the Court that will restrict liberalism itself. When Bush gets his next seat, liberalism even in theory ceases to exist here.
The whole premise of a Republic is that representatives are expected to recognize this scale of threats.
We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for victims of our nation and for those it calls enemy....--ML King, "Beyond Vietnam"
by Gooserock on Mon Jan 30, 2006 at 10:51:32 PM PDT
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They failed (none / 0)
in doing their job which IMO was to invest time and energy to build their own case, present it to the public, and then hold a well-organized senate hearing that asked the tough questions.
But my opinion is that we did as well, and so we should blame ourselves in addition to blaming the senators.
by NeuvoLiberal on Mon Jan 30, 2006 at 11:01:38 PM PDT
[ Parent | Reply to This ]
POINT WELL TAKEN (none / 0)
After Alito was nominated, we knew he was going to be bad but not exactly how bad. We didn't think we could do much about it anyway.
Then came the revelation of NSA illegally spying on Americans. Once again, many of us believed in the sanity of the American public and our elected officials. This will be a tipping point. We falsely put our hopes into the confirmation process to spotlight all the reasons Alito should not be on SOTUS. Surely, this will be a tipping point for our Democratic leaders.
Well the American public was not up in arms about being spied on. Our Democratic Senators did little to spotlight anything. Also, there is no united Democratic Party willing to step over any line drawn in the sand. A day late and a dollar short, out of desperation, we tried to change things. Well, I guess it was a practice session. The Democratic "players" know we are here and that we are not just going to to throw money at them no matter what they do.
Lessons learned:
If we want to have an impact, we need to be more proactive from the beginning. Also, better organization is needed. A cohesive action plan developed using the experts advise of our members. Somehow, we need to coordinate all the splinter groups into one mass effort. We did bits and pieces of this but not enough and not in time.
by MO Blue on Mon Jan 30, 2006 at 11:27:00 PM PDT
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