Daily Kos

Menendez to vote NO on Alito, Filibuster?

by AmericanRenaissance

Mon Jan 30, 2006 at 12:03:49 PM PDT

New Jersey's newest Senator, Robert Menendez, has announced that he will vote NO on the Samuel Alito nomination, according to PoliticsNJ.

Menendez's position on the filibuster is unknown (at least to me) at this time.

This (oh so) obvious vote carries significant risk in Menendez's reelection race.  I believe that voting against Alito carries no risk for almost all Dems (exceptions to those D's that have established reputations as generally right-of-center, as it could be used to argue inconsitency) because swing voters won't hold it against them, Dem base voters are very opposed, and GOP base voters are likely to turnout/not turnout based on other issues.

Menendez's situation is different, as Alito carries some home-state significance (eg "He may be a bastard, but he's our bastard").  Menendez is making the right move in a potentially tough situation, especially considering he is so early in his service as a Senator.

Tags: Samuel Alito, Bob Menendez (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

Permalink | 11 comments

  •  Filibuster support would help (none / 0)

    If Menendez's most important goal is getting (re)elected, which I don't believe it is and which would be a foolish example of conceding the war to win a battle, then he should add support of the filibuster attempt to his opposition of the nomination.

    Personally, I reject the thinking that opposing Alito will hurt him in NJ, but it's an opinion that is not without some merit.

    Now that he is opposing the nomination, he'd look foolish to support Alito on the vote that really matters.

    by AmericanRenaissance on Mon Jan 30, 2006 at 12:07:12 PM PDT

  •  Menedez office says undecided on Filibuster (none / 0)

    Sorry to repost...

    They are taking names and addresses at DC where I just called.  NJer's CALL!!!! & give him some reelection love.  PLEASE!!!

    by jguzman17 on Mon Jan 30, 2006 at 12:09:03 PM PDT

  •  at work (none / 0)

    so can only use the  888-355-3588 number. Switchboard says Menendez' lines are busy.

    Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

    by OLinda on Mon Jan 30, 2006 at 12:13:07 PM PDT

  •  hateful bigoted scum is hateful bigoted scum (none / 1)

    even if they're from NJ.

    That crack pusher down the street may be from NJ too. You gonna buy his crack?

    There's no legit excuse. If you can't stand the heat of fighting for your convictions, go to the GOP, where they'll tell you what to think so you don't have to care.

    by whitenoise on Mon Jan 30, 2006 at 12:17:23 PM PDT

  •  respectfully disagree (none / 1)


    just respectfully disagreeing that a "no" vote on alito is dangerous to menendez.  quite the reverse.

    new jerseyans are +ardent+ supporters of choice.  even our last republican governor struck down the partial-birth abortion ban that the (republican-dominated) legislature sent to her desk.

    one of the big reasons that doug forrester did not gain any traction either time he set out to win statewide office (senator and, just recently, governor) is because new jerseyans were not convinced he'd be a stalwart supporter of choice.  too closely aligned with bush, and that worried many voters (including our resident republican voters) on more issues than the economy, the war or what have you.  

    new jersey is +firmly+ a pro-choice state.  it's the republicans in this state that have to do the chaffee dance, not the democrats.

    cheers --

    by njgoldfinch on Mon Jan 30, 2006 at 12:24:48 PM PDT

Permalink | 11 comments