I'm astounded that so many here at KOS are following the media in framing the discussion of the Alito filibuster in terms of winning and losing. Chris Matthews et al are confused that our senators would actually take a stand on something, and the pundits can only decry the foolishness, declaring that Democratic senators in purple states could be at risk this fall because of the filibuster.
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Huh??? Isn't this constant focus on re-election precisely what's WRONG in Washington today? Shouldn't we be applauding the fact that our senators are voting their conscience on something that will determine the very survivial of the balance of power that structures and supports our democracy? Will it even matter how many democratic seats we can pick up if Alito is sitting on the Supreme Court and the executive branch is free to run hog wild? Now THAT would be a Pyrrhic victory!
This reminds me of the disappointing TV coverage of the Olympics. I don't really care how many medals the US wins, that's simply not the point of the Olympics. I want to see (and celebrate) individual excellence, whether its the skill of the winner or the courage and determination of the underdog. The popularity of the Jamaican bobsled team is one aspect of that, but also what about folks like Jean-Claude Killy (for those of you who remember that far back)?
Similarly, I don't want the exclusive focus of the filibuster discussions to be on whether "our side" is winning or losing in some counting game. We are winning! We may not be able to block Alito, but we can at least change the focus in Washington from electability to issues. Our senators are starting to stand up and do their job, vote their conscience, and defend the government of the United States. And they are directly asking for our support, so let's give it to them...for the right reasons. Because blocking Alito is the right thing to do.