This is not good.
Here is the issue folks, we can defeat Alito, but there it a Luttig in waiting...but one battle at a time. But in order to do so, we must do certain things to lay the groundwork, so that we not only defeat this candidate, but all any future wingnuts to be nominated.
And so I humbly make 10 keys to success...
1. We must not let them revise Miers history:
The White House will try to spin Miers withdrawal as the Senate being unwilling to accept any candidate. Most Senators were careful to hold their fire, waiting for hearings, but I can see the spin war now regarding how this is all about obstruction
2. Don't make it just about abortion:
Obviously his decenting vote in Casey is a factor, and I think it is a strong enough factor for him to be voted down in the Judiciary committee, if we play it right. But there are many reasons Scalito's ideas are wacky, and if we only focus on one, and conservatives counter with his pro-church beliefs, this could re-ignite the conservative base. He's got 15 years of wacky ideas, let's pick 4 or 5 (not to few, not to many) and hammer them. He has decented from enough cases to do this very effectively.
3. Make not replacing O'Connor with a woman an issue:
Point out how the conservative base killed Miers, and how Ginsberg will be alone on the court. You can spin this into a ton of issues, and hopefully get some of our security soccer moms back.
4. Point out Bush as a puppet of the Right Wing.
Every discussion of the nomination should begin with how this choice was forced by the far right wing who objected to a relatively moderate woman such as Harriet Miers. Every single one.
5. Reach across the aisle.
Arlen Spector has nothing to lose. Lincoln Chafee is fighting off an attack from the left. Olympia Snowe is pro-choice, and generally more pro-common sense then most of her fellow republicans.
6. Make is about all wingnuts, not just this wingnut.
Point out that Bush chose from a group of extreme justices like Alito, Luttig, or Rogers-Brown after his base of wingnuts went nuts over a relatively moderate chosue. Get Luttig and other right wing extremists names out there as well so that they won't just nominate him if we stop Alito and say we won't confirm anyone.
7. Delay, Delay, Delay!
Sorry Sandy, Baby...but the longer we hold out, the longer she is on the court making the call rather than Scalito or Luttig whoever Bush pushs up next on the court. Hell if we can take a few months to kill this one, maybe we can push the next one until election season, and then it is a whole new ball game.
8. Hold together.
We must not be bluffing on the filibuster. We have to hold the Liebermans of our party with us and we must be willing to go through with it.
9. Let the house be our hammer.
House democrats are in a better position to be attack dogs on this issue. Reid and Pelosi make a good tag team when Reid is "disapointed" and Pelosi is "Angry". Senators have to be voting on his records, the House can just be outraged by his ideas to energize our base.
10. Suggest Moderate Choices.
To paraphrase Rick Pitino "Ruth Bader Ginsberg isn't walking through that door." We are going to eventually be choosing a lesser evil. Even if in dreamwork Bush and his entire Cabinet were impeached, President Hastert isn't going to pick a Thurgood Marshall type. We must cut off the inevitable "They won't vote for anyone" arguement before it gets traction by suggesting people we would vote for.
Thoughts, changes, additions?