Well, as a South Dakotan, I have to say that I am really dissappointed in Tim Johnson's choice. Judge Alito was obviously a uber-conservative judge who would have activist type behavior. We don't need that on the Supreme Court of the United States. We need level-headed folks (sure, some can be conservative too) to work on our constitution. What was really striking to me was the fact that the Democratic Leadership Council advised that Alito SHOULD NOT get the nod:
When the president hastily nominated Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court last fall, with no visible bipartisan consultation, we commented that he had chosen to divide rather than unite the Senate and the country in his haste to placate conservatives unhappy with his earlier nomination of Harriet Miers. Nothing that's come to light since then has changed our opinion: Judge Alito is a decent and well qualified jurist, but represents a large step towards a conservative ideological reshaping of the Supreme Court at a time when it is teetering on the edge of a variety of decisions that could erode or overturn important constitutional rights....
The REALLY interesting part is that EVEN when
the DLC advised against voting for Alito Senator Johnson disobeyed and still declared that he would.
However, I suppose that Johnson got an earful from all the radica-conservative groups that have infected South Dakota. In many ways, his vote is understandable, he is in a red state after all. However, I think that this is one vote that he should have put the political calculas aside. Hell, if even the DLC sees the vote against Alito as worth doing, they usually know what they are talking about when concerning red state politics.
Of course, there those who will immediately call for Johnson's head in thier campaign to purify the party of tolerance (a.k.a. The Democratic Party), but I believe that overall-Senator Johnson is good for South Dakota.
Oh well.... let's hope for Kerry's Filibuster to work!