Cross-posted at culturekitchen
Today starts the purging of the Democratic Party.
As far as I am concerned, these 21 senators that voted for Roberts have to be weakened, contested and more pointedly, voted out of office in 2006. Ken Salazar has shown to be a Republican plant within the Democratic Party. That man has to go BIG TIME. What Chaffee is to NARAL, Salazar is to the Dems.
These 21 senators become hostage of Republicans in their states and have gladly partaken of the political Stockholm Syndrome that has moved the Democratic Party away of its core values. Lieberman? The next Zel Miller and in a hartbeat.
These bozos have to go.
CNN.com - Roberts confirmed as chief justice - Sep 29, 2005 | All 55 Republicans were united in their support. They were joined by 22 Democrats and one independent senator. Twenty-two Democrats voted no.In an unusual break from tradition, senators voted from their seats as their names were called. Lawmakers usually are free to mill about the floor or leave the chamber.The vote was never in doubt, despite misgivings from some Democrats that Roberts would be too conservative."I hope I am proven wrong about John Roberts," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, in a floor speech before the vote. "I have been proven wrong before on my confirmation votes. I regret my vote to confirm Justice Scalia, even though he too, like Judge Roberts was a nice person and a very smart Harvard lawyer."Kennedy was also among five Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote against Roberts. Others voting in opposition included Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Dianne Feinstein of California and Evan Bayh from Roberts' home state of Indiana. Democrats voting yes included Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Max Baucus of Montana.
Here's the list culled from several different sources:
- Max Baucus, Montana
- Jeff Bingaman, New Mexico
- Robert Byrd, West Virginia
- Kent Conrad, North Dakota
- Tom Carper, Delaware
- Christopher Dodd, Connecticut
- Byron Dorgan, North Dakota
- Russ Feingold, Wisconsin
- Tim Johnson, South Dakota
- Herb Kohl, Wisconsin
- Mary Landrieu, Louisiana
- Patrick Leahy, Vermont
- Carl Levin, Michigan
- Joe Lieberman, Connecticut
- Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas
- Patty Murray of Washington
- Ben Nelson, Nebraska
- Bill Nelson, Florida
- Mark Pryor, Arkansas
- Ken Salazar, Colorado
- Roy Wyden, ,Oregon
The Independent Jeff Jeffords (Vermont) also voted for Roberts. His vote was the most unexpected to me.
What was amiss from the public conversation about Roberts? Everything that is amiss from the public conversation about reproductive rights, the right to privacy and the 9th Amendment.
Roe v. Wade will not be stricken out of the books in one blow because that is part of the dominionists agenda. They're not interested in doing it that way. They are interested in weaking constitutional rights one blow at a time. What they want is to restrict constitutional interpretation and Roberts is the perfect candidate to make that happen as Chief Justice. They want the US Constitution to be about limiting not just freedoms but free will.
The dominionists have won.
If Democrats don't get this aspect of the dominionists agenda, they do not deserve to represent the interests of the Democratic Party at all. So I ask you, how do you want to take these motherfuckers down?