The Debate continues today.
Keep working.
Opposition to Alito is now "bipartisan" - Senator Linc Chafee (R-RI), announced he is voting No on Alito.
Update [2006-1-30 10:43:16 by Armando]: Senator Kennedy is speaking now. Listen at
C-Span.
Kennedy says about this vote today "One chance! One time! One Vote! The Supreme Court is too important!"
Update [2006-1-30 11:3:2 by Armando]: Kennedy makes the critical point that there is absolutely no reason NOT to extend debate and continue to discuss the Alito nomination. I think Kennedy makes an important point here. And it should be stressed to Senate traditionalists like Senator Robert Byrd - a significant number of Senators wish to continue debating the merits of a Supreme Court nominee. Why should debate end NOW? Here's what Senator Byrd
has said in the past:
Minutes after the Senate returned from a three-week vacation [Sen.] Byrd challenged Frist, a Tennessee Republican, in an unusually pointed floor debate.
If the senator wants a fight, let him try. I'm 88 years old but I can still fight and fight I will for freedom of speech," Byrd said. . . . "That's never been the rule here. Senators have the right to talk, the right to filibuster." If Frist tries to limit that right, "He's going to see a real filibuster," Byrd warned.
The Gang of 14
CNN's Ed Henry (given his shilling ways and frankly, inaccurate reporting in the past, take this with a grain of salt) reports that the
Gang of 14 is ending the filibuster. How they are doing this exactly is not explained by Henry. Presumably they are voting Yes on Cloture. But the question is are they doing so as a Group action? Or as individuals? See the individuals have mostly announced they are voting for cloture so Henry's "scoop" is um, pretty thin.
These are the Gang of 14:
Republicans
* John S. McCain III, Arizona
* Lindsey O. Graham, South Carolina
* John Warner, Virginia
* Olympia Snowe, Maine
* Susan M. Collins, Maine
* R. Michael DeWine, Ohio
* Lincoln Chafee, Rhode Island
Democrats
* Joseph I. Lieberman, Connecticut
* Robert C. Byrd, West Virginia
* E. Benjamin Nelson, Nebraska
* Mary Landrieu, Louisiana
* Daniel Inouye, Hawaii
* Mark Pryor, Arkansas
* Ken Salazar, Colorado
The only Senators of interest here are those who have announced themselves as No votes. They are bolded. The rest SUPPORT Alito so they are not STOPPING anything.
Senator Lieberman, you do Ned Lamont a great favor if you vote for cloture.
Senator Chafee, you do Sheldon Whitehouse and Matt Brown a great favor by going back on your word and voting for cloture on anti-choice Alito.
Senators Inouye, Pryor and Salazar, your vote will be remembered as Alito is seated on the Court for next quarter century. You were unwilling to
continue to discuss and try to persuade on a nominee YOU REJECT! The debate can continue a week without damage to the Republic. Your votes are hard to understand. Democrats will find them hard to understand. History will not understand.