Choice A: Do exactly as they did.
Choice A consequences:
1. We have ability to defeat the next Alito. There very well could be another retirement during the next two years. I refer you to Chuck Schumer's recent statements on this issue: Exultant Chuck Says He'll Veto the Next Alito
More than the inability to influence Iraq policy or the President's tax cuts, Chuck Schumer says that the single greatest failure of the Democrats as an opposition party was allowing Samuel Alito to join the Supreme Court.
"Judges are the most important," said Mr. Schumer, who orchestrated the implausible Democratic takeover of the Senate last week. "One more justice would have made it a 5-4 conservative, hard-right majority for a long time. That won't happen."
From now on, all the President's judicial appointments will need to meet the requirements of Mr. Schumer, the Park Slope power broker who has happily accepted the mantle of chief architect for the Democrats' effort to build a majority for the 2008 elections and beyond.
Wait, you're saying, that's just hot air. Lieberman will just backstab us and allow the next Alito to get approved.
Wrong. The next Alito wouldn't get an up-or-down vote. In fact, the next Alito wouldn't even get a vote on Cloture. The next Alito wouldn't even get out of the Judiciary Committee. Why? Because Joe Lieberman isn't even on the Judiciary Committee.
2. Control of every Committee and Subcommittee in the Senate.
3. The ability to control the agenda in the Senate, and the ability to force Bush to veto and Senate Republicans to vote against politically popular legislation.
Choice B: Kick Joe to the curb, and go balls-out in favor of Lamont.
Choice B consquences:
An increase in the chance that Lamont would win. It would not be a guarantee by any measure. The gamble would be that we could peel off enough Democrats and other voters who viewed his 'clout' as important to Connecticut to swing the vote. Remember, however, that this race was not close--Lieberman won by wide margin. There is a significant chance that Lieberman would win and then go caucus with the Republicans.
If Lamont does pull off the upset, you get rid of Lieberman AND you get the benefits of Choice A. If Lieberman holds on and wins, we very well LOSE the benefits of Choice A. Republicans control the Senate.
The question, then, is whether you'd be willing to risk having another Alito on the SCOTUS and having Republicans control the Senate for the next two years for a chance to defeat Joe Lieberman.
Comments are closed on this story.