Alito Confirmed!

[2centsworth]

Do the democrats even realize what's happening. Congress, President, and now the Supreme Court firmly in the hands of conservatives. None of this could be accomplished without the Wackos on the left. In my best Howard Dean impersonation YEAAAHHHHHH!

[FromWayDowntown]

Do the democrats even realize what's happening. Congress, President, and now the Supreme Court firmly in the hands of conservatives. None of this could be accomplished without the Wackos on the left. In my best Howard Dean impersonation YEAAAHHHHHH!

I'm not sold that the Court is "firmly in the hands of conservatives," at least not on some issues. Justice Kennedy will remain a swing vote between the rightward bloc of 4 (Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Scalia, Justice Thomas, and Justice Alito) and the leftward bloc of 4 (Justice Stevens, Justice Souter, Justice Ginsberg, and Justice Breyer). Justice Kennedy has never shown himself to be an ardent anything, so his appointment by a conservative President does not mean that he is a conservative jurist. Justice Kennedy has tended to vote more and more with the leftward bloc on social/cons utional issues and will likely continue in that, though some retrenchment may be coming.

In many ways, though, Anthony Kennedy has become the most powerful man in America today.

[SA210]

Just more of this country headed in the wrong direction.

[Mr. Peabody]

I don't think there is going to be as big a shift in the Court as people think. There are too many factors that go into a SC decision for people to just assume that every decision will be conservative.

[Oh, Gee!!]

Abortion will be overturned and women will have to use wire coat hangers.

[Mr. Peabody]

Abortion will be overturned and women will have to use wire coat hangers.

My wife must have known about this ahead of time. She already uses wire coat hangers and it pisses me off. They leave marks on the shoulders of my shirts.

[SA210]

My wife must have known about this ahead of time. She already uses wire coat hangers and it pisses me off. They leave marks on the shoulders of my shirts.

It makes the shirts looser.

[Oh, Gee!!]

It makes the shirts looser.

in this context, the word you should use is "loser."

[SA210]

My bad.

Hangers make shirts losers.

[Oh, Gee!!]

Hangars

[Mr. Peabody]

in this context, the word you should use is "loser."

Is "Vashner" becoming the official language of the forum?

[Oh, Gee!!]

Vashnese or Vashinese or Vashanese depending on the humidity

[SA210]

Is "Vashner" becoming the official language of the forum?

Anyone can speak Vashner.

All you have to do is have blind Bush love and call people loosers, little girls and pu**ies for not wanting to kill people in an unjust war that he himself wouldn't fight.

[Mr. Peabody]

The problem is that while loosers like SA210 and Oh Gee! were in the library, Vashner was out in the playground kicking ass.

[SA210]

[Yonivore]

With three years left in his term and the next most likely retiring or decedant Justices all being liberals, I'd say the President has a good chance of making Ted Kennedy's head explode before all is said and done.

Keep tuned to C-Span!

[Yonivore]

On a serious note -- (serious for Democrats, anyway) -- being a straight party line vote -- 90 percent of the Democrats voted no, the vote changes the "rules" for confirming Supreme Court Justices.

Under the "Alito rule," Senators will vote against a highly qualified nominee for no reason other than that they expect the nominee to rule contrary to their preference on major issues.

Under the "Alito rule," the president's party, in effect, must control the Senate in order for the president to have top-notch nominees of his choice confirmed. When the the president's party doesn't control the Senate, only compromise nominees acceptable to both parties can expect to be confirmed.

I believe it was objectionable for the Democrats to have changed an understanding of the Senate's "advise and consent" role that has worked reasonably well for 200 years, or so. The new approach will probably produce more mediocre Justices, selected not for their intellect, fairness, or other judging skills, but because they haven't offended anyone.

The new process isn't entirely irrational, and in some ways it makes more sense than its predecessor in a world where the Court exercises as much power as it now does. In any case, the important thing is to have one set of confirmation rules that applies to both parties. Thanks to the Dems, we now have a new set...serving much to the detriment of their own party.

The Republicans will enjoy the fruits of the new order until either Congress or the White House (or both) change hands. Wow! I wonder what the court will look like by then?

Republicans voted for Ruth Bader Ginsburg not because they agreed with her judicial philosphy but because they knew their advise and consent role in such appointments. Democrats have changed all that. I wouldn't expect it to go back to the way it was any time soon.

[jochhejaam]

The problem is that while loosers like SA210 and Oh Gee! were in the library, Vashner was out in the playground kicking ass.

If I didn't know better I'd say you were suggesting that brains are more important than brawn.

[Nbadan]

The Republicans will enjoy the fruits of the new (World) order until either Congress or the White House (or both) change hands. Wow! I wonder what the court will look like by then?

Truer words have never been spoken by Yonivore/Gannon.

[Peter]

I'm not sold that the Court is "firmly in the hands of conservatives," at least not on some issues. Justice Kennedy will remain a swing vote between the rightward bloc of 4 (Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Scalia, Justice Thomas, and Justice Alito) and the leftward bloc of 4 (Justice Stevens, Justice Souter, Justice Ginsberg, and Justice Breyer). Justice Kennedy has never shown himself to be an ardent anything, so his appointment by a conservative President does not mean that he is a conservative jurist. Justice Kennedy has tended to vote more and more with the leftward bloc on social/cons utional issues and will likely continue in that, though some retrenchment may be coming.

In many ways, though, Anthony Kennedy has become the most powerful man in America today.

The punchline? 7 of those 9 were appointed by Republican presidents.

[Trainwreck2100]

Abortion will be overturned and women will have to use wire coat hangers.

There's different options instead of abotion by coat hangar. There's getting the baby daddy to kick the crap out of you to force miscarriage, and Mexico, don't forget Mexico.

[Darrin]

Do the democrats even realize what's happening. Congress, President, and now the Supreme Court firmly in the hands of conservatives. None of this could be accomplished without the Wackos on the left. In my best Howard Dean impersonation YEAAAHHHHHH!

I actually think this starts with Nixon, and has been progressively (an oxymoron) building to the Bush administration. When morality became a political issue and every politican was assumed to be morally bankrupt, it allowed an idealistic movement to emerge. The assumption by most Americans that politicians were corrupt left them apathetic voters. This meant that to get people to pay attention during an election, increasingly sensationalistic tactics were used. This meant political dog fights became personal, and that left the politicians increasingly divided when it came time to govern.

The amount of money needed to reach apathetic voters in television, radio, and print advertising means that are politicans are almost always running for their elected position. Because this was assumed by the public from the beginning, it's become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But this also meant that elected officals needed wedge issues. Moral issues - the death penality, pro-life or pro-choice, gay marriage, personal indiscretions - became issues that were a part of this sensational need. And because this would get the conservative right to the polls, a successful Republican ticket focused on the religious right as a base of their party. They could raise large amounts of money, and were bent on pretty much one or two issues - abortion and gay marriage.

Since the apathetic voter base wants honest politicans and has been taught from the beginnings of this nation that morality and religion go hand-in-hand, this started appealing to moderate Americans. Not because they cared about the religious views of their politicans, but because they wanted someone honest. No more LBJ lying about the war in Vietnam, no more Nixons performing illegal activites to win an election.

This is the schizm that allowed Bill Clinton to receive 63% job approval ratings in the middle of a political scandal that ended with his impeachment; because Americans, the apathetic majority, already thought he was a sleeze. But it energized the growing base of the Republican party.

These aren't landslide victories. We have been more dead-locked in the last 6 years than any time I have ever studied in American politics. One member of Congress defects to another party, and it changed the committe chairs, majority and minority speakers. Bush won with 52% of the vote in 2004, the lowest in bant election since Truman. More people voted in any election ever, but the percentages stayed the same. 51-49 for Gore, 52-48 for Bush.

The Republican party is swinging by its most conservative elements and the Democratic Party has yet to form a response to that. We are not as good at winning elections, but we're damn better at governing. The problem with John Kerry is that he didn't talk in sound-bytes. In a two-minute explanation, they cut out 10 seconds and beat him over the head with it. The Republican party is better at defining the opposing candidate, at demonizing them.

"John Kerry will piss himself at the first real decision he has to make." I mean isn't that the impression a guy who didn't serve one day in military said about a former soldier in Vietnam who had 25 more years of public service? We're fighting on the Republican battle field and that's why we keep losing elections. The problem is, the country will probably not change course until a very large problem arises, and the Republicans prove over and over they cannot fix it. Pick one - China's growing political power, the environment, the deficit, a growing poor class, etc.

[Darrin]

The punchline? 7 of those 9 were appointed by Republican presidents.

That's why I hold out hope for Alito. It pains me when Pat Robertson starts doing his happy dance, but the last two swing votes have been appointed by Republican Presidents. We'll have to see what happens.

It's been said that the opposition party was exactly that - opposition. The true enemy was the process itself. It's not like that anymore. Just listen to some of these posts. Who here is more interested in the country than their party affiliation winning? This isn't Spurs-Pistons, this isn't about winning. This is about doing what's best for the country. I don't think just because I am a liberal that should be used as an excuse when I say George W. Bush has been a horrible President.

[2centsworth]

Darrin,

first you say dems are better at governing. Carter and Johnson were atrocious. Clinton was better but congress at the time was firmly in the hands of conservatives. Remember when the congress locked down the government to force a balanced budget.

then you said moral issues just started becoming political issues. Our country was build on moral issues and is deeply rooted in religion. Conservatives don't like the attack on that foundation.


Nevertheless, Republicans are winning the battle of ideas.