Ace of Spades HQ

January 31, 2006

Alito Confirmed, 58-42
— Ace

All but one of the Senate's majority Republicans voted for his confirmation, while all but four of the Democrats voted against Alito.
That is the smallest number of senators in the president's opposing party to support a Supreme Court justice in modern history. Chief Justice John Roberts got 22 Democratic votes last year, and Justice Clarence Thomas -- who was confirmed in 1991 on a 52-48 vote -- got 11 Democratic votes.

Thanks to Stop The ACLU.

Related: Kos Gets One Right-- He basically proclaims he's the tail that wags the dog now, and Ankle Biting Pundits thinks he's right.

Which is great for Kos. And very bad for the Democratic Party, and American politics generally.

Bonus: Lapsed Leftist was hoping Alito garner fewer than 60 vote. Why? Because it's worse for the liberals. Now they will go bananas that if the Democrats had "just showed some spine" they could have filibustered Alito.

Dems Admit Alito "A Man of Honor:" From the NYT--

Their most indefatigable strategist was James Flug, a longtime friend of Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts who, at 67, was decades older than most of the other legal counsels on the Judiciary Committee staff. Mr. Flug first worked for Mr. Kennedy 35 years ago when they led a liberal minority of senators to block the Supreme Court nominations of Judges G. Harrold Carswell and Clement F. Haynsworth Jr., in both cases by mobilizing a coalition of civil rights groups and unearthing embarrassing aspects of the nominees' records.
Among other things, several Democratic aides said, Mr. Flug drove the investigation into Judge Alito's failure to recuse himself, as he had pledged to do during his court of appeals confirmation hearing, from cases involving his mutual fund company, Vanguard. But Mr. Flug met with polite skepticism from many of his colleagues.
"You are going to ask more questions about that oversight where Alito made no money?" a staff member for another Democratic senator said he asked Mr. Flug.
"It became clear to us early on," the staff member added, "that the guy may be way too far right for our tastes, but we think the guy is a man of honor."

Posted by: Ace at 06:34 AM | Comments (38)
Post contains 370 words, total size 3 kb.

1 Did Ted's head explode?

Posted by: Joe Mama at January 31, 2006 06:37 AM (5WEQS)

2 And the best part is it was by fewer than 60 votes, meaning that the infighting is just about to reach a fever pitch in the fever swamps!

Posted by: Lapsed Leftist at January 31, 2006 06:39 AM (sCtph)

3 Ah, the filibuster that could've been. A single tear runs down John Kerry's cheek.

Posted by: Sean M. at January 31, 2006 06:43 AM (EHzws)

4 Yeah, the fever swamps are probably filled with woulda, coulda, shoulda. They probably see the under 60 vote as a vindication for the filibuster. Too bad the next USC nominee will be after the 2006 election. I would hope there is some sort of fallout against these Dems and their insulting treatment of Alito. The Senate is going to be a little redder, as I hope Rove uses all that sweet GOP money to good effect.

But maybe we also get cloture on all the lower federal and courts of appeals nominees languishing too.

Posted by: joeindc44 at January 31, 2006 06:43 AM (8TcCs)

5 Color me even happier.

25 votes against cloture, yet 42 votes against confirmation.

Sounds like the Dems don't think they're going to take control of the Senate in November - they'd have taken a chance on losing the filibuster if they thought they'd win in November.

Posted by: max at January 31, 2006 06:44 AM (EIN97)

6 This is why Republicans keep winning elections. It's not that they're necessarily the better party; it's just that the Democrats seem bound and determined to make themselves look ridiculous at every opportunity.

Thank about it: two months ago, Bush's numbers were in the dumper. They had the NSA wiretap thing which, while objectively horseshit, still got the fence-sitters agitated. The Iraq war was dragging on, and then the Iran business burst out of a clear blue sky. The economy slowed a bit. So all of this stuff should have put the Democrats in a strong position.

Then came Alito. The Democrats made a terrible showing in the Committee hearings: they browbeat and insulted a good man; they pandered to their hard-left base; and they alienated the fence-sitters they had been wooing. Then an ill-conceived filibuster vote from Turd Kennedy and Monsieur Kerry flopped like a dead fish, making all the signers-on looking pretty damned stupid.

Sometimes I think Rove's real genius lies in simply letting the Democrats fuck themselves. It's a zen thing -- to achieve power you must do nothing.

Posted by: Monty at January 31, 2006 06:51 AM (UdJCa)

7 BOOYAHHH! I bet Kennedy gets extra fucked up tonight. Alito will probably get the drunken phone call around 4AM challenging him to a duel.

Posted by: Johnnywaka at January 31, 2006 06:56 AM (+YoJw)

8 step 1: fillibuster
step 2: ?
step 3: win election and continue towards progressive path to glory.

Posted by: joeindc44 at January 31, 2006 06:59 AM (8TcCs)

9 It's worth noting that one reason cloture passed was that compromise McCain brokered when Priscilla Owen and Janice Rogers Brown were up for confirmation--all seven of the Democrats in the group abided by the agreement. I hated that deal at the time, but you can't argue with success.

Posted by: utron at January 31, 2006 07:13 AM (CgIkY)

10 Step 4: Profits!

Posted by: Brian B at January 31, 2006 07:13 AM (rGfpg)

11 Message to Democrats: Fuck y'all muthafuckas and suck my dick!

It's time to gloat. I don't care anymore. Democrats suck. And blow. We will not lose control of the House. We will not lose control of the Senate. George W Bush will be the president of the Untited States for three more years. And Bush will make a third appointment to the SCOTUS.

It sucks to be a Democrat these days, don't it? I laugh in all your ferret-shaped faces.

With love,
Bart

Posted by: Bart at January 31, 2006 07:15 AM (U+cna)

12 WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU

WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU

mweh heh

Posted by: lauraw at January 31, 2006 07:16 AM (OfQIJ)

13 Bart, I would have said that if Alito reached the 60 vote mark, then the Democrats would have reached the point, previously thought to be physically impossible, where they manage to both suck and blow.

Posted by: joeindc44 at January 31, 2006 07:21 AM (8TcCs)

Posted by: at January 31, 2006 07:27 AM (R8+nJ)

15 Here's something funny:

From the Dept. of Utter Unawareness (Repeat Offender Division):
Condoleezza Rice, January 29, 2006: "I don't know anyone who wasn't caught off guard by Hamas' strong showing."

Condoleezza Rice, May 16, 2002: "I don't think anybody could have predicted that they would try to use an airplane as a missile, a hijacked airplane as a missile."

Clearly, Condi needs to widen her circle of acquaintances.

Posted by: Josh at January 31, 2006 07:38 AM (leJWb)

16 Kos: "Next Time, Gadget! NEXT TIIIIIMMME!"

Posted by: at January 31, 2006 07:41 AM (tOuus)

17 Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I will always believe Harriet Miers was put out there for this very reason. Yes, yes I do think Rove is that good.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 31, 2006 07:55 AM (J8+2b)

18 How come everything's in bold?

Posted by: zetetic at January 31, 2006 08:04 AM (tDpXN)

19 Because The Impaler enchanted me and made me forget to close a bold tag.

Should be fixed now.

Posted by: ace at January 31, 2006 08:07 AM (UxtY9)

20 Gee, Barf,
Running low on Thorazine?

Posted by: Mike at January 31, 2006 08:11 AM (leJWb)

21 "Gee, Barf,
Running low on Thorazine?

Posted by Mike at January 31, 2006 01:11 PM "

Ahh, Conan was right.
Hearing the lamentations of the women is SOOOOO good.

Posted by: Iblis at January 31, 2006 08:19 AM (9221z)

22 Sometimes I think Rove's real genius lies in simply letting the Democrats fuck themselves. It's a zen thing -- to achieve power you must do nothing.

Posted by Monty at January 31, 2006 11:51 AM

He seems to have learned from the Republican mistakes of the Clinton era. When the Reps left him alone, the press would put out something, and instead of letting it play without their fingerprints, they stuck their noses in, and it became right versus left, instead of right versus wrong.

Posted by: Tom M at January 31, 2006 08:24 AM (d6bNm)

23 Who needs Thorazine?
Marike, I'm high on life.

Hey, how does it feel to be a huge, drooling, skid-marked underwear wearing, gutless loser who is always wrong? I'm just wondering...you know...how you can...like...live with yourself, Marike.

Posted by: Bart at January 31, 2006 08:43 AM (3VQ8o)

24 I think Rove's real genius lies in simply letting the Democrats fuck themselves.

It's just like Sortelli keeps saying: Easiest. Job. Ever.

Posted by: VRWC Agent at January 31, 2006 08:43 AM (gjy1/)

25 Will TED KENNEDY have a nervous breakdown will he have to be carried off in a streight jacket will he go insane? This is his biggist loss since they past tort reform for the firearms companies

Posted by: spurwing plover at January 31, 2006 10:04 AM (uTBPj)

26 Now this should be interesting. Nothing like jumping right into the fire. No surprise it was the 9th circuit.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 31, 2006 10:06 AM (J8+2b)

27 No, spurwing. TED KENNEDY may have lost the Alito nomination, but he has gained ACE.

Posted by: shawn at January 31, 2006 10:08 AM (D90f7)

28 Oh! and goodbye to you, Ms. O'connor.
You were good, but then you lost your mind.
You forgot how important precedents were
So then you made the law something you could find
If you just made it up a little at a time

Posted by: joeindc44 at January 31, 2006 10:30 AM (8TcCs)

29 Jack, that little diddy could sung along to the tune of Seasons in the Sun

We had joy
we had fun
we had seasons in the sun

Posted by: Bart at January 31, 2006 10:35 AM (XMWwm)

30 Mikester,

Try to smile through your tears.

[Click]

Thanks

Yes, definitely a Hentaiwanker. A Hentaiwanker who is about to melt from despair.

Because there's more to come. Think Stevens and Darth Bader retiring this summer.

And 3 more seats for the Republicans in the Senate. And the nyt being taken over by non-quislings.

What's a poor 3 saloon keeper virgin to do? Cry, baby, cry. But remember, your tears are music to our ears.

Posted by: max at January 31, 2006 11:15 AM (9lsky)

31 Hah! The Democrats trashed a good man and a qualified nominee in front of the entire country ALL FOR NOTHING!!!!

They will pay a horrible price at the polls for this meanspirited, spiteful display of partisanship. At every turn, the Dems have shown to be unworthy of leadership. They are an unserious party of bloviating hacks, representing a childish, temper tantrum throwing constituency.

In the meantime we've got 3 more years of Bush winning the war on terror and possibly naming a 3rd SC justice.

Now excuse me while I go visit a few lefty blogs to laugh heartily at their impotent rage. Meh he he he he he he hehehehehe!

Posted by: The Warden at January 31, 2006 11:21 AM (EV5YU)

32 Sometimes I think Rove's real genius lies in simply letting the Democrats fuck themselves. It's a zen thing -- to achieve power you must do nothing.

I haven't worked a day in six years. But it's not a zen thing, it's more of an "eh, why bother?"

Posted by: Karl Rove's Id at January 31, 2006 03:01 PM (JV5Qt)

33 I bet Kennedy gets extra fucked up tonight.

Not possible. He's been on 11 since 1974.

Posted by: Red Jode at January 31, 2006 04:09 PM (qlIsS)

34 Why is Bush snubbing Alito??? When Bush went by newly appointed justic Alito before his state of the union speech, he talked to each Supreme Court justice except for Alito. Then when he finished his speech he made extended eye contact with every Supreme Court justice except Alito. He wouldn't look Alito in the eye even when it was clear Alito was trying to make eye contact with Bush. This leads me to believe that Alito has caused Bush concern. Perhaps Alito isn't as conservative as Bush would like? Anyone know if there was an exchange of words between Bush and Alito immediately before the state of the union address?

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