Re: Democrats Delay Alito

Bench Memos, National Review ^ | 1/17/2006 | Ed Whelan

[saveliberty]

Re: Democrats Delay Alito
[Ed Whelan  01/17 12:44 PM]

Does this reason (from today's Washington Post article) that Democrats state for delaying Alito's confirmation make any political sense:

Democrats, anticipating that Alito ultimately will be confirmed, are trying to deny the White House that victory as long as possible, particularly in the days before the State of the Union address President Bush is to deliver Jan. 31. Although Senate rules do not enable them to defer the confirmation vote until after the speech, Democratic senators would like to reduce the victory period immediately before the speech, one of the broadest public stages the president commands each year.

The State of the Union "is the 800-pound gorilla lurking over the debate," said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.). "That's part of the strategic calculation." Manley also said, "This is an important vote, and we are not going to be rushed into anything."

It would seem to me that Alito's confirmation is going to be a moment of great triumph for President Bush and that the closer that confirmation is to the State of the Union address, the better it will be politically for the President and Republicans generally. My bet is that the Democrats are delaying out of frustration and spite, not as part of any sensible strategy. Oh, well — that's how they've earned their minority status.

 

[Semper Paratus]

The Democrat Party has never been so underserving of power as they do right now.

[mosquitobite]

Agreed. It would be best served on a platter on Jan 30 so the President ride right into the SOTU speech with a victory.

[grobdriver]

This long ago stopped being anything but mean-spritedness on the part of the Democrats.

[saveliberty]

Eric Lindholm (VikingPundit) captured it very well here

 

Resolved – The Democrats are like two-year-olds who sit in front of those toy car dashboards, turning steering wheels that control nothing, and honking their horns every once in a while so that you’ll know they’re there.

  Yes, yes, big boy. We see you. Very nice honking.

 

posted by Eric at 10:23 PM (2) comments

 

[saveliberty]

And to salvage their wounded pride by letting the attack ads play for another week

[saveliberty]

It's so bad that even their own have noticed.

[SkyPilot]

I heard that Sen Frist just grew a pair, and canceled the Senate recess next week to punish the Dims that want to delay the vote.

Good for him. I bet Dingy Harry is ticked off.

[Eagles Talon IV]

"Democratic senators would like to reduce the victory period immediately before the speech, one of the broadest public stages the president commands each year."

This is poor reasoning on the part of the left. Having the vote just before the STU speech means it will be fresh in the minds of those who care, so the president mentioning it will have more force.

[saveliberty]

I am sure Harry Reid is "deeply troubled"

[saveliberty]

LOL! I agree. As Ed Whelan says, there's a reason why they are not in the majority

[Eagles Talon IV]

"Eric Lindholm (VikingPundit) captured it very well here"

"Resolved – The Democrats are like two-year-olds who sit in front of those toy car dashboards, turning steering wheels that control nothing, and honking their horns every once in a while so that you’ll know they’re there."

I never tire of this perfect description of the left.

"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child - miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless. Liberalism is a philosophy of sniveling brats." -- P.J. O'Rourke

[ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY]

"...letting the attack ads play for another week"

I think this is the real motive for the delay. The Leftists need more time to cook up some kind of smear on Alito. Remember Clarence Thomas? Don't let down your guard, Alito's not confirmed yet!

[Eagles Talon IV]

The problem with what the libs are saying about not being rushed flies in the face of the agreement "leaky" Leahy made with Spector before the hearings began. This agreement called for any delay in proposed by either side would take place BEFORE the hearings began.

[Ticonderoga34]

The Democrats are conducting a de facto filibuster on Alito.

Everyone knows that Alito will be confirmed. The Democrats are just being petty by trying to postpone the Alito confirmation until after the President's State of Union address.

[cubreporter]

So they delay. Nothing will change. They showed their butts during the hearings. Grasping at straws and beating the CAP thing to death cause that's all they had and they thought they really had something too didn't they?

Because of that continual rhetoric we NOW find out ole tedeeeee kennedeeeeeee belongs to a club that doesn't allow women!!! Sometimes the dirt they try to smear on others comes back to haunt them as this is doing to ole teddeee.
This is just another of many dirty little secrets in kennedees life that has finally caught up to him.

Alito WILL be confirmed and wake up in the morning knowing he has yet another great achievement awarded to him and deservedly so to the highest court in the land .

kennedeee on the other hand will wake up in the morning knowing he will still be kennedeeeee. That must be a real bummer.

Time and patience friend. Alito will wear the honorable robe. kennedeeee will continue to wear the robe of disgrace in all he does. Save your energy for cheering when Alito is confirmed. :) Have a great day.

[saveliberty]

:-) That's good. I like this quote too

"The principle feature of American liberalism is sanctimoniousness. By loudly denouncing all bad things--war and hunger and date rape--liberals testify to their own terrific goodness. More important, they promote themselves to membership in a self-selecting elite of those who care deeply about such things. . . . It´s a kind of natural aristocracy, and the wonderful thing about this aristocracy is that you don´t have to be brave, smart, strong or even lucky to join it, you just have to be liberal." -- P.J. O'Rourke

[marlon]

I can see it now, the vote to confirm on the 30th an immediate swearing in and W swagering up to the podium whth that wry smile on his face and starting his speech with I would like to welcome our newest Associate Justice Samuel Alito a fine man and he will make a great SCJ.

Of course I would like to thank Harry Reid for working with Karl Rove on this bit of dem strategery. Don't you just love it when a plan comes together.

[saveliberty]

It's a variation of filibuster. They will have to vote, but they will drag their feet as though each foot is tied to an Acme Anvil.

[saveliberty]

We are waiting for the information about whether the club discriminated against blacks, hispanics, asians, etc.