Posted on 01/20/2006 8:17:40 PM PST by nwrep
WASHINGTON (AP) Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said Friday he will oppose Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, saying he is not convinced that Alito will bring an impartial viewpoint to the court.
Wyden, a Democrat, met with Alito on Wednesday and talked about executive power, legal precedents and abortion rights.
I cannot reconcile the seemingly moderate and amiable jurist of the past few weeks with Alitos two-decade record as a federal appeals court judge and official in the Reagan and Bush administrations, Wyden said Friday.
It is my conclusion that Judge Alitos record portends a view on the power of the president that would undermine our proven and constitutionally-mandated system of checks and balances, Wyden said.
His record demonstrates a dangerous and narrow interpretation of the commerce clause (of the Constitution), which could lead to results that would threaten the health and safety of all Americans.
Wyden also criticized Alito for standing with large, corporate polluters who fouled our air, poisoned our waters, and then dont want to pay for it.
Wyden is the latest among a growing number of Democrats who say they will oppose Alito, a veteran appeals court judge from New Jersey. Wyden voted for Chief Justice John Roberts last fall.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday on Alitos nomination to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day OConnor, with the full Senate voting after that. Alito is widely expected to be confirmed by the Republican-controlled chamber.
Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., has said he expects to vote for Alito, calling him supremely qualified.
Shoot...I am getting the impression that Obama is being groomed to be a VP candidate...possibly in 2008...
and I say...bring it on!!!
The more I see of him, the more I realize that he is just a more "chocolate" version of John Edwards...without the legal background.
Democrats know they cannot afford to let this one go, this is damn-the-torpedoes time for them.
BTW .... How ya been Bro? After years of threatening, I've finally joined the V.F.W. , opened a V.A. claim and gotten Vietnam Veteran license plates. Better late then never !
Nam Vet
BTW, thanks for the Taney info.
Actually, I read ( I can't remember the source, but it was here on FR)...after he was elected that he is VERY, VERY left...and has had to work hard to appear as "centrist" as Kerry...LOL
I definitely got the impression that not only was Obama over his head being in the Senate...but, he was over his head being interviewed by Greta Van Sustren!!
At least two moderate Republicans in the "Gang of 14" centrist senators who have promised not to participate in a judicial filibuster without there being "extraordinary circumstances" have said they would not support a filibuster on Alito.
Sen. Olympia Snowe "does not believe that Judge Alito warrants a filibuster," spokeswoman Antonia Ferrier said yesterday. Sen. Lincoln Chafee "has said he has not seen any extraordinary circumstances," spokesman Stephen Hourahan said today.
A filibuster would be the only way the he could be stopped. One Dem (Ben Nelson) has already announced his supprt for Alito. At least a couple more will follow, but even if none do, the Dems would have to peel off seven Republican votes. No Republicans have announced opposition to Alito. The filibuster is the only potential obstacle, but can't be sustained without a few Republican votes.
She did vote right in Kelo. Of course we still lost. There were other times too but I get your point.
I still believe that they realize this is not the time since they still have Kennedy as a swing vote. If they are smart they will hold their fire. But Rats are often not too bright.
Guess the pro-aborts gave him his marching orders.
Last night, when FR was down...I was amusing myself by visiting DUmmieland...and KOS...and they are VERY upset that there has been no call for a filibuster of Alito...
AND, on AirAmerika...the hosts and callers are very upset with Reid and other dem senators for NOT calling for a filibuster...
LOL...I just LOVE to see the dems blasting their own!
Heh, heh. ;) A filibuster won't happen, period. Everyone knows it, but the barking moonbats of the left don't care.
It's junk yard dogs vs poodles.
All the Rats need to filibuster is 40 votes which they will probably have if need be. We need 50 votes to trigger the Nuke option. We do not yet have 50 on the record to do so. I think we have 49 with Graham and DeWine. We cannot count on McCain or Warner. It might all be up to Specter.
Senator Bill Frist & the rest of the cowardly Senate Repubs have done nothing since day one of this national security breach to demand that the Wyden, Rockefeller & Durbin be removed or at the very least censured for this breach of national security.
The Dims can be as outrageous & treasonous, even criminal, as they want to and the Repubs will never do to publicly challenge them. I see in Karl Rove's speech today, he cautioned Repubs to think of the Dims as our loyal opposition, not our enemies. That in a nutshell summarized for me a major difference between how Dims view the opposition vs how Repubs view the opposition. For the Dims, they view & treat the politics of getting into power as a WAR and Repubs as the enemy. I think the Dims have more in common with the Islamic terrorists than they do with the opposition Repubs. On the other hand, Repubs like Bush & Rove, the RNC & most Repub politicians view this as no more than a spirited contest between 2 sets of loyal Americans... no matter how slanderous or treasonous the Dims comments & actions are. Geez I wish Repub politicians would get fired up for a change.
A single swing isn't good enough for them - they need the extra vote of assurance to make sure they get the results they need. One vote on the Supreme Court could start the avalanche that brings down the entire edifice of unconstitutional orders handed down by left-wing courts over the past few decades. Given the age of the left wing on the court and the fact that the chance of future left wing appointments in the next 10 years is quite small, this is the make-or-break for them.
I will vote to confirm Judge Alito, who demonstrated in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee that he will be an intelligent, fair, and open-minded justice who respects the judiciarys important but limited role of interpreting the law.
No Republican will vote to uphold a filibuster.
A filibuster can still happen. Do not get complacent. I don't think you quite understand how it works. It's still unlikely but possible.
Do you get it now?
A scientific measurement was taken to determine who was actually the dumbest member of the Senate. It ended in a 40 way tie.
It takes 40 votes to uphold a filibuster. Should the Dems try to do so, Frist will call for a vote to say that a filibuster of a Judicial nominee is unconstitutional. That would need only 51 votes to pass. No Republicans of the "Gang of Seven," save possibly Chafee or Collins, would vote to do so. With at least Ben Nelson's support, there are simply not enough votes to defeat the nuke option.
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