Reid Concedes Dems Lack The Votes

RedState.org ^ | 01/29/2006 | California Yankee

[NapkinUser]

Reuters reports Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said Democrats lack the votes to block Judge Alito's confirmation:

"Everyone knows there is not enough votes to support a filibuster," Reid said, referring to the procedural roadblock that some Democrats wanted to use to put off a vote on Alito.

Even after Senators Feinstein and Reid flipped flopped and decided they would now support Kerry's filibuster against Alito, there are still seven Democratic Senators who have said they will not support a filibuster against Alito's confirmation:

Akaka
Biden
Conrad
Dorgan
Durbin
Landrieu
Pryor
Salazar

Then there are the three Democrats who have announced they will vote for Alito's confirmation - Byrd, Johnson and Ben Nelson.

No Republican senator will support Kerry's filibuster. Even the two Republicans that haven't revealed whether they will vote for Alito's confirmation, Chafee and Snowe, say they will oppose a filibuster.

According to the Boston Globe , Kerry won't find more than 30 votes:

But high-ranking Senate aides said the best Kerry and Kennedy can hope for is to persuade 25 or 30 Democrats to sign on -- well short of the 41 votes they need to lock in unlimited Senate debate and kill the nomination.

Reid said he would support Kerry's filibuster "to at least send a message." Sadly, the message is that the Democrats are obstructionist sore losers.

[GermanBusiness]

Lurch knows that it was his candidacy that brought this on.

If the Dems had run Zell Miller it might be a different story now. ;-)

[Txsleuth]

bttt

[rod1]

Kerry's proposal is looking like Davos cheese these days.

[Bubba_Leroy]

It ain't over until Hillary sings.

If it weren't for the threat of the Constitutional option, a whole lot more Democrats would be voting for a filibuster.

[R.W.Ratikal]

Not only is Reid "conceding" things the whole Democrat party is stepping back. All but a few are remaining silent on Iraq. No one of prominence has said much about Iran. Democrat after Democrat is backing off of the abortion question. More and more Democrats are speaing out with the administration about the Mexican invasion and some are even voting for Judge Alito.

Unfortunately we know that this is merely a tactic to try and stop the Democrat decline. It's too late. The Democrat party as we know it is finsihed.

[CAPMarineTet68]

After the authors acknowledge the acquiescence to reality from Dingy Harry, they spend the remainder of the article carping about why Alito should be defeated. It is only at the last two sentences that they state the facts of the case.
And this is reporting??
Oh, It's Roto-Reuters. Nevermind.

[spokeshave]

"“To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.”

“To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, to hear the lamentations of their women, and the ululations of their girly-men”

There fixed it...

[Clintonfatigued]

It's all over but the counting. And that'll be over Tuesday morning.

[wagglebee]

And it's beginning to look more and more like Reid's days as minority leader are numbered.

[Sonny M]

They think Ted Stevens could be swung?

As far as I know, I don't even think Ted Stevens has ever voted against a republican judicial nominee.

He may support abortion, but he has never, ever been vocal about it, or opposed any judge over the issue.

[Clintonfatigued]

All that's needed are at least one more Supreme Court vacancy before Bush leaves office. Preferably more, given his stellar record in judicial nominations.

[wagglebee]

I'm one of few here who believe it, but I think that Anthony Kennedy will show himself to be more conservative with four conservatives on the Court.

[Clintonfatigued]

I've been hearing that David Souter is growing tired of life in D.C. and may want the slower pace & higher pay of some kind of foundation chrairmanship or figurehead position at a blue chip law firm, or perhaps teaching law at an Ivy League campus. That would give Bush the ideal chance to correct one of his father's bigger mistakes.

[wagglebee]

Souter is very wealthy (he's worth between $5 million and $25 million), so whatever he does is probably not motivated by money. Plus, I thought someone who had been a federal judge was barred from returning to the practice of law, although I may very well be wrong on this.

I see the most likely retirees as being Stevens or Ginsburg due to health reasons. I was very surprised that Stevens didn't retire in 1999 or early 2000.

[hinckley buzzard]

If it weren't for the threat of the Constitutional option, a whole lot more Democrats would be voting for a filibuster.

I agree. And I think the conservative firestorm over Harriet Meiers sent a clear message to senators of both parties. The first message, to the GOP pansies, that they better cut the crap and take this seriously. And the second message, to the 'rats, that the GOP got the first message.

[Clintonfatigued]

John Paul Stevens is determined to not have his successor named by George W. Bush. He'll wait until 2009, if he lives that long. But you may be right about Ruth Ginsburg if her health continues to decline.

[wagglebee]

Which is why I don't understand why he didn't retire when Clinton was in office, although, he probably assumed Gore would win the election.

[hinckley buzzard]

I've been hearing that David Souter is growing tired of life in D.C. and may want the slower pace...

DC must be terribly stressful for David Souter. All those human beings everywhere that you have to relate to...anyway, from your lips to God's ear.

[steelyourfaith]

Reid Concedes Dems Lack The Votes

A keen, albeit rare, grasp of the obvious from Harry. You gotta luv these incompetent loser-Dems. Hee Hee He

[ichabod_65]

Let's face it, Bush struck out with Miers. But, in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded and down by 3 runs, Mr. Bush came in with his autographed Alito bat and hammered that baby out of the friggin ballpark. Thank you, George W. Bush!