Democrats didn't make their case on Alito, Obama says

Chicago Tribune ^ | 01/29/06 | JEFF ZELENY

[Pikamax]

Democrats didn't make their case on Alito, Obama says

BY JEFF ZELENY Chicago Tribune

WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said he would vote Monday to filibuster Judge Samuel Alito's confirmation to the Supreme Court, but he conceded the effort would be futile and criticized Democrats for failing to persuade Americans to take notice of the court's changing ideological face.

"The Democrats have to do a much better job in making their case on these issues," Obama said Sunday on ABC News' "This Week." "These last-minute efforts - using procedural maneuvers inside the Beltway - I think has been the wrong way of going about it."

Despite his criticism, Obama announced his intention to support the maneuver designed to block - or delay - Alito's confirmation this week. The movement, which was launched by Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., appeared to lack the 41 senators needed to be successful.

Alito, a federal appeals court judge, is poised to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. The Senate is scheduled to cast a final vote on Alito's confirmation Tuesday.

The threat of a filibuster emerged late last week after liberal activists accused Democratic senators of failing to vigorously oppose Alito's ascension to the Supreme Court. After Kerry began the effort, several liberal groups mounted a campaign by Internet, telephone and fax to persuade other senators to follow suit.

"I will be supporting the filibuster because I think Judge Alito, in fact, is somebody who is contrary to core American values, not just liberal values," Obama said. "When you look at his decisions - in particular, during times of war - we need a court that is independent and is going to provide some check on the executive branch."

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

This is typical of the plantation mentality of the left. Massa John, Senator from Davos, along with Miss Hillary have shown Obama the chains and are threatening to clamp them on if'n he don't toe the mark.

Explains why Obama is late to the filibuster party.

[Hypervigilant]

LOL!!!

I needed that.

Great tagline. So true.

[rlmorel]

I know exactly what you mean! It never fails to give me a lift when I post it...:)

Yea-Whittaker Chambers was RIGHT on the money, and exonerated too, but the libs write all those history books, so...the general public still thinks he is a loser. The man was brave as hell.

[poinq]

OK, but here is classic Obama. "I think the filibuster is the wrong move." "Democrats should do a better job next time." "But, I will vote that to filibuster anyway."

He will talk like he is being a reasonable middle of the road guy, like Daschle talks, but when the voting comes its all party line.

[tflabo]

Hey ObamadaSomada.....you look pretty, talk pretty and a darling star of the Dems.....truth is though you just a puppet boy of your masters...the far left wacko Libs....
obviously they pull your strings and you dance....aint that right Mr. B..........

[Fatuncle]

"... and criticized Democrats for failing to persuade Americans to take notice of the court's changing ideological face."

We have taken notice. We want it to change.

[Prost1]

"Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said he would vote Monday to filibuster..."

That says it all. Obama is Captured on the democrat PLANTATION, and "YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!" (don't ya Hillary!).

[Theresawithanh]

"... I think Judge Alito, in fact, is somebody who is contrary to core American values, not just liberal values."

Can you tell us exactly why you think so when a majority of Americans appear to support his nomination, Senator O?

[Unam Sanctam]

Oh Bama is trying to play both sides of the street, supporting the filibuster while claiming to be critical of the Dems for it.

[Malcolm]

LOL, Obama actually makes Robert Byrd look good by comparison...no small feat.</p>

[CharlesWayneCT]

The democrats are left with two choices. Either they blame americans for being too stupid to understand how bad Alito is, or they blame the democrats on the judiciary committee for failing to do their job.

They decided this time not to completely blame americans, so now they are attacking themselves. Apparently the democrats put a bunch of buffoons on what they describe as the most important committee in the senate.

Guess we should trust them with the government, huh?

[CharlesWayneCT]

So Obama supports the filibuster which won't work because Americans don't agree with them because they did such a bad job.

Meanwhile, Feinstein is supporting the filibuster even though she said there was no good reason to HAVE a filibuster -- because she doesn't NEED a good reason, she's got Cindy Sheehan yapping at her heels.

Kerry is supporting the filibuster because someone at Davos asked him what the heck he was doing sitting around in Switzerland while Alito was being debated and confirmed in DC.

Kennedy is supporting the filibuster because he heard they were serving free drinks. (OK, I made that up).

Searchlight Reid is supporting the filibuster, because that's what lackeys for the party do -- whatever the party tells them. What, he's the leader? Get out of here.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

I've never seen a newly elected Senator gain so much power before in such a short time.

I mean, Obama was just elected last year.

[hsalaw]

wheres the logic?

Logic? We don't need no stinkin' logic! We're the Kerry/Kennedy/DiFi/Obama looney leftists! AAAARRGGGGGGH!

[old republic]

If there case is like this no wonder they couldn't make it:

"...using procedural maneuvers inside the Beltway - I think has been the wrong way of going about it."

Despite his criticism, Obama announced his intention to support the maneuver designed to block - or delay - Alito's confirmation this week"

Essentially what he is saying is I dont support it but I'm going to support it. He is choosing to do what he acknowledges is wrong.

[PizzaDriver]

Just as new "Slaves With Whips" were the worst Field Masters, Senator Obama feels He MUST impress his Party Masters.

Until the 17th Amendment is repealed, too many Rooky Senators {minority or not} will be willing tools of "the Party", rather than serve their States honestly.

[willyboyishere]

"Democrats didn't make their case" is a sneaky way (what else is new for Dems) of putting it in courtroom trial context---as good also as admitting that the Dems were acting as unofficial prosecuting attorneys. The implication is that the Dems failed (who knows?--maybe because they're such nice guys at heart) and because they failed, ALito is "acquitted". and "got away with murder".

[KeyLargo]

Freepers should always refer to Obama by his given Muslim name:

Barack HUSSEIN Obama

---

Barack Obama
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Barack Obama
Office: Junior Senator, Illinois
Political party: Democratic
Term of office: January 2005–Present
Preceded by: Peter Fitzgerald
Succeeded by: Incumbent (2011)
Born: August 4, 1961
Honolulu, Hawaii
Died:
Spouse: Michelle Obama

Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. (born August 4, 1961) is a U.S. Senator from Illinois. He is the first African-American man from the Democratic Party ever to be elected to the United States Senate. He received international media coverage for his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, delivered while he was still an Illinois state senator.

Obama won the open Senate seat while on leave from the University of Chicago Law School. He is the only African-American currently serving in the U.S. Senate, the fifth in U.S. history and the third since Reconstruction. Obama won the election in a landslide, with 70% of the vote to Alan Keyes' 27%. He is junior senator to Richard Durbin, with whom he is reported to have an excellent professional and personal relationship.

Obama is married to Michelle Obama, a Chicago native. They have two daughters: Malia Ann (born 1999) and Natasha (born 2001).

Early life

Barack Obama was born at the Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii to Harvard-educated economist Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a native of Kenya, and S. Ann Dunham, of Wichita, Kansas. At the time of Obama's birth, both his parents were students at the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Barack initially was given the religion of his father which was Islam but eventually decided to embrace the Christian faith.

Of his years in Hawaii, Obama has written, "The irony is that my decision to work in politics, and to pursue such a career in a big Mainland city, in some sense grows out of my Hawaiian upbringing, and the ideal that Hawaii still represents in my mind."

When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. His father eventually returned to Kenya, and he saw his son only once more before his death in 1982. Ann Obama married another East-West Center student from Indonesia. In his early childhood while growing up with his mother, Barack used the name 'Barry'. The family then moved to Jakarta,
where Obama's half-sister Maya was born (Obama has other half-siblings from his father's other marriages). When Obama was ten he returned to Hawaii under the care of his grandparents, and later his mother, for the better educational opportunities. He was enrolled in the fifth grade at Punahou School, where he graduated with honors in 1979.

[Jess Kitting]

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said he would vote Monday to filibuster Judge Samuel Alito's confirmation to the Supreme Court, but he conceded the effort would be futile.

If the effort is futile, why bother to support it?

[commish]

LEt's review;

Now - Dems didn't make thier case on Alito

2004 - Dems didn't get thier message across

2002 - Dems just didn't get thier message across

2000 - Dems just didn't get thier message across

So one must conclude - Dems are really lousy communicators, or maybe, just maybe, thier is some other reason.