Is it quaint to think that the opinions of Senators Corzine and Lautenberg might be taken seriously by the rest of the chamber? Back in the day, Senators from a nominee's home state were able to scuttle the whole thing, of they so desired.
Is that tradition wise? It's questionable. Is it particularly democratic? Nope.
Still though, at least in terms of the changing dynamics of the Senate, it's something to consider.
Proving, that even on Halloween, he has no sense of humor (or maybe that he has an incredibly incisive one) Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), "praised the choice, calling Alito "man of outstanding character, who is deeply committed to public service."
But Cornyn, who had supported a conservative choice, cautioned any potential Democratic opposition that, "It is important that the confirmation process be completed in a timely manner free of obstructionist tactics.""
I imagine that somewhere, Harriet Miers is not amused.
And finally as "the liberal activist organization People for the American Way announced the launch of a "massive national effort" to prevent Alito's confirmation." I say back, Prove It. The response to recent judicial appointees from civil liberties and reproductive choice groups has been anything but effective, and not particularly massive either. Lets see if PFAW can truly, at long last, start a real national dialogue about why it'd be bad news to put another right wing ideologue. Ezra Klein has a couple of ideas on his blog. And at TAPped, he and the other writers have some more. Lindsay Beyerstein has more.
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