Listen to your granny!

Granny Bee

2/3/06 - What a Week! (1:04) Real .mp3

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com

Granny is now regularly featured on The Paul Berenson Show (Scroll down for archived shows)

Vote to end debate clears path for Alito

Chris Bowers wants "Edjamacation" - why did the blogosphere ignore his liveblogging about Alito from the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, and then suddenly spring into action to stop Alito on January 25? Here's why:

1. Everyone knew the Senate hearings would be a complete waste of time because Alito would lie through his teeth. That has been the case with every Congressional hearing since Bush stole the White House, most recently with John Roberts and Alberto Gonzales. There was no point going to Washington for the hearings, watching them on C-SPAN, or even reading about them in the blogs.
2. Unbeknownst to the circle-jerk blogs, there was a tremendous amount of non-blog grassroots organizing going on led by email-focused groups like People for the American Way, NOW, NARAL, the Alliance for Justice, Democrats.com, Working Assets, USAlone.net, etc.
   

As disappointing as it is to lose the fight on the Alito Supreme Court nomination, it’s also getting old listening to people on our own side running down the efforts of someone like John Kerry, who tried to do the right thing by leading on the filibuster. I’ve read too much commentary lately saying that Kerry acted as an opportunist, proposing the eleventh-hour filibuster only because he knew it would not be sustained – with the theory being that he would get “credit” for being willing to block Alito but, because it would never come to fruition, would not have to pay a long term political price for the action.

A total of 19 Democrats voted yesterday to kill a filibuster attempt by Senator John Kerry on the nomination of Samuel Alito to replace Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court. By doing so, these Democrats have ensured that the ultraconservative Alito will be confirmed.

While most of them are saying they will vote against his confirmation today, have a look at some of the strong statements they have made about why a Supreme Court Justice Alito would be bad for America – despite voting yesterday in a way that guarantees that will happen.

Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI): "I am not confident that Judge Alito will be able to fairly apply the principles embodied in the United States Constitution… Important questions on privacy, the environment, presidential power and women's reproductive rights will all come before the Court to be resolved. With Judge Alito sitting on the Supreme Court, I am very concerned about the direction the Court will take our great nation.”

The Republicans identified a confirmation team, with a single individual in charge, as soon as the decision was made that Alito would be the candidate. That team was able to commandeer whatever resources it needed, bully whoever needed to be bullied, offer whatever carrots needed to be offered, and use a PR engine to help create an aura of inevitability, keep the truth about his radical views well hidden, think up theatrics to create sentiment in his favor, and belittle any efforts to stop the nomination.

Meanwhile, on our side, some people came forward and took a stand, way too late, while others waffled, couldn't be bothered, or took the opportunity to stab some of their own in the back.