Sam Alito

By Dave Lindorff

AIG, the quintessential blue-chip, one of the 30 companies that
compose the Dow Jones Industrial Average, a company that in 2000
boasted a market capitalization of $217 billion, making it the largest
financial institution in the world, is teetering on the brink of
collapse. Worth just $7 billion today, the future of what was until
recently the world’s largest insurance company is hanging by a
thread—that thread being the willingness of Wall Street institutions
like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, themselves facing credit issues,
to come up with $75 billion in rescue loans.

It used to be that investors who were worried about financial
markets, or who didn’t like to take big risks, would put their money in
what were called “blue chips”—companies that were deemed conservative,
safe investments that could weather any storm. They had names like
AT&T, General Motors, Ford, Boeing…and AIG.

NOW's outstanding President Kim Gandy speaks for me:

Today the Supreme Court upheld this nation's first abortion procedure ban—a ban enacted by George W. Bush and conservatives in Congress. Five justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito—both installed by Bush and a Republican-majority Senate—ruled that the law does not violate a woman's constitutional right to abortion.

Not since Bush v. Gore has the Supreme Court made such a political decision, or one that so completely distorts the law and disregards the U.S. Constitution.

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.”