The Democrats Miss Their Target

Some Democrats think they have found Judge Samuel Alito's Achilles' heel. In their opening statements and first day of questioning, Senators Patrick Leahy, Ted Kennedy, Chuck Schumer, and Dick Durbin have tried to portray Alito as a tool of the powerful. They describe him as a man always willing to side with the strong over the weak, the rich against the poor, one who favors whites over blacks and other minorities. They are hoping the theme will resonate in a way that simply attacking him as anti-abortion won't. It is becoming harder and harder to convince most Americans that an absolute right to abortion through nine months of pregnancy is the sine qua non of American freedom, so Democrats are having to expand their line of assault. And they are hoping that the president's less-than-stellar poll numbers and the anticipated Republican fallout from the Jack Abramoff investigation will make it easier for Democrats to sustain a filibuster, which is the only way they can defeat Alito.

The problem is Alito doesn't much resemble the caricature the Democrats have drawn. There is certainly nothing in his background that would make him insensitive, much less hostile, to the interests of ordinary working people. He grew up solidly middle class, but not privileged, the son of a teacher and a civil servant (who happened to be an immigrant). Nor do Alito's opinions suggest any animus to the less powerful or fortunate. His record on employment cases, for example, tracks the facts of the individual cases rather than any ideological agenda.

The DemocRATS are running out of time and still they cannot make Alito look bad. They are very frustrated because after "leting Roberts go through" they promised Armaggeddon with Bush's next nominee and Samuel Alito is running circles around them. It is obvious that they will vote party-line but still they won't be able to stop Alito. Bush had two wonderful picks: Alito and Roberts and the DemonRATS only had to watch the show in horror.

The Democrats seem to think that because Alito is replacing O'Conner, there is something in the Constitution that says a justice must replace a "like minded canidate" Lord knows where that exists in stare decisis. But, I hope if Ginsburg is the next replacement during the Bush Presidency, this will get really intresting, to say the least!

I think another problem faced by the Left is the fact that they have overplayed or exaggerated everything to such an extreme that they are no longer able to make simple statements that carry any weight.

Its always "the sky is falling". I noticed this trend emerging with algore and it has only continued to worsen.

Americans are put off by being played for idiots over and over. These exaggerations cause the messenger to instantly loose creditability.

I would all those that keep complaining the President is not "playing hardball" with the Democrats.

This President came into office knowing he faced a hostile media. One that would not hesitate to take any "mean" word he says about anything, and blow it all out of proportion.

By being cordial to those that hate his guts, it is difficult for the media to paint him as an Orge. In fact, it seems to have driven the left to the edge of the cliff as they try to get a raise out of him.

I will not be surprised to learn after the President leaves office that this was a strategy from the begining.

The left have not learned this lesson.

When it becomes obvious to everyone that your mind is made up, and that no about of discussion will change it, then there is no point in talking.

When it is obvious to everyone that you view any conservative as evil, then your views on the subject no longer really matter.

It would have been better for the Democrats to have gone along with the program and appear unbias saving themselve for the times it really matters, such as now.

If they had been reasonable for the past five years, and now object to a particular nominee, their objection would have carried a lot more wieght. As it is, they are doing what everyone knows they would do regardless of the who the nominee was. They object because this President selected the man, not for anything the man has said or done.

The Democrats have become predictable. Unfortunately for them, their friends in the media have not managed to destroy this President, and the majortity of American people trust his opinions more then they trust theirs.

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