Posted on 01/26/2006 6:57:08 PM PST by metalmanx2j
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate's top Republican decided Thursday to force a showdown on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito early next week, with the two Democratic senators from Massachusetts pushing to block a vote.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist filed a motion to cut off debate on the Alito nomination after his Democratic counterpart, Minority Leader Harry Reid, objected to a move by GOP leaders to schedule a final vote on his confirmation Monday afternoon.
Frist's motion, which requires 60 votes under Senate rules, will come up for a vote at 4:30 p.m. Monday. If successful, senators will then vote on Alito's nomination at 11 a.m. Tuesday, with a simple majority of 51 votes needed for approval.
Frist's move came as Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts was lobbying his Democratic colleagues to filibuster the Alito nomination -- an uphill fight, given that none of the chamber's 55 Republicans have opposed his confirmation and three Democrats are on the record supporting it.
"Judge Alito's confirmation would be an ideological coup on the Supreme Court," Kerry said in a written statement.
"We can't afford to see the court's swing vote, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, replaced with a far-right ideologue like Samuel Alito."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
From another story posted elsewhere:
Johnson (SD), like Nelson (NB), Landrieu (LA), Pryor (AR) and Conrad (ND), said he opposes using a filibuster, a parliamentary maneuver that allows unlimited debate, to block a Senate vote on Alito. With those five, Republicans have the votes to stop any filibuster.
Plus, even Obama from Illinois is pretty much saying the filibuster is pointless and/or hopeless.
And last night there was a poll on CNN about Kerry - is this move about filibuster ideology or politics? He was LOSING that poll last night, with over 100,000 votes in.
This move by Kerry is GRANDSTANDING to stir up his left-wing base - nothing more - it's pointless, but I still think he should continue to push his obstructionist agenda - it'll end up pi$$ing off even more voters.
Well after spending much time in WV.. I can tell you that while WV is red in terms of its day to day mentality for the most part anymore... Senator Byrd is going to decide when its time to go home.. I just don't see him being voted out by anyone.
The point is, even though he is probably one of the most safe guys in there this election year, even he is not willing to risk voting against what is obviously a supremely qualified nominee just because some moonbats from Cali and NY think he should.
Actually, the best thing would be for a member of bored public to throw something hard and heavy at him and score a direct hit. I remember reading it somewhere that German Burgomaster von Guericke in 17th[?] century had a large pocket watch, which was a complete lemon. After spending a lot of money on useless repairs, he went to a city blacksmith and ordered him to whack it with a mallet. The watch after that started working OK, and the accident was inscribed in a city chronicle as a useful guidance for, among others, schoolmasters. I do not know whether the story is true or not, but it well might be. And so - who knows? - it might work again, even on Kerry.
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