"would Snowe and Collins really consider voting for Alito, and if so, why?"
Ain't gonna happen.
Jonathon Singer discusses this point at MyDD. Faux Moderation Among Senate Republicans:
The next five Senators with the lowest party unity scores are all members of the Republican caucus: Lincoln Chafee, Rhode Island (52.6 percent in opposition); Olympia Snowe, Maine (44.1 percent in opposition); Susan Collins, Maine (41.0 percent in opposition); Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania (31.4 percent in opposition); and Mike DeWine, Ohio (29.8 percent in opposition).
It should not come as much of a surprise that these five Republicans often vote contrary to their colleagues in the GOP caucus; the Republican Party maintains a ten-seat margin in the Senate, meaning that even if five Republicans defect on a key vote (six if Ben Nelson votes with the GOP), the Republicans will still win with Vice President Cheney's tie-breaking vote. Essentially, because there are only 45 Democrats in the Senate, the lives of these five Republicans -- four of whom reside in blue states, the fifth in a highly-competitive state -- are fairly easy because they have the liberty to vote the more "moderate" position without risking defeat for their party's position.
Make no mistake, however. These Republicans are no moderates. Were they truly situated near the middle of the political spectrum, as they purport to be, they would show some spine in standing up to their party on crucial issues. However, all too often, instead of filibustering or voting "no" in committee, they offer up only token opposition to the most regressive policies of the Republican Party.
Posted by SJ at January 23, 2006 12:49 AM"would Snowe and Collins really consider voting for Alito, and if so, why?"
Ain't gonna happen.
Sorry, Steve, I gave the answer to the question I thought you were going to ask, i.e. "would Snowe and Collins really consider voting against Alito", rather than the quesion you actualy did ask.
Posted by SJ at January 23, 2006 03:51 AMTh Tms' nd thrs' frdlnt clms tht th cnfrmtn f lt wll chng mrcn lw nd lf dsgss thr tr pprhnsn tht ny lgtmt bstrctn shld rmn t mpd thr wn wrpd nd crrsv gnd t ndrmn mrcn lw nd lf.
[Editor: ignore=off]But there is no reason to believe that Judge Alito is any more popular than the president who nominated him.
Classic.
And the NYT? Will wonders never cease.
Even rich people wouldn't be too happy to buy what they thought was a relatively new Mercedes, then find out the odometer was turned wayyyy back.....and have to legal redress according to Alito.
Posted by Sharon at January 23, 2006 06:43 AMoops, that's NO legal redress
Posted by Sharon at January 23, 2006 06:43 AMJust curious about the New York Times piece, which other newspaper do you suppose they plagerized this opinion piece from....perhaps the DNC newsletter.
Alito will be confirmed, but what would burn my britches, is if I were a liberal like you guys, and if Alito gets 59 or less votes, then, guess what, a filibuster would have worked....thats right, the gang of 14 senators, that "consipired" to stop the nominations destroyed your last ditch effort to stop a Supreme Court Justice.....
That would really, really piss me off. Ergo, some democrats may vote for him just to save face and say that the fillibuster would not have worked.....
put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Posted by carpediem at January 23, 2006 07:18 AMHas anyone seen a recent public opinion poll on Alito?
Posted by euzoius at January 23, 2006 07:26 AM...put that in your pipe and smoke it.
The last time you supplied, we didn't even get a buzz!
Posted by pessimist at January 23, 2006 09:37 AM"Altio Confirmation in General"
What bothers me most, about this USSC candidate, is that no one is asking the real questions, in regards to privacy. Yes it is true that Roe v. Wade is an issue that is real, and needs to be at the forefront of discourse, it is not the only important issue. Privacy is not just about whether a Woman’s right to choose is valid per the Constitution, it transcends into a multitude of issues such as, warrant-less searches, un-constitutional withholding of Americans legal rights under the due process clause, and most importantly the terrifying use by the Bush Administration of executive power! Come on folks; let's try to keep our eye on the ball here! Alito is just plain unhealthy for our country in a whole host of ways!!!