As is being reported several places today, the Senate is holding a cloture vote regarding the nomination of Alito to the SCOTUS this afternoon. Over at Huffington, John Kerry writes:
I know better than anyone that elections have consequences and that the President has every right to nominate whomever he chooses to replace Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. But I also know that Senators have the right - in fact, they have a constitutional responsibility, to question whether that nominee is the right choice. That is why the Framers required the Senate to provide advice and consent. We are not meant to be a rubber stamp. We need not rush to judgment simply to satisfy the political deadline of a State of the Union address.
I am convinced that Judge Alito is the wrong choice for America. In fact, I am convinced that he is a dangerous choice for America. This is a rare moment in Washington. We are facing the vote of a lifetime - a vote that will shape the law for generations to come. Despite the predictions of the pundits, the story is not over until the last vote is cast. We cannot win unless we try. The time to take a stand is now, to fight for the rights and freedoms of all Americans is when they’re endangered not after they’ve been diminished. It is time to take a stand against Judge Alito, and take a stand for the kind of America we’ve been for over two hundred years.
The media reports I’ve been hearing suggest that the Democrats are 2 votes shy of being able to block cloture…something that will almost certainly cause the GOP to invoke the “nuclear option”.
I have mixed thoughts about whether the Dems should seek to filibuster Alito. On the one hand, the implications of forcing the GOP to unload the nuclear option (or the “Constitutional option” as they seem to most recently be spinning) could be rather entertaining. On the other hand…Alito is probably the best candidate this White House could nominate; he at least seems to put law and jurisprudence ahead of his personal opinion, but his opinions on the supremacy of the Presidency are disturbing.
Should you wish to contact your senators about the vote, the switchboard number to call is apparently 888-ELK-FLUTE. (The final ‘E’ is silent.)
Update: If you want to read a good article on the behind-the-scenes work over the past 2 decades, to get Roberts and Alito to the Supreme Court, check out this article at WaPo.