Alito's love triangle

Let’s do the math: 42 – 25 = 17. That’s 17. . . well, actually, it’s 16, because Tom Harkin (IA) supported the filibuster by not voting at all on cloture. . . so, OK, that’s 16 Senators who voted against Alito after voting to kill the filibuster. Sixteen Senators who think they can “triangulate”—playing both sides of an issue in the hopes of getting enough support to win an election or raise campaign funds. Sixteen Senators who have no core beliefs or values. Sixteen Senators who think that their constituents are stupid.

Here they are:

Blanche Lincoln (AR) (202) 224-4843, Mark Pryor (AR) (202) 224-2353, Ken Salazar (CO) (202) 224-5852, Joseph Lieberman (CT) (202) 224-4041, Thomas Carper (DE) (202) 224-2441, Bill Nelson (FL) (202) 224-5274, Daniel Akaka (HI) (202) 224-6361, Daniel Inouye (HI) (202) 224-3934, Mary Landrieu (LA) (202) 224-5824, Max Baucus (MT) (202) 224-2651, Byron Dorgan (ND) (202) 224-2551, Jeff Bingaman (NM) (202) 224-5521, Lincoln Chafee (RI) (202) 224-2921, Maria Cantwell (WA) (202) 224-3441, Herb Kohl (WI) (202) 224-5653, John Rockefeller (WV) (202) 224-6472

Remember, 42 votes is one more than we needed to filibuster the nomination and keep Alito off the High Court. The 16 names above are the 16 who cynically traded the future of the country for a chance at personal gain. It’s really that simple.



PS What’s up with Chuck Hagel (NE) and John Ensign (NV)? Both voted to confirm Alito after voting “present” on cloture (as good as supporting the filibuster). I guess triangles are two sided. . . .