Kennedy: you don’t ever lose when fighting for principle

Yeah, well, except in real terms. . . .

BUT, there are two posts regarding the Alito filibuster over at dKos that are worth noting, and, maybe, are even heartening. First, Markos finds it ironic that:

This is probably the most united I've ever seen the Democratic establishment, that is, Democrats without offices in the U.S. Senate. Even the DLC is calling for a filibuster. Center, left, right -- all corners of the party agree.

Yes, that is ironic—and not in an Alanis Morissette kind of way, either—because all I hear on the radio or read in the papers is that this is such a lost cause (hell, they even have Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin believing it).

In another post, mcjoan writes of a conference call between Edward Kennedy and bloggers (um, oh, yoo-hoo, Senator, my number is 212. . . ) where the fabulous Teddy K encouraged all to keep calling their Senators, no matter what they might have said up till now. It is important to remind the Democrats that a principled vote is not obstructionist. And it is important to remind everyone that

Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court could turn back a generation's worth of progress in civil rights, in worker protections, in equality for women, in environmental protection, in the fight of the little guy against the corporation. And Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court will affect the generations to come. We cannot afford to refight the battles of the past 40 years during the next 40 years.

OK, with all that in mind, let’s all keep calling. Bob Fertik at democrats.com has posted a great resource that provides a whip count and a strategy for prioritizing your calls. It also lists local office numbers for all the Senators, because the Capitol Hill voicemail boxes are full! Call a few local offices today; get ready to call a bunch of DC offices on Monday.

Kennedy suggested pressuring these Senators:

Pryor, Lincoln, Cantwell, Murray, Baucus, Harkin, Levin, Bayh, Lautenberg, Menendez, and Lieberman.

In addition, he said to keep the pressure on Republican Senators Snowe, Collins, Chaffee, and Stevens. But there are more over at democrats.com. So, make some calls!