Ben Nelson and Max Baucus say they are not sure how they'll vote on Sonia Sotomayor
By John Amato Friday Jul 31, 2009 8:00amA few days ago Sen. Ben Nelson said he wasn't sure how he'd vote on the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor:
Sen. Ben Nelson said Wednesday he has not decided whether he will vote to confirm Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Nelson said he'll delay his decision until next week's scheduled Senate vote."I accept her judicial philosophy of fidelity to the law," Nelson said during a telephone conference call from Washington. Nelson said he also believes Sotomayor is committed to supporting settled judicial precedent.
But, he said, he needs to "convince myself she won't be an activist" on the court. "I need an opportunity to review a few things," the Democratic senator said.
What a guy. He makes sure to use republican talking points about activism, but when he had to consider John Roberts he said would take him at his word.
On September 22, 2005 - before the Senate Judiciary Committee's confirmation hearings for John Roberts had even been completed - Sen. Ben Nelson stated on the floor of the U.S. Senate:
"Only time will tell where Judge Roberts will come down on the prevailing legal matters that come before the Roberts Court. I can only take him at his word that he will approach his role on the court without a pre-determined agenda, without activism, and with only the intention to balance the scales of justice for all Americans.....
I will vote to confirm Judge John Roberts as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court."
And he said the same thing about Alito.
At the time, the Associated Press reported:
Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska on Tuesday became the first Democrat to announce he will vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. Nelson, one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress, said in a statement that he had made up his mind to support Alito "because of his impeccable judicial credentials, the American Bar Association's strong recommendation and his pledge that he would not bring a political agenda to the court."
Now, not to be undone by the Nelson gasbag is Max Baucus, the man who wants to undermine health care reform.
Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said Thursday he hasn’t made up his mind on whether he will vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.
Baucus this summer has infuriated liberals on and off Capitol Hill by working to strike a deal with Republicans on healthcare reform. A “no” vote on Sotomayor would be adding fuel to the left’s fire at the Finance Committee chairman.
Baucus on Thursday twice told The Hill he is undecided on next week’s floor vote on Sotomayor.
Talk about slapping their president in the face. If Goober Graham said he's voting for Sotomayor then what is their hesitation except from a narcissistic ego trip to get more ink from the media. I wonder if Nelson is a racist or just hates women or both since he gave his vote to two white men so easily.
Dave N.: According to Ian Millhiser at ThinkProgress, all of this waffling by Senate Dems -- which includes Alaska's Mark Begich -- is a result of pressure from the National Rifle Association, which indeed promised it would work to stop the Sotomayor nomination very early on; the NRA's Wayne LaPierre went on Glenn Beck and promised that if Sotomayor didn't agree to every jot and tittle of their agenda, they would denounce and oppose her. This is why so many Republicans grilled Sotomayor with questions about the Second Amendment.
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That's politicalese for I'm open to a bribe.
Or, alternately, he's a plant and secretly serves another master. It's not like organizations have not done it in the past. Heck there are books on how many CIA agents ran for congress and the senate since WW2. GHWBush for example was in the CIA when he ran for congress and senate and finally was 'given' the CIA Chief position by Nixon. He states that he never worked for the CIA before that... (riiight)
I would suspect he was just bought (and is bought and sold like used national geographics..)
I've had that thought for some time about a number of Democrats. I wouldn't put it past the Nixon era Republicans to have a plan like that in place. He was certainly paranoid enough to want someone on the inside of the Democratic party and I don't beleive the current Repubs are any different.
White guys can always be trusted to be impartial, with no leanings towards their own beliefs/agendas. Women are just too emotional to be rational, and a Hispanic woman should only be cleaning up the courtroom, not presiding over it.
Snark.
Going down the same path as Bush/Cheney..
Obama is illegally trying to protect Bush's criminal crimes which have been the worst in our history..
So What do you call Obama..
Really sounds like we have a lot of persons from other party's trying to screw up the democrat voters..
I thought the republicans were the group with most of their members with prejudices and hate.
Personally I am tired of hearing this type of BS coming for other groups..
I'm not following you, Pete. The message from Em Tee was labeled as snark.
And as for Obama, he was clear that he was going to try to push through his agenda before (instead of?) going after the Bush "criminal crimes". There are ongoing DOJ investigations; let's see if Obama turns up the heat after Baucus and Nelson imolate his healthcare reform.
...without the coalition.
Recourses? None that I can see.
... stop thinking 'bipartisanship' was on the stone tablets Moses brought down from the summit of Mt. Sinai.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG4rYCZhpEw
When the NRA farts, Max Baucus sniffs.
He's not the only one, believe me. As much as it staggers the imagination, it would appear that Americans are actually being governed by Wayne Lapierre.
for the GOP.
Quick there's a crazed white cracker with a semi-automatic!!!
Yawn...nothing we can do about that, 2nd amendment rights you know ol' chap.
Quick there's a little old black professor with 'tude chewin' out the cops for being on his property!
Let's roll!!!
These guys (Barcus, Nelson, et al) are not Democrats. They are GOP through and through. I don't understand why the Democratic Party leadership isn't smacking these guys around, saying "Get with the program, or they'll be no support for you come reelection time" Personally, I'd like to see the "Blue Dogs" expelled from the Party, but as we've seen with Joe Lieberman, that's not gonna happen.
Reid: "... or we're going to take away your chairmanship and kick you out of the caucus!"
Baucus: *snaps fingers* "Bipartisanship."
Reid: ::: eyes glaze over ::: "Yes ... I am spineless. I am weak. I must be bipartisan ..."
"Bipartisanship" or, as it should be more commonly referred to, "Let's work together to sell out the American people"
.
Clean up your fucking house, you worthless, spinelss bitch!!!
I wouldn't be holding my breath on that one. If Arlen ("the Ghoul") Specter (D?!?-PA) can be a Democrat, it seems certain that even Richard Nixon could put an "R" next to his name.
It's time to switch the ol' voter registration from Democrat to Green. To hell with these clowns.
...Nixon did have an "R" next to his name.
Chain yank. Yeah, and the fact the fucking Dems have already said they would support Specter against any democratic challengers? What a fucking crock. I don't register with any party, but I do pay attention to words and a lot of Dems should be getting voted out in the next couple election cycles.
want you to leave the Dem party so you can't vote for a progressive in the primary (if yours is a closed one)
Careful forging of letters to congressmen should be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted.
Many of the polls are being worded to extract a specific response. There is no truth in the media at all anymore. If they manipulate everything from polls to elections, we have to stay vigilant. I would bet that Obama won by a much larger margin than what has been reported. The next major issue congress should be tackling should be public financing of elections.
...as to what political party these jackasses want to affiliate with. I just hope there are enough people in NE and MT paying attention so they can try to get a progressive to run against the Repugnicants.
who needs republicans
My guess is that they're just trying to keep the NRA wolves at bay until the vote occurs. I think you'll see both of them vote to confirm. But the diary is absolutely right about the hypocrisy of Nelson in his statement. Given how he voted on Roberts.
When time for their re-election comes and vote them OUT>>>>
Trouble is ,,,, we wait too D... long to orgainized and select a candidate to run and defeat them..
that these two irredeemably corrupt crooks are, in fact, not Democrats?
These two stink with the stench of Republican(t)s!!
Trying to gain a bargaining position with the White House vis a vis healthcare legislation? The Republicans can't block a confirmation of Sotomayor and wouldn't seriously want to if they could. Fuck Nelson and Baucus. All they'll do is harm themselves by voting against Sotomayor. Bring it.
Why doesn't it say (R) next to their name? These aren't democrats, nor do they appear to be Americans.
... a (D) next to their name is if FOX News is reporting on a scandal they're embroiled in.
for new jobs before too long. They're NOT doing what their constituents want... and eventually they'll be voted out.
Terrible examples of everything I hate about politicians... Total sellouts!
...what total criminals.
you know, I always wonder why these guys don't end up in jail too. The utter hypocrisy of it all makes me what to freak out and go crazy! I want to grab these a$$holes around the neck and stick their faces in the crap they've dealt people.
It's the avaricious greedy ba$tard$ I truly want to destroy.
What talent that Max Baucus has. He can take the phalluses of both the insurance industry AND the NRA into his mouth at the same time...and still speak!
Amazing!!
while he's screwing the American people!
Baucus must be truly thankful to have viagra covered by his health insurance.
WTF?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!????????????????????????????
as "the most trusted man in America" on the CBS "Sixty Minutes" show says a lot about the condition of this nation.
i'm a grrl who's hunted and fished with my father for food most of my life. i don't sport or trophy hunt, nor do i practice catch and release as i believe that the killing or molesting of animals merely for sport and not for sustenence is an odeous practice. i also see no merit in handguns generally as their short muzzle lengths limit their hunting usefulness to the point that their only niche is that of killing humans.
i was recently called by the nra to reup on a membership that had lapsed decades ago. the caller was insistant my right to own firearms was right now under attack and i was in danger of losing them forever if i didn't reup right then and there. paranoia city. i told him in no uncertain words, no one was coming for my 12 gauge, hunting rifle or 22 semiauto, i didn't like the nra's cozy relationship with the gop, their lobbying issues other than protecting the 2nd amendment, and their paranoiac scare tactics. i told them to call me back when they solved those problems. fat chance on that.
the nra is their own worst enemy. they did it by becoming unfocused and muddying their own message to the point of extremist parody.
You are cool!!
Thanks for the info.
the NRA, posing as a 2nd amendment rights defender, champion of the american patriot, and organize for the masses is a fraud. *shocking*
the NRA doesn't fight for constitutional rights, as they profess, they fight to ensure a continuous cash-hose into the mouth of the firearms industry.
lapierre and the rest of the nra head honchos wrap themselves in the flag as they undermine democracy, they speak out against "elites" while they themselves rub elbows, and are themselves, among the elite ruling class.
"A group of firearms and outdoor executives recognized a significant need to contribute to making the NRA an even stronger organization in order to lead the fight to protect our Second Amendment rights in our current political climate," said Tom Taylor, vice president of marketing for Smith & Wesson
"This is the largest membership initiative in the history of the NRA, and it's being led by the American firearms industry and we thank them for that," LaPierre said. "Today, we face the greatest threat we've ever seen to the Second Amendment. Politicians on Capitol Hill, the anti-gun media, anti-gun billionaires and an international crowd of UN gun-banners have their sights set directly on the Second Amendment. They intend to destroy this freedom."
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3197/i...
"With 2008 being a critical election year, all of us at Sightron are concerned about attacks against our right to bear arms and about future generations having the same rights we have enjoyed," said Sightron's president, Scott Helmer. "We are proud to do our part to help the NRA defend our Second Amendment rights."
the list:
http://www.insureyourgunrights.com/sponsors.htm
as always follow the money.
the internet is an invaluable tool
all of these 'industry' front groups and lobbying coalitions are just there to take the money from the 'stupid people' Bill Maher was talking about. The NRA, AARP, pretty much any other acronym fro a national 'interest' group you can name is basically in business to stuff money into the pockets of the 'officers' and 'executive directors.'
American are stupid (present company excluded, of course) as they / we
are so easily distracted and swayed by the MSM propaganda and the lies of those who are supposed to be 'representing' us. We've been swindled by the POwers that Be for the past 50 years. Time to wake up!
http://www.ustraining.com/new/Custom/mobile.asp
...without consulting his hair.
Big Ben: raising stupidity to an art form.
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/0...
I like when Bozo sez "Wayne I'm sorry to interrupt you" If he has on a guest with whom he disagrees, he can't can control his condescending mumbling behind the speaker...Dumb-ass
That is why I joined the Green Party.....
Keep expecting this crap from many of those wonderful Democrats......
A person which has a lot of hate.. This is why America in being destroy today.. When a person does like the actions from the representatives,,, instead of fighting to vote them our of office they just run to another corner and bitch..
The democrats need strong persons in their party to purge these elite hypocrites out.. If one has not the fight in them to do this then they should run and hide..
I choose not to be naïve as you seem to be.....I chose an alternative known as the Green Party.....
The Democrats are not returning to the days of FDR or LBJ but now remain in the throes of neoliberal economics, militarism, and corporatism.
Even in the militarism days of LBJ, that administration still looked out for the working people and poor. The Dems no longer do.
Before you hate on me, look in the mirror yourself. You are quite naïve when it comes to politics...change my ass...the Dems are worthless...and you need to wake up!!!
When some people do not like what they hear from a person ,, they have to condemn the whole group of people with like features..
Persons like Ben Nelson / Max Baucus (along with the blue dogs ) which are republicans "elected by democrats" which are not paying attention to what the person look like ,, when pulling the lever.. Now are other doing the same d... thing.
But the other reason these republicans are in our party , because democrats like Emanuel which want the democrat party to the center right are supporting and funding them... Emanuel has even persuaded republicans to run as democrats ,, on the democrat ticket.
Before one start catalyzing people think with your brain intent of your hate.. This is just what the republicans and this Global Empire wish..
Nice going, Clintons. Thank you for these DLC, Republican-lite, shitbag democrats. They and a spineless, eunich Harry Reid have created a perfect storm. In fact, I never saw this much opposition from the Dims when they were in the minority.
There should be a rule in congress that prevents representatives from inbred, bible-belt states, or states without a coastline from holding any leadership positions.
I'm going to happy hour.
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