So the filibuster didn’t fly. Even though Alito is on his way to the Supreme
Court, it is not a defeat by any means. Four days ago the talk on the hill was
there would not be any filibuster attempts. John Kerry sparked a movement and
the liberal blogosphere provided the fuel for that fire. By people tapping away
at their keyboards, it caused Senators to come back to voice mails full of
people asking to support the filibuster.
This is a perfect example of the strength the blogosphere is gaining on
politics. Unlike corporations, citizens can not afford the high dollars of
lobbyists to get through to their elected representatives. The blogosphere is
the new vehicle of getting a message heard and it has a wealth of power that is
just starting to get tapped.
We can not look at what happened as defeat, but rather as a learning
experience. We need to channel the energy that was felt this weekend into the
big picture. That will be this November’s elections. Every seat we gain is a big
step forward. Right now polls prove that people are looking towards the
Democrats to be next year’s leaders. We need to keep that momentum going and let
it carry us through the election cycle.
Alito can be an extremely valuable tool for us. The decisions he will help
make are ones that will affect the unlikely voter more than the voters. Those
unlikely voters are the ones who typically lean to the left. These are the
people we need at the polls. I am of course talking about the age group of
18-30. These will be the people more out to need an abortion or worry about
illegal searches. The message needs to be made clear to them that the only way
to prevent further justices getting appointed that will strip these rights is to
ensure a party is elected that stands up for the rights of this country.
Our goal is simple – get enough of them out to vote. Get everyone we can to
the polls in November. Some might try to stray away from their voice in our
democracy by stating that previous elections have been stolen. That is the exact
reason we need them out to vote. We need enough votes for our side that they can
not steal this or any other election. We need to prove to the younger group that
the system works if everyone takes part in it.
Bush still has three years in office and that is a lifetime in political
terms. God forbid another Justice dies or steps down. If he gets another
appointment that can really tip the scales. The only way to insure that a fair
justice can be put in our highest court is to insure we have a Senate that
favors the left. This provides the needed checks and balances to make sure we
get a moderate justice placed in the Supreme Court and not one that is overly
conservative or overly liberal.
Now our job of watching Alito starts. We can use his judgments to help form
the campaigns for 2006 and 2008.