If the vote is held in the next two weeks we will never get 51 votes against confirmation. If the vote is delayed until after the hearings on the FISA scandal we could just win a straight up and down vote. Why does Bush want to rush the vote and get Alito confirmed as fast as possible? Because everyday that goes by is a day a mid-level bureaucrat might blow the whistle. Everyday that goes by is another day one of the yes votes might be indicted and have to resign. Everyday that goes by the American people learn more about this power grab. Everyday that goes by they learn how Bush is lying about the scope and nature of the program.
By the time the American people have a full and fair hearing on the various scandals, most notably the FISA scandal, enough Republican senators may either be replaced or shamed into voting down Alito.
I am making a call for unity, I am making a call for everyone to focus and pour everything they have into blocking this confirmation vote. These are two weeks that will define a generation.
I am asking for a core group to assemble. At least 30 people 100% committed to try to get our people on all of the mass media. We should send our best out to all TV news shows. We should get booked on Air America as guests to change the climate. The idea that Alito is a shoe-in needs to be destroyed. We need to dramatize how far to the right this court will move and what that means. We need to convey confidence and strength. The Republican machine is intimidating, it is easy to forget how weak their hand is. One little push, and the whole thing will fall down.
We need to coordinate with other Anti-Alito groups and see what they feel about pushing blocking the vote until the hearings.
Reid's move for this initial delay is a good omen. I feel confident we will win because time is on our side.
Here is a link to Armando's diary on what he thinks is the right way to proceed. Since this is a call for unity, I fully support him and believe that we can work on dual tracks.