The Filibuster

Folks have asked why I'm not posting like a madman about the filibuster.

Well, I'm not going to give a detailed response until the vote is over, so as not to undercut my colleagues. I have some concerns about the wisdom of launching a filibuster when it's not associated with an actual campaign (online, offline, media, grassroots, etc.) to convince the public and the media that we are right in filibustering. I have yet to see that campaign coming from either Mr. Kerry, who is leading the effort in the Senate, or from the multi-million dollar non-profits who are in charge of fighting this nomination.

Why not fight anyway, what do we have to lose, some of you may ask? A lot, I believe. But again, I'm not gonna go into my thoughts on this until this is all over. The filibuster train is out of the station and I don't want to undercut my friends who are helping out on this issue, even if I very strongly disagree about what will happen if we fight this battle without a very smart campaign to convince the American public to support us in this rather high-profile action (think what the GOP did with Terri Schiavo, lots of brute force but not a lot of public support).

So, I'm simply writing this to let you know why I'm not rah-rah'g on this issue. I just can't in good conscience. But also, in good conscience, I don't want to undercut my friends by writing a lengthy critique, so this is all you're getting for now. I'll be writing an extensive post-filibuster analysis, no-holds barred, after the final disposition of Alito's nomination.

In the meantime, feel free to visit these links for more info on the filibuster effort.
- DKos
- Democrats.com
- Make Them Accountable