Official Alito Hearing Thread – Day 4 – Thread 2

Ah... good to be home!


Thread 1 in GDP
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2363798#2363911

I think Vanguard along with CAP are big deals. It speaks to his character, I think.

Didn't he say that he didn't ask them to remove it two days ago?

Now he is saying that he did. WTF?

Ted must have something on this Vanguard Mutual Fund issue.

Which still has some questions raised in my mind but since Kennedy hasn't mentioned it yet I'm afraid it's now going to be a dead issue.

they made it to the shredder.:(

got off his list and now he is saying that he thought enough time had passed that he asked them to drop it? Is that what I am hearing here?

But he didn't do anything wrong.:eyes:

funny doesn't remember , can't find list, documents missing :freak:

surprise, surprise.

He hammered CAP and they managed damage control on that. I worry that he's going to sink his teeth into Vanguard and this will fizzle too.

Scalito seems a little confused- don't think that conflict would arise =none came up for 12 years.
Kenn:- pledge and promise taken very seriously first it was a computer glitch ,then the pledge lasted x number of years, then it was a pro se case.
Should be a matter of concern
Alito- tried to be forthcoming and explaining

Kennedy- we could have cleared this up - we have a list of statements and this concerns me in getting straight answers.\
Kennedy thanking- Stakes are high we started seeking answers
Unitary executive- distanced himself from that. Comments to this commmittee run away from his past stufff of 5 years ago.

Sorry but crying on cue opens you right up sweetie

Her rolling eyes seeking others for any kind of signal is a dead give away.

So they've got her in "good guy" white through her blazer. Not-so-subtle symbolism there.

BIG lapels.... :bounce:

Republican knees need time to heal.

BUSINESS WEEK ONLINE, it is clear the answer is EXXON and BIG PHARMA:

http://www.businessweek.com/...

"Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito has more than $615,000 in assets, including stock in Exxon Mobil Corp. worth more than $100,000, according to his 2004 financial disclosure statement.
Alito received the Exxon-Mobil stock, which could be worth as much as $250,000, as a bequest in May 2004. His disclosure form did not provide the source of the bequest, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for more information.

While the Exxon-Mobil stock was his largest holding in 2004, Alito also owned stock worth $15,000 and $50,000 each in fast-food giant McDonalds and Intel, the computer chip maker; and stock worth less than $15,000 each in drug-maker Bristol Myers Sqibb and Disney.

Both the Bristol Myers Sqibb stock and the McDonalds were listed as gifts on Alito's 2003 disclosure


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/11/1/211954/009

Giant Corps can just ante up and buy a judge when they need to? Bequests? Gifts? No kidding, I'm shocked I tell you. The whole system is rotten to the core. :wow: SG

and Oprah

Oprah is not to be misled. She will eat him on toast. :rofl:

that the story still resonates with her and readers so she still thought it a worthwhile book.

and burning crosses on weekends

Why did he join this group ?
Anti women
Anti black
Anti disability
:wow:
Job application? Somehow the executive is more powerful that the supreme court.
Bending over backwards to help the big guys. Little guys have a hard time getting a fair shake in the Alito courtroom.

yelling about nothing.

400K (the size of the award) / 100Billion (assets) X 250K (alito's holdings) = $1, I don't think that he had a financial interest in this transaction.

That being said, everything else Kennedy is saying is a good reason to vote NO, and filibuster if needed.

His body is so tight with this line of questioning, you could bounce a quarter off him.

His wife is definitely sedated!!

Go Ted Go!

I am clapping!!

he started off so 'conciliatory' that I was holding my breath.

Excellent, excellent comments.

I just turned on the TV. Did Alito say anything?

He also used "Democrat" as an adective instead of "democratic." God, I hate it when Repubs do that.

Biden up now. Will he ask a question?

He asked him if he thought he did the right thing where Vanguard was concerned. They both agreed that he did and then they gave each other a bj. Yep, that was the 18 minutes and 9 seconds I saw.

isn't important.

A promise is a promise.* Frist tried to say he didn't participate in the managing of his funds too, didn't he?




* Unless a Republican makes it.

Oh wait, we're talking about Republicans. They wouldn't care if he'd broken the law. It would just make them one of the gang.

do these guys have ANYTHING that works the way it should?

Isn't it amazing how the incompetency argument saves their bacon?

Anyone watching these hearings should be able to tell the difference between an asshole and a gentleman.

We aren't allowed to ask why this man is about?

He's the ultimate watercarrier.

hearing to end and says its not worthwhile any longer.

just partisan showmanship,

what a piece of work

I had thought graham was a moderate, he is a slopping partisan, it is worse than I thought

is useless. That no one answers anything. That they should go back to senate debate after candidate interviews.

hearing his exact words. I should so know better.

I want SOMEONE TO HIT HIM HARD ON ABORTION!!

I'll be done before he finishes asking his question.

Collapse down to three arguments:

1) Too much deference to executive power: unitary executive, police strip searches of 10 year olds without a warrant
2) Too much deference to corporate power: e.g. discrimination lawsuits, dismissive attitude toward plaintiffs who sue corporations.
3) Will not protect individual liberty: abortion rights

Notice the Repugs are focusing on the weakest stuff: Vanguard, CAP. They wanna frame this as Democrats being petty and unfair and personal in their line of attack. If we had more focus to our criticism, the Republicans would have to talk about the issues where we are the strongest or seem unresponsive.

the key points. That's why I'd like to see the Dems back off a little and focus on the three issues you mention.

they should all pound away at is Alito's very public praise for BORK!!
Make him own it, force him to justify it! SG

say that that point should be a major thrust--BORK was proven to be defective merchandise! SG

To make that link the kind of political gold that it should be. That was over 15 years ago.

The public is primed to be concerned about executive authority because of the domestic spying stories and torture. There's a general sentiment that * wants to go too far. Exploit that. That's gonna be harder to shake. The Bork thing, he can just say "Hey I'm not Bork. Why are you spending all this time talking about Bork. It's silly."

Nor recusing himself except for a period he should determin 12 years

Supporting the executive power over every other body.

Serving corporations at the expense of the "little guy"

As I said up thread .. faulty memory - he learned that from Reagan - or wait ... is he the one that advised Reagan to have a faulty memory for Iran-Contra?

and whether he distances himself from such actions.
:toast:

IMO. It looks like a personal attack. Personal character is the heuristic the Repugs want the public to use in evaluating this guy. That's why they put Mrs. Alito behind him there in every camera shot as a sympathetic figure. "He seems like a normal guy. Not a nut or a crook. He's a family guy, blah blah blah." That's the ground they want this debate to take place on. I think the personal stuff decontextualizes this more than it serves to contextualize it. If they win that debate, that he's not on the take or that he isn't an open bigot, they'll spin it like we were wrong and see he's confirmable.

from his decisions on the matter. It is a conflict of interest and the righties will pay the sympathy card no matter what issue dems. pick.

Poor, poor Scalito had questions asked of him.
A member of the highest court in the land should have a clean closet.

The entire country is watching a man dodge questions. If he is successful in dodging all the important questions, he will be rewarded with a seat on the Supreme Court. These hearing are a farce.

Here goes blowhard Biden again. Executive power? We'll see...will this be anything other than a self-aggrandizing pean to himself? SG

here we go spin

hit him on Iran.

He'll never say what he truly thinks. That ALONE is reason to filibuster. Won't say if Roe v. Wade is settled law? FILIBUSTER!

OMG!!! He doesn't think the issue of presidential powers in the time of war is SETTLED LAW??? THAT'S IT!

FILIBUSTER!

The president can act without congressional approval if the Congress can't act first.:scared: If "I" were a member of Congress, I would be nervous as hell.:scared:

yes I am so terrified too,

FILIBUSTER! this sneaky sleazy slimy piece of shit.

:puke:

involved in prepping him for the hearings?

Is Feingold the one who asked for the list of people in the coaching meetings?

:)

Was it Biden?

:hi:

Person above is correct. I do believe it was Feingold.

Why is EVERYONE coughing???

Did I say that?
:banghead:

OOPS. :7

How did you answer this question when it was posed by the administration during your interviews before your nomination?

Main Entry: exorable
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: capable of being moved or persuaded by an urgent request or earnest petition

:eyes:

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