Last week, there were plenty of leftist antics to keep
any blogger/reporter busy for weeks......despite media
reports of a dull hearing, the real fight was going on
outside of the hearing in Hart Senate Office Building 216.
Outside of the hearing room was a long hallway that housed
the media on one side and the sporatic line of people waiting
to get into the hearing on the other side. A vigilant group
of Capitol Police patiently and professionally managed the
sometimes chaotic environment.
Every day, we (in the pro-Alito coalition) had put together
press conferences to refute the other side's claims and pro-
actively promote the real Alito record. Each day, there was
a different theme based upon the several months of leftist
attacks as well as the day's questioning from the Senate
Judiciary Committee Democrats.
There was a media "stakeout" of multiple microphones from
television and radio outlets from across the nation as well as
newspaper reporters roaming about waiting for something
interesting to happen inside the hearing room or outside Hart
216 at the "sticks."
During the breaks, Senators from both sides of the aisle would
make a beeline for the "sticks", but the leftist Senators definitely
dominated that little game.
There was not a break that didn't begin without a Democrat
Senator expounding upon the evils of Alito's answers. (Not that
the Senators gave him much of a chance to answer. In one thirty
-minute session, Biden spoke for 24 minutes and Alito gave a
six minute answer. He might as well have said, “Enough about
me, now, what did YOU think of my last question?” Biden also
may hold a some kind of record for referring to himself once
every 12 seconds, five times each minute, for a grand total of
360 times in 70 minutes of questioning. )
The Democrat Senators were not the only group of folks who
dominated the microphones. The leftist organizations were a
talkative bunch as well.
Now, during the Roberts hearing, the battle was clearly on the
streets -- could be a cold weather factor in the Alito hearing,
except that the weather was quite nice last week. In particular,
the women's groups tried to hold rallies outside the Hart Senate
Office Building during the Roberts hearings, but to no avail.
They didn't get many leftists to show up for their "daily Supreme
Court rally" during the Roberts hearing and apparently
abandoned the SCOTUS steps all together during the Alito
hearings. Well, except for s0me group called the "Revolutionary
Communist Party, USA" that held anti-Bush signs.
At any rate, the leftists really seemed to focus their efforts on that
hallway full of media. They had tickets for the entire hearing, then
about 10-15 minutes before the break, would make a beeline for the
microphones.
Problem was, their message was always the same. Which isn't very
interesting after several breaks.
So the daily press conferences for the pro-Alito groups were a hit.
On Monday, there was one group of black Americans that was pro-
Alito. As per Senate rules, a Senator was present for the press
conference.
By the afternoon, there was a complaint filed by CBS against the
press conferences for the pro-Alito groups saying that the presence
of the Senators at these press conferences gave the pro-Alito side
of the story an unfair advantage. Huh? We were following Senate
rules, pal.
Despite the complaints from CBS, we held a press conference on
Tuesday as well. Filling the hallways to the BRIM with homeschoolers
and religious liberty activists actually caused one Capitol Hill cop to
say that she was "very uncomfortable" will all the people in the
hallway. These were children! Homeschooled children who followed
every order from the police with a dutiful "Yes, Ma'am" or "Yes, Sir!"
On Wednesday, though, you could have knocked me over with a
feather. Not just because in sheer desperation Senator Kennedy was
looking for that "gotcha" "Borking" "Clarence Thomas" moment....
it was for his gross indecency OUTSIDE of the hearing room.
There was a press conference that was scheduled to begin during the
lunch break with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), former Attorney
General John Ashcroft, and several criminal justice types from across
the nation....including a representative from the Fraternal Order of
Police....the theme of the day was "Crime and Criminal Justice."
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE, right after John
Cornyn and John Ashcroft spoke, without so much as an "Excuse Me..."
Senators Schumer, Kennedy, Leahy and Durbin PUSHED their way
into the press conference and took over the microphones. All to
BLAST Alito about the Concerned Alumni of Princeton group.
Senator Kennedy EAGERLY took the microphone and two of his
staffers buzzed around him, ignoring entirely the directions of the
Capitol Hill police.
It was the most remarkable thing I have ever seen.
Had Republicans burst into a Democratic press conference, there
would have been media reports and screeches from the Left up to the
heavens.
There were staffers who were hissing in their cell phones to fellow
Dem staff members to "Find the cancelled checks" and "Do whatever
it takes to get the motion done and over here NOW...." -- all in an
effort apparently to "Stir things up....we HAVE to do it NOW..."
For the homeschoolers and the legal eagle, non-political former Alito
clerks in attendance, it was quite a lesson in the tactics of the Left.
There were looks of shock all around.
Once the Democrat Senators were done spewing their vile contempt
for Judge Alito, the Alito clerks gathered around the microphones
along with the other supporters of Alito who had demonstrated
remarkable patience throughout the pitiful, rude actions of the
Senators and they calmly, rationally won the day.
If the left is wondering why the tears of Mrs. Alito had such an
effect, it was because most of America viewed last week as a
huge waste of tax dollars and a display of cruel, sadistic behavior
at the hands of leftists both inside the Senate and out.
Americans who tuned in could catch on pretty quick that Senators
were not interested in what Alito had to say, they were interested
in their own speeches. They had made up their minds before they
had even scheduled the hearings. In fact, given the track record,
it doesn't matter who President Bush had nominated, they have
been determined to block Bush nominees since Day One.
It boils down to one misguided concept that the Left has held onto
since November, 2000. Abner Mikva, a leftist legal scholar, wrote in a
column published in early 2001 that since George W. Bush was not
rightfully elected to the Presidency, that clearly, he should not have the
right to select federal judges.
And that, along with copious amounts of fundraising dollars raised in
this cash cow issue for the left, has driven this issue amoung the leftist
groups and the Senators who max out in donations from these groups.
It would be VERY wise for these Senators to cut the puppet strings.
These extreme left wing groups, so out of touch with the majority of
Americans, are going to lead them off of a political cliff.
It's the OBSTRUCTION, stupid.
