The Real Thing
A BUZZFLASH EDITORIAL
Oddly enough, if you took a vote before and after the hearings on whether or not Sam Alito (Scalito) is the real right wing thing who believes in unbridled executive branch powers, extremely limited workers' rights, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, no special rights for people with disabilities, and corporations as enjoying a legal status above those of American citizens (among other Tory viewpoints), the Senate Judiciary Committee roll call would be about the same: 90 or 100% of the Senate Democrats would agree -- and 90 or 100% of the Senate Republicans would agree.
As we have proven in three previous editorials, the hearings are just a big show, a game of cat and mouse to see whether the Democrats can prove what the Republicans know -- after all that's why they want Alito on the Supreme Court -- or Alito can come off sounding and appearing like a moderate.
That's what makes "The Big Show" a total farce. Both the Republican and Democratic Senators took the measure of this man a long time ago and -- based on voluminous evidence -- know he's the real thing: a pre-American Revolution reactionary intellectual judicial Machiavelli. With a smile and the appearance of amiability. About this, there is consensus, whatever the daily political soap opera that appears on your television screen shows.
Forget the nice Rovian touches of bringing in the family and playing the humble husband. This is not about matrimony. It's about the future of democracy.
As we noted, Alito would lie, slip and slide, and parry off questions with the skill of a fencer. And, for the most part, he has.
Once in awhile Republican senators like Arlen Specter had to come to the rescue with a spare lie to assist Scalito. In this case, Specter brazenly lied that he had never received a letter from Ted Kennedy asking for more information about Scalito's membership in an infamous sort of modern KKK club at Princeton.
A BuzzFlash reader wrote a commentary recently that this isn't about Alito, it's about Bush.
Either the Democrats are going to try and save our Constitution, our democracy and the gift of the American Revolution, or they might as well just leave their seats in Congress and go home. Why pretend there is two-party rule, when the Democrats just keep counting out the inches of rope to hang themselves -- and our Constitution? They didn't learn when the election was stolen in 2000 -- and appear to have learned little since.
Both the Democrats and Republicans know what an Alito confirmation would mean. Another step in the consolidation of a one-party, secretive, snooping, self-profiteering, religious fundamentalist, form of population control. Call it fascism, call it totalinariasm, call it an oligarchy, call it whatever "ism" you want; they are all the same in this respect. They are not democracy.
All the "analysis" we are reading daily about the Alito hearings could be written by the television reviewers for newspapers.
Everyone knows Alito is the monarchal, elitist "real thing." That's why Arlen Specter and other Republican senators are lying to cover his back.
If the Democrats had the ability to frame the real issue -- that the future of the balance of powers and our Constitution are at stake -- they would filibuster this until Bill Frist tries to bring on his "nuclear option." Then, they would tell him, "Bring it on, Bill!"
Better to put up a fight as they did in 1776 than to act like pawns getting crushed by a totalitarian steamroller.
A BUZZFLASH EDITORIAL