Sotomayor should be confirmed.  She has been rated highly qualified, and there are no ethics concerns.  

Estrada should also have been confirmed.  There should have been no threatened filibuster against Roberts and Alito.  All three of them were rated highly qualified, and there were no ethics concerns.

Why do I get the feeling that a lot of posters here will agree with the first paragraph and disagree with the second paragraph.

Sotomayor should be confirmed.  She has been rated highly qualified, and there are no ethics concerns.  

Estrada should also have been confirmed.  There should have been no threatened filibuster against Roberts and Alito.  All three of them were rated highly qualified, and there were no ethics concerns.

Why do I get the feeling that a lot of posters here will agree with the first paragraph and disagree with the second paragraph.
Mike in Woodridge, IL (Sent Monday, July 13, 2009 12:00 PM)

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Because many folks on this board can only see reason if it fits into their pre-determined partisan mindset.

Graham is completely thrown on this nomination.

http://www.political-buzz.com

Obie will get his paged turned soon enough
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President Obama will be re-elected as President. You people still haven't got any solutions or original answers to this cluster f*** that was created by your party that believes solely in "supply side economics" and it's just a theory, a theory that has been proved to fail time and time again. After all Reagan had 8 years to get unemployment down from 7.1% to 5.5%.

It took dumb ass Bush eight years to screw this country up...I have more facts to come...especially on GWB and the Bank De-regulation --Fannie Mae--Freddie Mac & CRA under Bush's watch.
Anita, Birmingham, Alabama


Blah, blah, blah, blah.

Where are the jobs Obie promised!! They don't show up, and he'll be the next on the unemployment line!

Also Lindsey Graham has very little principled political stances.  He likes to ride the wave of public opinion.  I don't like the guy at all.

Tell you what I'd really be interested in hearing more about is "The Family" on "C" Street.  Now that sounds like a pretty skinheaded, Aryan type of brotherhood going on....with Sanford, Ensign, Conrad, and others.  Let's hear more about that.  The religious mafia?  Or basically white supremacists?

Jonathan-I agree with your response to Mike.  It is,sadly, all too true.

I must take issue with you on a comment you made on an earlier post,regarding a balanced budget amendment.  

this has been a talking point for the republicans for many election cycles; fortunately, it never goes anywhere.

All things being equal, a balanced budget IS a good thing.  Unfortunately, in reality, things never really are equal.

therefore, in a growing economy, with unemployment between 5 and 6 percent, it would be a good idea to have balanced budgets-keeping open the option to borrow and run a deficit in the case unforeseen circumstances, such as a foreign invasion or catastrophic natural event, (hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, etc.)  a balanced budget amendment would not allow for that; therefore, any unforeseen activity woulddamage the economy.

In the case of recessions, governments SHOULD run deficits-one of the causes of the great Depression was congress raising taxes at a time of economic contraction in order to balance the federal budget.  It deepens recessions, causes more unemployment, and drags out the length of time between contraction and recovery.

In the case of inflation, government should RAISE taxes-taking money out of the economy to slow the rate of inflation.  With a balanced budget amendment, congress would be forced to cut taxes during times of high inflation, thereby raising the rate of inflation by adding more money to an economy already suffering from too many dollars chasing too few goods.

this is even true during cost-push inflation, although to a lesser extent, and for different reasons.

Simplistic solutions to complicated problems often have the effect of exacerbating the problem, rather than providing the solutions.

You have a very good mind, and a very interesting perspective on many, many issues.  Please don't take this as any kind of a knock.  There are many politicians who put forth the same idea; I just think that if you really study the effects of a balanced budget amendment, you will agree with me that it does more harm than good.

For once Linsay Graham said something that is true.  The American people overwhelmingly voted for a different direction and that direction includes SCOTUS appointees as well.

I didn't watch much of the hearings this morning but cannot see myself sitting there with a smile yet trying to keep a serious face when appropriate while listening to the senators speak for hours drone on about the concerns.  That has to be tough knowing from those mini speeches that tomorrow you will be skewered and grilled.  Hopefully, there won't be too much ugly from the GOP but there are a couple real loony toons who might give MSNBC's evening lineup fodder.

Speaking of that.  Agree with everyone last week, Lawrence O'Donnell was terrific on Hardball.  Please, give him a show of his own.

Cathy M --

Check out what we wrote in 2008... See the bulletpoint entitled "Fellowship of the Ring"
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/04/04/858697.aspx

It's nice that conservatives are always so fair minded.

Hand Waving Specialist:
Do you really think that one person in the office can be held responsible for our nations problems?  What about the Senate?  What about Congress?  You'll have to do allot more research and find the authors of legislation.

Glad to see that maybe looking at a record rather than a line out of a speech (not the entire speech) will help to get this process of a new supreme court judge streamlined.  I agree that politics should be our of the picture for the justices.  But it is really hard to do so when it is politicans who appoint and confirm.  
Eventually I hope that we can all get along. Stopping the partisan bickering and do what is good for this country which is in trouble.

Thanks, Mark:  I checked it out.  It is strangely unnerving to think that this "secret" club pumps up its attendees/participants/members by spouting anything Hitler would say, or Mao.  You wonder what the actual purpose behind the scenes is.  Kinda scary.

On the content in your blog in 2008, I see Rev. Wright raised his ugly head in that; however, as a 65 year old white woman married for 14 years to a black man, I do understand the anger of that generation of black men, such as Rev. Wright.  I find that it should be impossible to judge statements by someone who does not share your cultural or ethnic background as "bad" when you have not walked a mile in their shoes.  When people have been lynched, even today when their kids are told they are too black to enter a swimming club, why shouldn't they be angry?  When you're trying to overcome 400 years of having your self-image and self-esteem torn down, why not say what you really think about those who persecute you and still continue to do so.  I just got off the phone with a "friend" who was telling me how she believes President Obama has ties with the mideast, and that she is so ashamed of him apologizing, etc.  When he was in the primary she told me she didn't like the fact his lips were purple looking.  What kind of intelligence says this?  It makes it hard to even want to stay connected with anyone like that.  (Keep your friends close, your enemies closer.)

So, getting back around to The Family, one does wonder exactly what a "neocon" is or could be; this purifying of the party.  We saw shadows of it in Palin's, and lots of the Repub's speech.  There's no room for anyone who doesn't agree with us.

Thanks for the info.

Estrada should also have been confirmed.  There should have been no threatened filibuster against Roberts and Alito.  All three of them were rated highly qualified, and there were no ethics concerns.
Mike in Woodridge, IL (Sent Monday, July 13, 2009 12:00 PM)

Sotomayor was rated highly qualified, Roberts and Alito were rated qualified, get your facts straight before you post. And I agree they all had the qualification to be confirmed.

"Inaction is not an option" said NObama --- and neither should ram-it-down-our-throats politics be an option.

Senator Jeff Sessions made a brilliant point at Sotomayor's hearing ===

"the Alabama senator criticized President Barack Obama's statement that he preferred someone for the high court who has shown empathy with people ---

Sessions said that "empathy for one party is always prejudice for the other."

You have a very good mind, and a very interesting perspective on many, many issues.  Please don't take this as any kind of a knock.  There are many politicians who put forth the same idea; I just think that if you really study the effects of a balanced budget amendment, you will agree with me that it does more harm than good.

no joe,no bo,nj (Sent Monday, July 13, 2009 12:48 PM)


no joe I have to give you credit I didn't think you could give a well thought out post, you surprised me on this one. Good post.

Hand Waving Specialist

Are you waving that hand under the stall?

Graham is probably the next candidate for the right in 2012. If Obama keeps dropping the ball, he may have a chance.

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