Historically, only one in five Supreme Court nominees has been defeated, but the odds are looking increasingly good with this one. Samuel Alito is now broadly viewed as out of the mainstream, due to his track record. This is supremely important, because whichever side wins the battle for public opinion is likely to prevail in the Senate.
Two facts are critical at this stage in the fight: one, the overall weakness of the right wing, which takes pressure of Democratic Senators from red states, and two, that public opinion on Alito seems to be solidifying where we want it to. The main right-wing argument for Alito is that Bush is entitled to deference; that would be the same Bush whose approval ratings are heading for 30%. Our argument is that Alito has reprehensible views on, well, everything. If we manage to set up the battlefield with those two lines, we will win.
Factual background
Alito's job application to the Reagan administration, in which he goes into his personal ideology and opposition to abortion with a candor noticeably lacking today, can be downloaded from our web site, here.
The Washington Post has a disturbing front-page article today, which reveals that Alito believes that non-resident foreigners have no rights under the constitution. That view last came up for discussion under the Alien and Sedition Act of 1798, and is particularly troubling given the torture and habeas corpus policies currently en vogue at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Take Action
Viral activism: Please forward the link to the WaPo article above to your email circle. You can do this either directly with a link cut and paste or by going here.
Sign the petitions: Both PFAW and NARAL have online petitions opposing Alito. You can sign them here...and here.
Phone banking: PFAW and ACT NY are both hosting phone banks, the former on Thursdays, the latter on Sundays.
Thursday, 6-9 PM, 149 Fifth Avenue, 7th Floor. Call or email Tony Simone at 212-420-0440 x13 or tsimone@pfaw.org to volunteer.
Sunday, time and location TBA, with ACT NY. To learn more, please email actnewyork@gmail.com.
