Sen. Ben Nelson, ?-NE hopes he won't "feel the need" to filibuster Obama's SCOTUS pick. WTF?

[DFW]

In an article from Raw Story, Nelson is quoted as follows:

"And I would hope that there wouldn't be any circumstances that would be so extreme
with any of the president's nominees that the other side would feel the need to
filibuster or that I might feel the need to filibuster in a case of extraordinary
circumstances."

Bush Lite and his dad and his dad pushed through the most activist, extremist
ideologues to dirty the Court's name in generations, and a DEMOCRAT is worried
he might have to filibuster the nominee of a DEMOCRATIC President, and a moderate
one at that? Who does Nelson consult with for advice on his positions, Zell Miller?


My comment elsewhere on the web, reposted here:

Why is Obama's first pick, whose identity isn't even known yet, the subject of
filibuster talk, especially from a (supposed) member of Obama's own party? The
last two additions to the Supreme Court, Roberts and Alito, have proved to be
rightist extremists, voting an unwaveringly rigid ideological line. As this was
fairly evident from their confirmation hearings, few are surprised, but while
both received plenty of negative votes in their Senate confirmations, neither
was filibustered by the Demcorats. Now that the shoe is on the other foot,
Obama, far less a rigid ideologue than his predecessor, is being sniped at
before even revealing the identity of his nominee.

This reeks of pre-programed political sniping, thought-out and coordinated
in advance. Just like the cries of "socialist!" from bogus conservatives
such as the ones on the Fox network, to credible ones such as Richard
Viguerie, the pre-packaged opposition to President Obama's Supreme Court
nominee comes across as a little too slick. The Republicans have their
strategy mapped out already, with a fill-in-the-blank formula for
obstruction in place, waiting (or not even) only for the name to be
written in. They care only to obstruct and delay at a time when the
country can ill afford obstruction or delay. The fact that much of the
country sees through their tactics is encouraging. The fact that even
one Democratic senator would even consider being a part of it is pathetic.

[villager]

1. When will the Democratic party "feel the need" to run a real Demo against this sack of expediency?

n/t

[uberblonde]

2. Uh, because Ben Nelson is an opportunist?

Because being the naysayer puts him in a much stronger position than he'd be otherwise.

[DFW]

4. He could only be part of a filibuster, not vote down the nomination

The most he can get out of this posturing is a headline or two in Omaha,
Lincoln or North Platte. If Obama's nominee is anywhere to the right of
Trotsky (and he or she will be), then he either votes for confirmation
or gets this year's Lieberman award from the Democratic caucus and an
invitation to be the keynote speaker at the Republican Convention in 2012,
where he can rub shoulders with the 21%.

If he filibusters against cloture, and then votes for confirmation after
all, he'll look worse than Ron Ziegler telling the press that previous
statements were "inoperative," not that stuff like that has ever deterred
a conservative politician from sticking his foot in it before.....

[Cassandra]

3. "feel the need"

Is that like having empathy for the dark side?

[DFW]

5. I don't think it's empathy

I think it's more like sticking his finger up in the Nebraska prairie
breeze to see which way the local wind is blowing (maybe the answer
IS blowing in the wind).

Sen. Ben Nelson, W (=whatever gets me re-elected), Nebraska.

[Not Me]

6. Obama ought to 'feel the need' to sit him down and have a talk...a la LBJ

Of course, that will never happen.

[DFW]

7. Maybe not, but it's the best suggestion I've heard on how to deal with him.

[OHdem10]

8. The Democratic Party had best start doing a better job of finding

candidates that are Democrats.

The GOP could run a campaign of: Do you really want a fake Republican
or the real thing.

[spanone]

9. the nominee will pass with or without mr nelson...then his constituents can expel him

[DFW]

10. The nominee will be confirmed, that's a given

The filibuster is a procedure that would prevent the nomination from ever coming up for a vote.

That is their only hope to stop it, and it is a dim one at best. Nelson has been in the Senate long
enough to know this, so it's all posturing and he knows that the party leadership knows. If he thinks
he'll score necessary points with the conservative base back home by being a pest, I fervently hope
he has completely misjudged the situation. Nebraska has a lot of people with a progressive/populist
streak in them, I met some of them while in college (even if they did feel out of place in Philadelphia).
I have to believe that Nebraska has a capable, charismatic Democrat that is willing to mount a decent
primary challenge to Nelson if he insists on being nothing more than a Republican who is having trouble
locating his proper side of the aisle on the Senate floor.

I understand that with the Republican party being the lonely hearts club of the American political scene
right now, that politicians who might have switched, had the polling numbers been even, see such an action
as a one-way ticket to political obscurity. But at some point, even guys like Nelson will have to say
what they're for, and stand with people who have similar beliefs. So far, I only know what he is against,
and THAT is the party line of the Republicans ("whatever it is, I'm against it").