Southwick Wins Judicial Confirmation

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: Associated Press

By LAURIE KELLMAN – 53 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Judge Leslie Southwick to the federal appeals court in Mississippi despite complaints by some Democrats that decisions he supported were racially insensitive and inappropriate for a region still shadowed by civil rights struggles.

The 59-38 vote on confirmation was sealed after the nomination survived its main obstacle, a test tally moments earlier. Majority Democrats pressured by labor unions and other constituencies did not have the votes to filibuster, or block, Southwick's confirmation.

The Congressional Black Caucus warned that there would be consequences for Democrats at the ballot box.

"We regard this as a test," said District of Columbia Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.



Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hjMMnp8j9w0z0o90T5jyorwobMlQ

[uberblonde]

1. Those Do-Nothing Dems!

Wonder if Rahm handled the strategy on this, too...

[EST]

2. Limited to senate worms, I'm afraid.

[hisownpetard]

3. Another day, another bomb. I can't take it anymore! nt

[endarkenment]

4. Democratic Senate confirms Bush judicial nominee

Source: Reuters

By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic-led Senate on Wednesday confirmed a Mississippi judge to a federal appeals court, giving President George W. Bush a rare victory this year in his drive to put more conservatives on the appellate bench.

By a vote of 59-38, the Senate approved Bush's long-stalled nomination of Mississippi Judge Leslie Southwick to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

The vote came just minutes after 49 Republicans -- joined by 12 Democrats and one independent -- mustered 62 votes, two more than needed, to clear a Democratic procedural roadblock.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN2452885220071024

---

Once again. How truly sad. No spine. No fight.

[AndyA]

5. It would be hard to find a group of people less effective at doing their jobs

than the current bunch of Democrats in Congress. There are a few who I still respect, but by and large the majority of them are next to worthless.

[Elspeth]

7. Depends on what their job is.

Who do we write to?

[AndyA]

18. I would like to just say, "Don't bother to write."

I don't think anyone cares what we think anymore. Save your stamps. :(

But that would certainly get us nowhere. I guess we can continue to complain, protest, call, write, until we turn blue. It's better than nothing, but I'm getting to the point where I don't expect much.

[Elspeth]

23. They are definitely taking their orders from different masters.

:(

[SteppingRazor]

6. Gee, I wonder which independent it was? I'm guessing Bernie Sanders.

:P

[Justitia]

8. It was LIEBERMAN, of course! (it's in the linked article).

Article mentions Feinstein and Ben Nelson as pro-bigot votes too.
I expect no less of Ben Nelson.

[BrklynLib at work]

14. Lieberman is no ( I )!! He's a Repuke all the way!!!! What a joke that they still refer to him as

an Independent. That is an insult to the real ( I )s

[SteppingRazor]

15. Meh, I don't have a problem with it. Words mean things.

Lieberman is not a member of the Democratic Party. He's not a member of the Republican Party. He is, by definition, an independent. :shrug:

[atreides1]

19. Feinstein got it out of committee

This started with Feinstein, she was the lone Democrat who voted with the 9 Republicans to move Southwick's name forward.

[Justitia]

20. yup, she's the sore point in this story. -eom

[BrklynLib at work]

9. How horribly pathetic......

[Lone_Star_Dem]

10. Roll Call

YEAs ---59
Akaka (D-HI)
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)


NAYs ---38
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
nouye (D-HI)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Obama (D-IL)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)


Not Voting - 3
Boxer (D-CA)
Dodd (D-CT)
Kennedy (D-MA)


Edited to add link: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00393

[rodeodance]

29. very glad to see my two WI Senators on the NO list

[Kool Kitty]

46. Same for my Jersey boys, Menendez and Lautenberg.

[KamaAina]

31. Akaka finked out?!

:wtf:

After the way the repukes have treated his Hawaiian recognition bill, placing "holds" on it at every opportunity?!

He must be using too much glue to keep that rug on top of his head. :eyes:

[BridgeTheGap]

11. Another cracker on the federal bench - what a shame!

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

[LynneSin]

12. Instead of blaming the entire party - why not consider the THREE dems who didn't vote

Not Voting - 3
Boxer (D-CA)
Dodd (D-CT)
Kennedy (D-MA)


Right there is your filibuster

Now I'll give Babs a free pass since she's probably doing what she can to help out the situation in Southern California but where the hell was Dodd and Kennedy. We only needed 2 votes for the filibuster

[BrklynLib at work]

16. Isn't Kennedy in the hospital??? Carotid artery surgery or something like that?

[Justitia]

17. This vote doesn't work that way. Only the other side's FOR votes count as a threshold.

They needed 60 and they got them (or 59 as recorded).

The non-voting doesn't count for this one.

[atreides1]

21. If Its Blame You're Looking For

Then look no further then Senator Feinstein, she was the deciding vote that got Southwick out of the committee. The vote was 10 to 9,
with Feinstein voting with the Republicans!!!

[BrklynLib at work]

24. Yep. She IS the bad apple...

[LynneSin]

30. I'm still pissed at Feingold for supporting both Ashcroft AND Roberts

So it's all relevant

[brendan120678]

25. Dodd, apparently is...

Attempting to become Iowa's third Senator.

He obviously doesn't want the Connecticut job anymore.

Dodd Family Moving to Iowa

[rox63]

27. Dodd's probably on the presidential campaign trail

And Kennedy just had surgery for a blocked carotid artery a week ago. So he's probably still recovering. He's in his 70's, and doesn't bounce back like he did when he was younger.

Also, just because someone votes no on a nominee, that doesn't mean they would have filibustered him. So maybe they realized that they wouldn't have had the votes to sustain a filibuster.

[rodeodance]

28. and Boxer is in CA with the fires.

[villager]

13. the reason we have the keep supporting the syphllitic Democratic Party structure is what, now?

'Cause I can't summon The Reason to mind...

[galileo3000]

32. Oroboros

[Tesha]

47. Well, they usually tell us "it's because of the judges/justices"! But that reason doesn't seem to...

> the reason we have the keep supporting the syphllitic
> Democratic Party structure is what, now? 'Cause I can't
> summon The Reason to mind...

Well, they usually tell us "it's because of the
judges/justices"! But that reason just doesn't
seem to work so well after this.

I wonder if they have an emergency backup reason?

Tesha

[Highway61]

22. Sometimes...

There's just not enough rocks.

[rodeodance]

26. well, gee, That headline says it all.

[yurbud]

33. Dems who voted for him:

Particularly sweet for Republicans was the pivotal role played by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who sided with Republicans on the Judiciary Committee and voted to give Southwick an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. Another bonus for the party out of congressional power: Eight Democrats and one independent joined Feinstein in voting to confirm Southwick.

Democrats who voted for confirmation: Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, Feinstein, Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Ben Nelson of Nebraska. Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., also voted yes.

[Tesha]

34. Judge confirmed despite some Democratic complaints

Source: The New York Times

Judge confirmed despite some Democratic complaints

Over challenges on racial stances, Senate confirms him to appeals court that hears Texas cases

WASHINGTON – Judge Leslie Southwick was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday
for the federal appeals court that handles cases from Texas, Mississippi and
Louisiana despite Democratic complaints that he is not committed to racial
equality.

By a 59-38 vote, the Senate confirmed Judge Southwick to a seat on the 5th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Nominations to that court are often sensitive
because of the region's history of discrimination. This one was no exception –
some civil rights advocates accused Democrats of cynical deal-making with
Republicans in return for support on spending bills.

Judge Southwick was nominated in January to fill the seat vacated by Charles
W. Pickering. Judge Pickering held the seat temporarily and could not win
confirmation.

Judge Southwick's supporters have said there should not have been any
controversy over his nomination.

<more>

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/DN-judge_25nat.ART.State.Edition1.4252492.html

[Tesha]

35. The Democrats *DEFAULTED* again!

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hjMMnp8j9w0z0o90T5jyorwobMlQ

A few snippets:

We regard this as a test," said District of Columbia Delegate Eleanor
Holmes Norton, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

"This vote for Leslie Southwick is a vote against the dignity and
safety of our families," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe
Solmonese.

Particularly sweet for Republicans was the pivotal role played by Sen.
Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who sided with Republicans on the Judiciary
Committee and voted to give Southwick an up-or-down vote on the Senate
floor. Another bonus for the party out of congressional power: Eight
Democrats and one independent joined Feinstein in voting to confirm Southwick.

Democrats who voted for confirmation: Daniel Akaka of Hawaii,
Robert Byrd of West Virginia, Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan of
North Dakota, Feinstein, Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Blanche
Lincoln and Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.
Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., also voted yes.

Feinstein, however, wasn't the only Democrat responsible for the confirmation
which unfolded in a two-step procedure. The final vote to confirm would not
have happened without the initial "yes" votes from Sens. Tom Carper of Delaware,
Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and Ken Salazar of Colorado, on the test tally that
asked whether to end debate. Support from the three pushed the tally past
the 60-vote threshold to advance Southwick to a confirmation vote.

[Le Taz Hot]

39. The usual suspects.

Color me surprised. Not.

[Mass]

36. Unfortunately, 3 of the Democrats voting NO voted YES on cloture, assuring the nomination.

Roll call on the cloture motion

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00392

Roll call on the nomination

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00393

Voting YES on the cloture motion and NO to the nomination: Carper (DE), Innouye (Hawai), and Salazar (CO).

[acmavm]

37. OF FRIGGIN' COURSE HE WAS? Did anyone really expect

anything else??????

If so, I have some land in Florida...

[Tesha]

38. Well, since we do hold *A MAJORITY* in the Senate, one might...

Well, since we do hold *A MAJORITY* in the Senate, one might
have expected that if sixty votes were required to advance
the nomination, we might have come up with at least 50 votes
to block the advance.

But then again, we're Democrats; we don't stand up if it
might cost us anything.

Tesha

[acmavm]

42. Quit Making Sense! (who made that album??)

[Tesha]

43. "Stop Making Sense" -- The Talking Heads

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Making_Sense_%28album%29

Side 1

1. "Psycho Killer" (Byrne, Frantz, Weymouth) – 4:28
2. "Swamp" – 4:28 +
3. "Slippery People" – 4:13 ++
4. "Burning Down the House" – 4:14
5. "Girlfriend Is Better" – 5:07 +

Side 2

1. "Once in a Lifetime" (Byrne, Brian Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 5:34 +
2. "What a Day That Was" (Byrne) – 6:30 +
3. "Life During Wartime" (Byrne) – 5:52 +
4. "Take Me to the River" (Al Green, Teenie Hodges) – 5:59

[acmavm]

45. Yeah! How stupid. I have that buried somewhere at home.

Now I have to go home and find it.

[Javaman]

40. more of the same...

nothing to see here folks, just the usual enablers, move along citizen, you rights are suppended.

[lonestarnot]

41. son of a bitch, someone take their fucking stamp away.

[Ian David]

44. SPAY OR NEUTER YOUR BLUE DOGS!

The next person who says that Byrd is a great senator goes on my ignore list.