The Anti-Sam Brownback Blog

Senator Sam Brownback spoke today about Justice Alito’s confirmation.  The Wichita Eagle reports:

Alito “will remain faithful to the text of the Constitution and will not legislate from the bench,” said Brownback, a member of the committee that sent Alito’s nomination to the full Senate. “I… look forward to Justice Alito continuing his long devotion to law and public service on the Supreme Court.”

I have to admit, I’m not optimistic about Alito’s effects on the court.

Do remember that Alito’s confirmation is a victory for Brownback.  His voice of dissent during the Harriet Miers mess was critical to trashing her nomination.  I am certain Senator Brownback’s religious conservative supporters will count Alito as a mark in his favor.

All we can do as Democrats and progressives is win at the ballot box.  Personally, I think 2006 is shaping up to be a banner year.

Tomorrow, after Samuel Alito is confirmed, Senator Sam Brownback will be a participant in a GOP news conference discussing the outcome. Expect him to attempt to use the pulpit to his full advantage. Now that the Supreme court is full, Brownback will have a tougher time garnering media attention.

Personally, I don’t think he performed as well as he needed to during the hearings. Brownback had an opportunity to introduce himself to the American people and yet he couldn’t muster anything that got their attention. His other large issue is Iran, and I expect him to ramp up the rhetoric in the coming weeks and months. If he can maneuver himself into a position of expertise on Iran he can keep himself on the stage. With the Iranian government appearing more psycho by the moment, he might just get the chance.
Looming in the background is the anti gay marriage amendment. It is not clear when (or if) this will be brought to the full senate, but Brownback would also be the leader of that crusade.

A expected, Senator Sam Brownback has cast his vote for Samuel Alito on the Senate floor.

Check C-Span for all the action.

Senator Sam Brownback expressed dismay at the party line vote to send the Alito nomination to the full senate and at the same time threatened to to do the same to a Democratic President’s nominee:

Republicans say Democrats are setting a dangerous precedent by turning Supreme Court appointments into partisan fights.

“It causes me to think that if these come up in the future, and if we have a Democratic president, then we’re going to have to look at partisanship on people going on the bench,” said Kansas Senator Sam Brownback, a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2008.

How mature.  Either you think partisanship is honorable or not.  Senator Brownback needs to make up his mind.

For any of you who doubted Senator Sam Brownback endlessley pontificated during the Alito hearings, the statistcis are in. According to a blog named “Nihilist In Golf Pants”, during the Alito hearings Brownback spoke %68.1 of the time, leaving 31.9% of the time to let Alito himself answer the questions.

One caveat with these numbers. I have never read that blog before. It is cited by numerous reputable blogs, many conservative. I would verify the numbers, but I don’t have the time. I just want you, the reader, to be fully informed about the source.

According to the Washington Post:

For all the expectations of fireworks on the first day of questioning of Alito, and for all the purported high stakes in the nomination, the mood in the hearing room was flat and lethargic. A contagious wave of yawns spread across the dais, from Specter to Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) to Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.), and crested in a brief catnap for Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.). By midafternoon, only 28 of the 130 seats in the press section were occupied, and not all of those seated had their eyes open.

If anyone has a picture of this, I would love to get my hands on it.

From the San Jose Mercury News:

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., a panel member who’s a staunch abortion opponent, said he was “pretty certain” he would vote for Alito. But, he added, “I’m not happy. I would love for him to be there and say, `Look, I don’t think Roe is in the Constitution. And he’s obviously not saying that. He’s leaving the issue open.”

Still, Brownback conceded that any court nominee who opposed Roe outright would be filibustered. “So you’re left like this, if he answers Roe either way, he’s caught.”

Yeah right he’s leaving the issue open.  You can be sure that for Brownback to support Alito, he has been told how Alito will vote on abortion.  A simple comparison between the Miers nomination and this one should tell you all you need to know.

Media Matters catches an inconsistancy in Brownback’s opening statement in the Alito hearings and a statement of his made during the Miers nomination:

They go on to quote Brownback from a few months ago:

“Brownback said his biggest concern was not knowing where she [Harriet Miers] stood on ‘key issues of the day,’ such as abortion, same-sex marriage and property rights.”

Busted. A comment about a certain type of beach footwear might be in order here, but I’ll refrain.

Thanks to Terry at Nitpicker for the tip.

Courtesy of CultureKitchen comes this delicious nugget:

Senator Samuel Brownback has entered into the record a letter that former Alito clear Cathy Fleming sent to the Judiciary Committee back on November. You can see a PDF copy at the New York Times here.

The problem with Brownback’s maneuver is that Cathy Fleming is the president-elect of the National Association of Women’s Lawyers and they have issued a negative rating; saying Judge Alito is unfit to protect civil rights based on his record alone.

Ouch.  I suppose this is why she was abruptly cut from the witness list.  It sure would be nice to see her testify about the negative rating her own organization gave to the nominee.  So did Brownback not get the memo or did he just not care?