on my post at Liberal Street Fighter Okay, Can We Dump the Faux-Democrat Now? I highlight Chuck Pennachio's TIME TO TAKE A STAND FOR OUR RIGHTS: SAY NO TO ALITO:

Where’s Bob?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 24, 2006

CONTACT: Liz Mednick lizm@chuck2006.com

Statement By U.S. Senate Candidate Chuck Pennacchio (D-Pa)

On The Pending Senate Vote On The Alito Nomination

Today’s 10-8 party line vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee in favor of the Alito nomination sets the stage for a test of the U.S. Senate’s willingness to protect our constitutional rights. Judge Alito’s record clearly demonstrates that as a Supreme Court Justice he would increase the power of big corporations and the executive branch as he would weaken privacy rights, employee rights, minority rights, and our system of checks and balances. I challenge Bob Casey Jr. to join me in opposing Judge Alito’s nomination and supporting all legal means available to prevent his confirmation. This includes the use of a filibuster if necessary. Here are some of the reasons that I strongly oppose the Alito nomination:

• His refusal to recognize specific limits on the President’s power to “authorize others to ignore the law� with regard to warrantless wiretaps, torture, and other issues (see Hearing transcripts 86-88 and 193-194, Jan. 10, 2006).

• His dissent in Doe v. Groody that further demonstrated Judge Alito’s disregard for Fourth Amendment rights in that he would have allowed strip searching a ten year old girl and her mother without a warrant.

• His dissent in United States v. Rybar would have overturned the federal ban on the transfer or possession of machine guns. This decision reveals Judge Alito as a judicial activist who would overturn democratically enacted laws and limit Congress’s power to protect citizens from threats to their safety.

• His memos as a Justice Department lawyer advocating a strategy to overturn Roe v. Wade. They show him to be a willing participant in efforts to weaken privacy rights and take away abortion rights.

Judge Alito’s radical views have been often rejected by his colleagues but his confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court could ultimately impose them on our legal system.

His is not the record of a man who should be confirmed to replace Sandra Day O’Connor as the decisive vote determining the scope of our constitutional rights. My review of Judge Alito’s record prior to his confirmation hearings convinced me it would be a mistake to support his nomination. His evasive performance during the hearings did nothing to make his confirmation more palatable.

I emphatically disagree with Rick Santorum’s support for a Supreme Court nominee who would diminish our constitutional rights but at least he is willing to let voters know where he stands. Bob Casey has been on the sidelines of this debate for too long. My position is clear. I continue to oppose the Alito nomination and stand with the millions of Pennsylvanians who believe the Supreme Court must retain its place as the protector of our constitutional rights.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. We have enough Vichy Democrats ... we don't need more.

the republican (and bob casey) message to women is clear: want to be a full human being? don't get married.

these are "family values," right? i'm not clear on these yet -- i'm just a liberal.

Back to blogwhoring for justice:

First, I've cross-referenced the Dem Senators for and against the filibuster with who's up for reelection this year, and who's in the Gang of 14. (Hey -- everyone in the G14 voted for cloture! Hey -- if everyone up for reelection pandered to their base, we would have won!)

(I've also got links to a couple of challengers: Ned Lamont (vs Joementum) and Mark Wilson (vs. Cantwell). I'd appreciate people's thoughts about Wilson, in particular: is he the best guy to beat Cantwell in the primary and still win the general? Is Cantwell really a Vichy?)

Second, I REALLY wish that everyone who made millions of phone calls, emails and faxes to Senators before the cloture vote, would make at least a few - and hopefully more than a few - to praise those who did the right thing, and later to chastise those who didn't. I'm starting with the praise to the good guys. It's really important, both to retain the moral high ground (we say thank you to those who support us), AND TACTICALLY, because it reminds them that WE'RE STILL PAYING ATTENTION.

Please, please, make the thank you calls, and then we'll start making the screw you calls. I estimate we -- meaning everyone, Kos, MoveOn, NARAL, everyone -- turned out several hundred thousand phone calls against cloture. I'd like to crank out at least 50,000 thank yous over the next week or two.

As before, resources are over at my site, but go wherever you want for your info. I just want the calls to go out!

Thanks.