Akkam’s Razor

Barry Goldwater’s loss of the Republican Party nomination in 1964 is credited as being the single defining moment that launched the modern conservative movement, and the various parasite organizations that sprung from it.

The confirmation of Associate Judge Samuel Alito should not be viewed as a defeat, but rather as a transformative event of the same magnitude.

Although any Senator with some semblance of understanding in the Legislature’s role in the checks and balances provided by the Constitution should have been able to find a non-abortion related rationale for opposing Alito, it appeared that he might be on the way to a confirmation of Scalia-like ease (Scalia was confirmed 98-2).

But this was not to be like other confirmation votes.  The millions of dollars paid pro- and con- confirmation were meaningless.  This being an election year, the elected representatives were making calculated decisions, heavily weighing their prospects for the fall.  But then, something happened….

All over the PROGRESSIVE blogosphere, calls went out to contact your Senators, and we did.  John Kerry was quick to send out an email, full of “We’s”, but there was no “we”, or at least no “we” that was organized by the DNC.   By the end of the day, a quarter of the Senate was prepared to filibuster, and come confirmation, the margin was 58-42, with one Republican and four Democrats (all from Red States) “hanging” with the “Tories”.

The Right has spent 40-years (and hundreds of millions of dollars) building this momentum, from conservative scholars, to think tanks, to the hyper-wealthy elite.  In doing so, however, they have hoodwinked the populace into thinking they were anti-establishment.  The truth is that they have become the new establishment – a new gatekeeper of power and influence.  “Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss”.

You can feel the discontent and rumblings coming from the blogosphere.  Simmering outrage towards Bush, utter contempt to neutered and ineffectual Democrats.  I fully expect that there will be Democratic party unity to whatever extent is necessary to win in 2006; Concurrently, I expect there to be bloodletting on a scale that has never been seen prior – Biden, Liberman, and all of the other establishment Democrats might as well consider themselves on-notice.