Two views of the world

Two views of the world.

Kevin Drum says,

The lefty blogosphere has spent the last week trying to fire up support for a filibuster of Samuel Alito. This campaign was never likely to succeed, and today it failed as expected. But that's not all: it failed by the embarrassingly lopsided margin of 72-25.

I'm glad the filibuster took place, because even in failure it puts a marker down for future court fights. Still, even given the amateurish way that Senate Dems handled it, I expected it to get more than 25 votes. So here's today's assignment: In 5,000 words or less, what does this say about the influence of the lefty blogosphere?

On the other hand, Digby says,

The last time we had a serious outpouring from the grassroots was the Iraq War resolution. My Senator DiFi commented at thetime that she had never seen anything like the depth of passion coming from her constituents. But she voted for the war anyway. So did Bayh, Biden, Clinton, Dodd, Kerry and Reid. The entire leadership of the party. Every one of them went the other way this time. I know that some of you are cynical about these people (and ,well, they are politicans, so don't get all Claud Rains about it) but that means something. Every one of those people were running in one way or another in 2002 and they went the other way. The tide is shifting. There is something to be gained by doing the right thing.

As for me, I feel much the way I did on the morning after election day one year + ago. Still, I do have to congratulate the Kennedy, Kerry, et al crowd for at least doing something. It's the seventeen or so spineless Dems that I fault -- and, perhaps, the failure of anyone to impose some party discipline.

Meanwhile, I do not intend to watch the Thuglicans gloat tonight when Mrs. Alito (who won the best actress award for her crying stint at the Judiciary Committee hearings) sits down next to Laura.