There is hope for the GOP, it has turned another corner and is back on a positive track. The GOP has begun the necessary process of ‘purifying’ itself from the unreliable far right (or ‘true conservatives’) who spend more time insulting fellow conservatives who don’t toe their line than making conservative progress in manageable steps. [...]

The ‘true conservatives’ have not only lost the Congress in 2006, and the Presidency in 2008, they are on a path to losing it all the way. They look at the loss of moderate McCain to (what now seems to be moderate) Obama and make the ridiculous claim that those evil moderates cannot win (while [...]

The “true” conservatives, whose invectives against moderate and independent conservatives (e.g., RINOS, Quislings, etc) successfully handed Congress to the liberals in 2006, are again pointing their guns at the kind of non-fringe compromise which America wants on serious issues facing this nation. One of the big ‘failures’ in the eyes of The Gang That Can’t Shoot Straight during [...]

How is it John McCain is now best positioned to win the GOP nomination? If he wins FL (and recent endorsements by Gov Crist and Sen Martinez shows he has some gathering strength there) he will have supposedly turned the GOP on its head. Rush Limbaugh predicts the end of the party as [...]

Well, the GOP’s Supreme Court Hypochondriacs (you know, the ones that wrung their hands for two years over the Gang of 14 and Harriet Miers and started the destruction of the conservative governing coalition) are getting a big “I told you so” from me today:
he Supreme Court loosened restrictions Monday on corporate- and union-funded television [...]

The Coalition of The Chillin’ - established during the initial phases of the filibuster debate when the Gang of 14 Senators was instantiated and there was hysterical speculation the end of Bush’s judicial nominees was nigh - has another feather to stick in its cap with today’s hearings on Circuit Court nominee Brent Kavanaugh:
White House [...]

Professor Bainbridge sums up the Alito confirmation and Gang of 14 and the Coalition of the Chillin’ here. All I can say is ‘exactly right!’.

Just sat down for a snack when I noticed the vote was on. Some of the interesting votes I caught are below. We know the Reps will vote for closure so the dems will be interesting.
Clinton - no (pro filibuster)
Mikulski - yes
Murray - no
Cantwell - yes
Leiberman - yes
Reid - [...]

On the eve of Alito’s confirmation to the US Supreme Court we wanted to hear from members of the Coalition of the Chillin’ on what the Gang of 14 Agreement meant as we look back to all that has transpired since. I think it is fair to say the filibuster-nuclear option debate has subsided [...]

I am going to keep this short, mainly because there is not a lot to say. The Democrats have been performing their usual trick of misleading bravado since the Gang of 14 agreement last spring. That agreement caused a lot of handwringing on the right - with the exception of the Coalition of [...]

Hillary has decided to show how a real Democrat leader bows down to the rabid leftwing base.
Sad to see such spineless pandering.

The Democrats apparently have not had their fill of failure yet, so they are pandering to their extreme base (the only one they have left) and posturing like there is no tomorrow! But Lincoln Chaffee has dashed any hopes for a filibuster by coming out for an up and down vote (registration required):
Sen. Lincoln [...]

I am not surprised (I predicted this a few hours ago) that the Dems are surrendering on Alito:
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid admitted on Friday he and fellow Democrats lack the votes to block President George W. Bush’s nomination of conservative appeals judge Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Everyone knows there is not enough [...]

The deadline for posts to the Coalition of the Chillin’ Carnival is being extended to Sunday night at 6:00 PM. The final confirmation vote is tentatively going to be Tuesday:
Near the close of a second day of debate, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, moved to force a confirmation vote on Tuesday. [...]

Alito has been confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party line 10-8 vote. Now it goes to the Senate floor.
Members of the Coalition of the Chillin’ (and any others who wish to chime in) might like to know Mark Coffey and I have been discussing a Carnival of the Coalition to mark [...]