Informed Speculation

Alito opponents have picked up a Republican:

One of themost anticipated vote announcements on Sam Alito is from liberal GOP Sen. Lincoln Chafee, who is facing an incredibly tough primary fight in RI SEN. Well, later this morning, Chafee will announce he’s voting against Alito’s confirmation.

Does it make any real difference? Not really…remember, Alito has got the 51 votes needed for confirmation sewed up…the relevant vote count is whether 60 will vote to close debate, and Chafee’s announcement of opposition to the nomination is not the same as an announcement of support for a filibuster (in fact, it’s a pretty sure bet he would not vote ‘ay’ on that)…

Jim Baron has some blistering words for the Senator:

Sen. Lincoln Chafee once again is pretending to ponder principles in the course of making an agonizing decision when actually he is playing both ends against the middle — casting self-canceling votes hoping to fool those on both sides of an issue that he cast his vote their way.

OK, he hasn’t cast a “no” vote — yet — on confirming Judge Samuel Alito to a seat on the Supreme Court, but you can see it coming, even though (or, more accurately, precisely because) it doesn’t matter anymore.

You’ve probably heard that Chafee, while still supposedly undecided on how he will vote on the momentous matter of confirming Alito’s nomination, has declared he will vote to break a Democratic filibuster and allow a majority vote on confirmation.

So what exactly is Chafee undecided about? Alito will win an up or down vote easily and Chafee knows it. The senator has quite obviously made his decision to allow Alito onto the high court and to cast a vote on the filibuster to help make that happen.

For Chafee to now vote against Alito in the final roll call would be a meaningless ceremonial gesture, if not a cynical political calculation. It is beneath the principled person I thought Chafee was.