Conservative Strategists Gear Up for Supreme Court Battle over Judge Samuel Alito's Confirmation

Conservative strategists have jumped into action in anticipation of a tough fight for the confirmation of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, despite the initial enthusiasm and relief among conservatives after President Bush's announcement on Monday. The nomination, coming on the heels of the failed Harriet E. Miers nomination, has reignited conservative passions and set the stage for a contentious battle in the Senate.

Key Takeaways:

• Conservative Web sites, including Confirmthem.com, quickly sprang into action, with reactions ranging from elation to fury, as they began to prepare for the confirmation battle ahead.
• Conservative groups, such as Progress for America and the Family Research Council, have pledged to spend millions of dollars running television advertisements praising Judge Alito and pushing for his confirmation.
• Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, stated that social conservatives have been campaigning for decades to turn around Supreme Court decisions on abortion rights, prayer in schools, obscenity, and gay rights, making the chance to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor a "decades in the making" opportunity.
• Conservative strategists have acknowledged that Judge Alito's record on abortion rights and other contentious issues will make for a tough battle in the Senate, particularly due to the loss of momentum from the Miers withdrawal.
• Paul Weyrich, a veteran conservative organizer, predicted that it will take "some work" to regain the momentum of the Miers nomination and that conservatives need to "pull out the stops" to secure Judge Alito's confirmation.
• Karl Rove and other White House officials began calling conservative allies and strategists immediately after Judge Alito's nomination, seeking to build support for the nomination.
• Conservative groups have vowed to coordinate their efforts and work together to secure Judge Alito's confirmation, with leaders such as Jay Sekulow and Leonard Leo holding conference calls and plotting strategy.
• Moderate senators, including those on the "Gang of 14," will likely play a crucial role in deciding the nomination, with conservative strategists focusing on applying pressure through e-mails, phone calls, letters, and town hall meetings.
• Some conservative strategists predict that even if some Republicans defect due to their support for abortion rights, Judge Alito could still win confirmation due to the Republican majority in the Senate.

Statistics:

• $450,000: The amount that Progress for America pledged to spend on television advertisements praising Judge Alito.
• 80: The number of grass-roots groups that the American Center for Law and Justice and other conservative organizations coordinated to support Judge Alito's nomination.
• 15: The number of senators that conservative strategists predict will be decisive in determining the outcome of the nomination.
• 55: The number of Republican senators in the Senate, which could provide a majority to secure Judge Alito's confirmation.
• 41: The number of senators required to block a vote, which could be used to filibuster Judge Alito's nomination.
• 50-50: The chances that Mr. Land of the Southern Baptists puts on the "Gang of 14" holding together and blocking the nomination.

Sources:

• "Minutes after President Bush Introduced Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. as his Choice for the Supreme Court," Confirmthem.com, no date.
• "Progress for America to Spend $450,000 on TV Ads for Alito," MSNBC, no date.
• "Family Research Council to Run Ads Supporting Judge Alito," The Hill, no date.
• "Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council," The Hill, no date.