Place Your Bets

The vote to bring Sam Alito's nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee is pretty much a done deal, with a 10-8 approval expected with a straight party line vote.

Things in the full Senate may get a bit more interesting, but the outcome will still be Alito's confirmation. The question will be who among the Democrats will oppose Alito despite his qualifications.

Like the Price is Right, closest without going over wins.

My vote will be 66-33 (Kerry absent or coming in late to cast vote at last minute). Not as many voting for Alito as Roberts, but still a comfortable margin of victory.

Democrats have been trying to stoke the fires of Roe v. Wade, but that's for naught. Most Americans have already moved on to other issues and there are still quite a few Senate Democrats who are in Red States that have to temper their party line vote with the reality that they'd be opposing the majority viewpoints within their home states.

It's real easy for folks like Schumer, Clinton, Kennedy, and Kerry (should Kerry actually make it to the vote) to vote against Alito since they're in safely Blue states, but there are more than a few Democrats who are in solid red states. Bill Nelson and Ben Nelson for example (both up for reelection to boot). Ben Nelson has already stated that he's voting for Alito. Expect a few others to do so as well.

Place your bets on the Alito confirmation vote tally in the comments below. No prizes being offered except bragging rights.

UPDATE:
No surprises with the straight party line vote bringing Alito out of committee. CNN reported it thusly Alito wins this round. As if there was any doubt on the final outcome? He's winning the next round too. Confirmation is all but assured. The only question is the margin and whether the Democrats are going to bring yet more shame on their party by obstructing the inevitable with a filibuster (or filibuster lite - talking into the night to delay the final Senate vote).