This pro-Alito ad has begun playing in Arkansas, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and West Virginia. Identifying opposition to Alito with left-wing special interests is particularly unwelcome by Democratic senators up for re-election next year: Ben Nelson (Neb.), Kent Conrad (N.D.) and Robert Byrd (W.Va.). It might also trouble freshman Sen. Ken Salazar, who was elected in Colorado last year while promising not to filibuster judges, but who now says he has serious concerns with Alito.
At the same time that the TV ad appeared, the conservative Judicial Confirmation Network last Thursday sent a memo to 1,500 local and state political leaders belonging to 70 organizations. They are capable of distributing it via e-mail to 10 million people. The memo continued the assault on sponsorship of the strip-search ad by "a coalition of far-left groups led by People for the American Way and Alliance for Justice."
While revealing the true nature of Doe v. Groody, the memo says that "the liberals contend that children cannot be searched under the Constitution. This would amount to a 'get out of jail free' card for drug dealers who use young children to stash drugs." The Law Enforcement Alliance of America last week declared that "these shameless attacks on law enforcement officers and Judge Alito would have young children used as drug mules."
Red state Democratic senators have to consider consequences of collaboration by their leaders with architects of the assault on Alito. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid met privately Thursday with Wade Henderson of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, a sponsor of the strip-search ad, to plot strategy against Alito that may not be popular with all members of Reid's caucus.