Southwick advances

Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary voted to report the nomination of Judge Leslie Southwick to the Senate floor. This occurred because Sen. Feinstein broke ranks with the other Committee Dems and voted with the Republicans to make this happen.
Feinstein is reliably liberal on judicial nominees (she voted against John Roberts’ confirmation) and much else. Thus, her vote further demonstrates how weak the case against Judge Southwick is. This may help explain the venom being directed at her from some on the left. In effect, Feinstein has blown their cover.
How will Southwick fare in the Senate? It’s clear that a majority supports his nomination. Feinstein is to the left of a fair number of Democratic Senators, some of whom will be up for re-election next year in conservative states. The real danger is that Southwick won’t get a vote due to Harry Reid’s tactics (notwithstanding his promise to the contrary) or a filibuster.