Byrd and Johnson Support Alito

Sens. Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) came out in support of Alito's confirmation today.

Byrd and Johnson, both moderate Democrats in red states, have good reason to vote for the nominee. Byrd, who is up for reelection this year in the increasingly red state of West Virginia, has little care for the court battles that worry other Democrats, such as civil rights and abortion. Although Byrd has evolved with the national Democratic Party's stance on such issues, he unlikely cares deeply about them.

Johnson, who has been a reliable vote in the Democratic caucus, is harder to understand. He is not up for reelection this year and it's hard to see how the Alito confirmation will be a big issue two and a half years from now.

Meanwhile, the New York Times came out in favor of a filibuster of the Alito vote.