Supreme Court Silver Lining?
I’ve been saying that Dems should vote against Roberts for the Suprme Court, just on the principle that the bush administration shouldn’t get anything out of this congress without a fight, and it shouldn’t get a single Democratic vote out without have to work for it. But after some stuff I heard last night, while taping for DemsTV. I’m not so sure that the Senate Dems shouldn’t keep their powder dry for the next nominee, who could be a serious far-right wingnut.
On the other hand, with both the White House and the Republican Congress tanking in the ratings department, it’s looking like the may play it safe with the second nominee, who will replace O’Connor. I’ve written before about Janice Rogers Brown and the likelihood that she’s on the administration’s short list for a Supreme Court nomination. But it looks like bad ratings, the political climate, and Democratic frustration with Roberts’ dodging questions about his positions may throw cold water on Brown’s chances.
The White House is reshuffling its short list of potential Supreme Court nominees with a new emphasis on finding someone who will hold up under the pressure of what is expected to be fierce confirmation battle, several Republican allies close to the process said on Monday.
…The shift also indicates that the administration expects some Democrats’ pent-up frustration with what they labeled as Judge Roberts’s evasiveness to spill over into the hearings for a new nominee. Republican aides briefed on the search said the White House was looking mainly at female jurists for Justice O’Connor’s seat, but it has expanded its short list and it is examining the contenders anew in the expectation of a trial by fire.
Conservative allies of the White House said the new criteria could hurt the chances of Judge Janice Rogers Brown, a 2005 Bush appointee to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and a favorite of the president’s conservative base.
Republican strategists close to the White House worry that Judge Brown, an African-American known for her fiery speeches to conservative crowds, might try to fight back against vigorous questioning. Other conservative strategists say that she also lacks experience on the federal bench and that supporting her highly ideological oratory might strain the solidarity of the Senate Republican caucus.
It almost kills me to say it, but if Janice Rogers Brown is on the short list, Roberts may well be the “least bad” choice right now, and Democrats may do well to save they “no” votes for the next Supreme Court Nominee, just in case it turns out to be Brown or someone as far to the right as she is.
September 20th, 2005 at 12:18 pm
I’m not so sure that the Senate Dems shouldn’t keep their powder dry for the next nominee
I don’t get this. There’s no quota on “no” votes, right? What do the Dems lose by fighting every shitty nominee? They may use up a few favours, generate ill-will among Republican “colleagues” — but so what? Think about the reverse: what have Dems ever got by playing nice with their opponents? (Hint: 2000 election debacle, the Patriot Act, and the rush to war in Iraq.) It’s not give-and-take, as far as I can see; there’s no “horse trading” any more. This Republican party takes and takes, and refuses to give. I can see NO benefit whatsoever in keeping the powder dry. Blaze away, I say! Look what can happen when the Dems actually show some evidence of a spine: blocking ANWR drilling and social security privatization spring to mind. Roll over on Roberts and it will send a message to Smirk that he should push the wingnuttiest candidate he can find for the next nomination. Fight like hell now, and he might just think twice about nominating a loon. And if he doesn’t, fight the damn loon too. No more quid until we see some bloody quo.
September 20th, 2005 at 1:03 pm
I am sick to death of the Democrats. All they have done is just roll over and act like kidked little puppy dogs. I was born a Republican, sorry to say. However, as soon as I could think for myself and vote I changed to Democrat. Although I will never become a Republican again, I am thinking hard about changing my affiliation. I just can’t stand the empty rhetoric and the way the party just has no more balls.
September 20th, 2005 at 5:53 pm
Terrance:
Roberts doesn’t deserve a yes vote. And, if he is the principaled jurist he claims to be, there will be no legal consequences for a no vote. He’s going to win either way. Harry Reid’s speech is the proper way to handle voting no. Vote no on the basis of the failure of the administration to provide adequate data on his past work. Vote no because of his failure to take responsibility for his own writings which were released.
We need to take a page from Rove’s handbook, even if we are ethical about how we do it. Bush’s strength, according to those who still support him, is his strength and candor. There has been a decided slippage in both categories, due to the Iraq fiasco and Katrina. We need to hammer at every opportunity at the facades which have fooled so many Americans. So we vote no on Roberts, not because he is too conservative, but because he was dishonest, and the administration was too weak to put his whole record out there.
Remember, the weaker Bush is, the more likely we carry more seats in the off-election. His persona as strong and honest has provided cover for some of the weaker sisters in Guppy party.
Politics is a blood sport with real consequences. Don’t believe for a minute that if we roll over here, the Guppies won’t force the issue by picking someone completely odious, with a veneer of respectability, through picking a woman and/or a minority wingnut. We need to shoot the cannon across the bow now, and prepare for the possibility of serious combat later.
Interestingly, the fact that O’Connor may participate in some cases early may help our cause, as her (what passes for) moderation can be used to create a litmus test.
Finally, we need to make the Gang of Seven aware that there will be consequences if they are too wishy-washy. If we are telling them we won’t hold a yes vote against them, we postpone the day when we are able to put forward a progressive agenda without being sniped at by our own.