It’s got to be nice to be a liberal.
There was a slew of stories when Justice Souter announced his retirement. But now hardly anybody is talking about it in the Catholic or even conservative blogosphere. And there’s a reason why. We have no doubt that whoever President Obama picks it’ll be a stark raving pro-choice, anti gun, anti-constructionist, pro-eminent domain, anti-religious conscience liberal. Names? We don’t need to know their names. Anyone who Obama picks is essentially the same to us. There might be some who are outside the bounds but for the most part we expect someone who is essentially the anti-Scalia in most things. Liberals are very unlikely to be disappointed in Obama’s choice.
Now how come every time a Republican President gets a pick we’re all on pins and needles wondering who it’s going to be? It’s like the scene in the movie where the hero has to decide whether to cut the blue wire or the red wire. It’s because we don’t trust Republicans to do the right thing by us. In fact, we’re scared to death because so many times before, Republican Presidents have clipped the blue wire. AND KABOOM. Sandra Day O’ Connor. Kaboom. Justice Souter. KA-FREAKING-BOOM. SO many times after a Republican picks a judges it leaves many of us saying, “Dude, where’s my conservative judge?” In fact, the fact that Souter was a Supreme Court Justice at all is enough of a reason not to trust Republicans with judges.
Even President George W. Bush who, despite shakiness on many issues, had been a pretty reliable pro-life voice didn’t get a pass. Remember Harriet Miers? We freaked out when he nominated her for the court. We freaked out because we had absolutely no idea what the heck the woman stood for. And I remember Bush saying that conservatives just had to trust him and we were all like “Uuuuhhh…NO. Your Dad nominated Souter.” And eventually, Bush collapsed and traded her in for a judge with a conservative record.
And while I don’t trust Republicans oddly enough, I trust Democrats to pick someone who will legislate liberal policy from the bench. I mean, has someone like Ruth Bader Ginsburg ever drifted to the right and surprised the President who appointed them? Not in recent memory.
So that’s why I’m jealous of liberals. They sleep soundly never fearing the ka-boom of disappointment in a judge’s nomination.
In case you care, Feddie from Southern Appeal says it’s going to be Justice Diane Wood.
May 15, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Ha! This is so true!
May 15, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Yes, it is easier to be a Liberal…I have so many in my own family…they seem to sleep so peacefully…except when they are worried about baby seals and polar bears 🙁
The tough part will be convincing the Republicans to put up a fight on this…they have such a tendency to fall back on being “civil”…when have the Democrats ever done that…certainly not when President Bush was trying to seat Federal Judges…
May 15, 2009 at 3:04 pm
I was just thinking the same thing the other day … how much of a non-story this has become.
One additional thought: not only do we on the right know that whoever Pres. Obama picks will be liberal, we don’t really begrudge him that fact. He won the election, and elections have consequences. He is entitled to pick judges whose jurisprudence matches his own views of the law and the Constitution. We don’t like it, but we recognize that that’s his perogative.
What chafes me is that the left and the media don’t believe conservative Presidents should have the same leeway in picking judges of their choosing. They apparently believe in “Heads I win, tails you lose.”
May 15, 2009 at 5:04 pm
There is a frustrating souble standard. Of course there is a flip side and sort of relates to the above
Whilesome might not trust Republicans to pick conservatives I suspect many in Republican White Houses don’t trust the conservative electorate to use their full power power to get very conservative picks through. A Supreme COurt pick uses up polticla captial and well they do the caculus
Lets face it without the gang of 13(which many conservative were complaining about but now looks likes a political blessing) Alito might not have got on the Court.
When Republicans have that much trouble getting those quality minds on the bench I feel for them. SO I don’t expect them to be able to get a Scalia up there all the time.
Everyone recall the Bork nomination too
That being said it is frustrating. More Liberal nominess can voice their views all over the place. Look at Souter. But as to Conservatives they can’t. Look at the abortion controversy.
As to Clarence Thomas(And Bush needs credit for that) before there was the Anita Hill controversy there was the Natural Law controversy. Thomas sais a few words about Natural Law and Biden and the media made him look like he was going be legisilating via THomas Aquinas
May 15, 2009 at 7:05 pm
And don’t forget the mental midget Anthony Kennedy!
We get these type of Justices because the Republican Party is not really pro-life, but they want the pro-life votes. So the stupid pro-lifers keep voting for them and we get in return O’Connor, Kennedy, Souter. Sure, they’ll throw in a Thomas every 20 years or so, but please do the math. You need five votes to overturn Roe and they will never give you that fifth vote. Why? Because it would result in the destruction of the Republican Party, and remember, the Party is more important than any principle.
May 15, 2009 at 11:38 pm
I think the trend is definitely towards pro-abortion, anti-religious and pro-eminent domain. But the gun lobby is way too strong and entrenched in the US, so I wouldn’t say there are any trends away from the 2nd ammendment. In other words, it’s much easier to find someone within a society who is willing to “stay the course”, rather than someone wanting and sacrificing to change it. This is why finding a liberal replacement on the Supreme Court will be as easy as finding a soy-latte at a Greenpeace rally.