Preserve the Balance
Team Supreme Blog
Dreaming of a right-wing Christmas
Because her greeting cards to the President constituted the bulk of Harriet Miers' official record, I think a card to her at this point is appropriate.
Harriet, we barely knew ye. No hearings, no documents, just a few conference calls with James Dobson and a dizzying fracas of right wing outrage will be your legacy. We know that you were credited with vetting judicial nominees–do not despair that the process did not work for you.
Love, everybody but the Extreme Right
Miers dropped out, and she did so by employing a pre-determined script. A week before her withdrawal, conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer came up with a graceful exit strategy: blame the nomination’s failure on the White House's inability to release Miers' documents without compromising executive privilege. Wow, I bet that’s something the White House never even thought of before choosing Miers! Remarkably enough. Miers and the White House followed the script to the letter.
Scarcely three days after Miers made her graceful exit, the President announced that Samuel Alito would be his next pick. Since Miers was originally in charge of vetting nominees, one has to wonder who vetted him.
By all accounts, it was the right wing–the same anti-gay groups pushing the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment and fighting basic protections for GLBT people.
A very small segment of our electorate feels that they were promised the ultimate gift from this President: a justice who would vote with Scalia and Thomas to roll back reproductive rights and stop GLBT rights in their tracks. This same group was displeased with Miers, and clearly felt entitled to control the nominations process. As of today, they seem to think that they’ve pulled it off.
Third Circuit Judge Samuel Alito, whom the President nominated today, was at the top of their wish lists. It’s not a coincidence, then, that he got the nod.
In fact, they’ve already taken credit! Matt Lewis, of the Leadership Institute and GOPAC, wrote on his Human Events blog that "[Alito’s] very nomination proves that when conservatives become active, you and I can make a difference. Blogs, letters to the editor, and calls to yourCongressman . . . can change history. Conservatives have arrived at a point where we can flex our muscles – not just in campaigns – but also during public policy fights. It’s been a long time coming. Now, let’s fight."
The American Center for Law and Justice—the legal arm of Pat Robertson’s anti-gay empire, called Alito’s nomination the fulfillment of a promise: "President Bush promised that he would nominate Justices in the mold of Justices Scalia and Thomas. In choosing Judge Alito for the high court, President Bush has done just that."
And of course the Concerned Women for America—who opposed Miers nomination—announced that Alito had been one of their top choices right from the beginning.
The Family Research Council proclaimed that Alito is "a promise kept."
So, with research occupying the next few weeks, and hearings sure to stretch into the holidays, these anti-gay groups seem to be looking forward to a Right-Wing Christmas.
What are you wishing for in a Supreme Court justice? Let your senators know.
Harriet, we barely knew ye. No hearings, no documents, just a few conference calls with James Dobson and a dizzying fracas of right wing outrage will be your legacy. We know that you were credited with vetting judicial nominees–do not despair that the process did not work for you.
Love, everybody but the Extreme Right
Miers dropped out, and she did so by employing a pre-determined script. A week before her withdrawal, conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer came up with a graceful exit strategy: blame the nomination’s failure on the White House's inability to release Miers' documents without compromising executive privilege. Wow, I bet that’s something the White House never even thought of before choosing Miers! Remarkably enough. Miers and the White House followed the script to the letter.
Scarcely three days after Miers made her graceful exit, the President announced that Samuel Alito would be his next pick. Since Miers was originally in charge of vetting nominees, one has to wonder who vetted him.
By all accounts, it was the right wing–the same anti-gay groups pushing the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment and fighting basic protections for GLBT people.
A very small segment of our electorate feels that they were promised the ultimate gift from this President: a justice who would vote with Scalia and Thomas to roll back reproductive rights and stop GLBT rights in their tracks. This same group was displeased with Miers, and clearly felt entitled to control the nominations process. As of today, they seem to think that they’ve pulled it off.
Third Circuit Judge Samuel Alito, whom the President nominated today, was at the top of their wish lists. It’s not a coincidence, then, that he got the nod.
In fact, they’ve already taken credit! Matt Lewis, of the Leadership Institute and GOPAC, wrote on his Human Events blog that "[Alito’s] very nomination proves that when conservatives become active, you and I can make a difference. Blogs, letters to the editor, and calls to yourCongressman . . . can change history. Conservatives have arrived at a point where we can flex our muscles – not just in campaigns – but also during public policy fights. It’s been a long time coming. Now, let’s fight."
The American Center for Law and Justice—the legal arm of Pat Robertson’s anti-gay empire, called Alito’s nomination the fulfillment of a promise: "President Bush promised that he would nominate Justices in the mold of Justices Scalia and Thomas. In choosing Judge Alito for the high court, President Bush has done just that."
And of course the Concerned Women for America—who opposed Miers nomination—announced that Alito had been one of their top choices right from the beginning.
The Family Research Council proclaimed that Alito is "a promise kept."
So, with research occupying the next few weeks, and hearings sure to stretch into the holidays, these anti-gay groups seem to be looking forward to a Right-Wing Christmas.
What are you wishing for in a Supreme Court justice? Let your senators know.
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