Anyone who is disappointed by the Miers nomination is an extremist or an elitist? I don't think so, although I've seen that elitism charge about ten thousand times here on FR over the past few days.
I think she seems like a nice lady. But there are several candidates who would have been much better, and I don't swallow the idea that we couldn't appoint them. I think we were in a very strong position to do it--until this Myers business. Now Bush has compromised himself, and it is impossible to do anything but go through with the Myers nomination.
For the last 5 years, Bush's enemy's have underestimated him. In this selection, Bush overestimated the power of his enemies.
Oh, no. The majority of the critics of this nomination, including some here on FR (and you know they're here), don't have the brainpower to even pretend to be 'elite.' They are, instead, the angry mob, being led by their torch bearing betters, ready to drag Harriet Miers down by any means necessary. Mobs are like that. Give them a good slogan to shout and they'll follow anywhere, regardless of the lack of evidence to support the slogan.
Buchannanites, Perotistas and the like. This has the stench of a lynching. I think Justice Thomas would recognize the mob gathering against Harriet Miers.
The "elite" in question are the pontificating class, including the "I'm smarter than everyone else" types like Bork, Kristol and Buchannen. There may be lots of reasons to oppose this nomination, but so far it's primarily mobs being led by elites who are complaining that THEY weren't consulted.
We have had 109 members of the Supreme Court and one can safely say that at the time of the appointment of each that a hundred other men seemed to be equally or more qualfied. But just as this country is not a democracy. it is not a meritocracy. It is not so much what you know as who you know. Sometimes we get a Marshall, and sometimes we get a Tom Clark.
"Elitism" might be too strong a word to describe the anger from the intellectual heavyweights. It's interesting to note that those who are opposed to the nomination, have no clue about her, and have never met the lady.