Let me put it this way; Would Romney nominate, Hillary, Holder, or Van Jones to the court?
Can you promise me Obama would not?
Unlike Obama, Romney is not an activist. He can be manipulated if we are willing to be the ones to shake his Etch-a-Sketch. Not ideal but that is our realistic option now. No one is riding in on a white horse to save us. We need to manipulate the situation the best we can.
It’s like obomo whispered to Medvedev, after he’s re-elected he will have a free hand b/c he won’t have to run again. And we all know he will do all the “remaking of America” he can possibly accomplish. This remaking certainly will include appointing doctrinaire progressive/socialists to the SCOTUS.
Just looking at the election through the lens of SCOTUS, Romney is the bigger threat. Let me explain.
Unless they screw it up, the GOP-e should have 52-54 Senators at their disposal starting in 2013, enough to toss Obama nominees like Holder and Clinton (enough to demand at least a moderate pick or stonewall the position blank for years)
Imagine the politics of a recess appointment to the SCOTUS. Now, imagine a real opposition party with the stones to bump out that appointment session after session, leaving the position open in 2016. Of course, the GOP-e doesn’t want to play hardball; they want to go along, get along.
If the GOP-e doesn’t have what it takes to block liberal nominees, then the fault is theirs, BOTH for not having the stones to do what it takes to win, AND for not providing a reasonable alternative re: a SCOTUS picker.
Now, with Romney, the GOP-e cannot use that tactic. You have to dance with them what you brought to the dance. Romney cannot be persuaded by Conservative pressure like G.W. was. He’s a much a more committed liberal ideologue than that. Romney believes you all can go to hell. You’ll eat his shingle sandwich because you have no choice. Won’t you?
The chances of a more liberal pick for SCOTUS comes from Romney, UNLESS the GOP-e cops out. If they do, that’s not my fault, no matter how I vote for President.
I don’t know how I’m going to vote. I’m tired of being pressured into ‘a vote for anybody but Romney is a vote for Obama’. Horse Hockey.
I am, however, picking apart this particular argument. If SCOTUS is our lens, Romney is the wrong choice. If I’m going to be badgered about sucking up on Romney, at least use a decent argument. This one isn’t.