I’m of the opinion that the DemocRAT establishment in D.C. wants to put Goodwin Liu on the U.S. Supreme Court. They want to be the party which puts the first Asian-American on the Court, and use the good PR to appoint a radical leftist. The 9th. Circus Court of Appeals was their original plan, but it backfired. This is Plan B.
You might remember that DemocRATS had similar plans for Sonia Sotomayor for years. They filibustered Miguel Estrada for that reason. They planned Sotomayor’s appointmemt for a long time and IMHO they’re doing the same with Liu.
I think that you’re correct; this is Plan B for the RATs. Place Liu on the California Supreme Court, have him serve a few years, and then nominate him for the 9th Circuit again (or, even better, the DC Circuit) when he’d be “experienced” and have a “proven track record of thoughtful decisions.” After two or three years on the Court of Appeals, they’d nominate him for SCOTUS while he’s still in his 40s, and they’d set him loose on a 40-year rampage of judicial activism.
The GOP can’t stop Liu from getting on the CA SC, but the voters can when he’s up for retention next year. Let’s see what happens.