Second of all, to equate overturning Roe with the type of judicial imposition of values as happens when Courts impose gay marriage/civil unions is absurd. The imposition of values was the Roe decision, when they invented a new Constitutional right because they wanted too. It is true that the public opposes overturning Roe, but the political consequences should it happen could be handled with an effective and focused media campaign. All the GOP would have to do is make it perfectly clear that the overturn of Roe would simply return the matter to the states, where the people (who again, presumably support Roe) would have a direct say in the abortion laws they live under. Once the so-called moderates living in the Ohio suburbs understand this, then I doubt seriously if they would join a Dem quest for revenge. I mean, does anyone think that a Pennsylvania suburbanite would change their vote from GOP to Dem because the abortion laws in Texas just got a lot stricter? I think many in the pubic erroneously believe that overturning Roe would itself criminalize abortion; the GOP must remedy this falsehood that the Dem/Left benefits from. Furthermore, the GOP must make it clear that Roe is in fact such an extreme decision that it makes virtually impossible the most reasonable restriction on abortion -- like bans on late-term abortions -- which enjoy overwhelming public support.
Finally, the idea that you could pick a judge conservative enough to reject misusing his/her power to impose gay marriage or civil unions (and the 'or civil unions' is key since most states would reject that euphemistic substitute for marriage as well) but liberal enough to vote in favor of Roe is questionable. Yes, there are people who hold virtually every combination of positions you can imagine, but generally speaking a conservative is conservative on most issues while a liberal is liberal on most issues. So unless a nominee is aked directly what they would do on these issues, I think its unlikely you could get such a justice. The most likely result of picking a pro-Roe justice is to also get a pro-gay marriage justice.
Morris is no doubt well aware of this, but he is himself more socially liberal and he probably supports the eventual judicial imposition of gay marriage.
I've never had a lot of respect for Morris's intellect, but this demonstration of his cluelessness astonishes even me.
Morris is a leftist, for the most part. If we get what he advocates, it will be disaster.
I don't believe that most people in this country want to make abortion freely available.
I certainly think we should stop government funding of a procedure most of us thing is evil.
Indeed, voters oppose courts' imposing gay marriage for the same reason that they oppose a reversal of Roe vs. Wade – they do not support it when judges try to impose their own views on the social consensus.
How does one arrive at (B) after postulating (A) in the above quote? Astonishing.
Hell, O'Connor ought to be impeached and removed from office for deciding that the laws of OTHER COUNTRIES ought to be what she used for a measuring stick instead of our own Constitution!
Nobody ever tracks this guy's win-loss record on predictions. For months he was saying Bush would lose.
Dick Morris has it wrong, as usual. The man has in recent years proven he is indeed a patriot, but he's just flat wrong on so many things. For instance, overturning Roe v. Wade doesn't make abortion illegal - it would just put the matter back in the hands of state legislatures.
The winners are entitled to appoint judges that are compatible with their views. Who would ever think that the losers inherit that entitlement?
This guy is allows his own ideological liberalism on cultural issues confuse his analysis. If Bush were to turn on his grassroots, by nominating another lib Republican to the court, given its disgust with the court already, he would do great damage to his presidency, his legacy, and the party. He won't do it.
Morris is an extremely devout centrist, it seems. He seems to run his campaigns getting everyone to cling to the middle of the road.
First of all most americans don't understand the Cloture business anyway, and when they do, I doubt they oppose the idea of taking the minorities power to obstruct the majority. I just don't see the general outrage over it that he does, particularly since it's been done before.
didnt the democratic party just elect a pro life chairman?
I don't remember Dick Morris kicking up a fuss about ideology and making dark predictions about the Republic when Bubba nominated those two awful Leftist ideologues, Breyer and Ginsburg, to the Court.
Maybe I missed it?
Since the Democrats and the Judicial Tyrants are against any reasonable restrictions in either case we should remove them from power.
To place an ideological tag of any kind on Sandra Dee is ridiculous. I can't take her "reasoning" seriesly. Her opinions would get her flunked out of any reputable law school.
O'Connor and Kennedy are not "conservatives."
I heard Bob Beckel today say that the GOP would "rue the day" if they change the cloture requirement because the Dems would use the new rule against them someday when they retake power. First, the GOP has not generally used the filibuster to prevent Dem appointees from receiving a vote anyway, which is one of the reasons we've got this problem. Second, if Frist can change this rule, then what on earth would prevent a Dem Majority Leader from doing so, when the time comes? What can they offer us that assures that if we keep the rule in place, they will do so as well? Nothing.
We've got nothing to lose by knocking it out now, and I think we should do so.
Bush just has to ask himself before every Judicial appointment: " How many more babies will be slaughtered because I appoint this sonovabitch?"
Homosexuals will continue their life threatening, disease friendly, life style, whether or not same sex marriages are legalized. The homosexual deaths from suicidal behavior, is mostly from voluntar actions.
First we save the next 40 million babies, threatened by Roe vs Wade and then worry about saving homosexuals from themselves.
Pray for W and Our Troops
If the voters don't like the results, they can vote the liberals back in the legislative and executive.
this is all a misunderstanding. Dick Morris is fine with changing cloture; he's opposed to changing his socks.