Miers is dead in the water

Town Hall ^ | 10/06/05 | Laura Hollis

[jdhljc169]

Today's Chronicle of Higher Education has a story that describes Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers' involvement with a lecture series at her alma mater, SMU Law School. The inaugural lecturer? Gloria Steinem. I've played these games in law schools, and this story sends up red flags for me. Here's my take on it ...

I was reserving judgment, but after having read the Chronicle article (and given conservatives' skittishness about her already), I think she's a non-starter. Miers may be a very nice person - and by all accounts she is. But she has never served as a judge, and while I do not think that an attorney must have been a judge in order to be an excellent justice, I do think that if you want to be certain of a nominee's views on the proper role of the judiciary, you better have seen them in action as a judge.

We haven't. And absent that, we must look to other events in Miers' professional life to ascertain her perspective. To that end, the Chronicle article is instructive:

In the late 1990s, as a member of the advisory board for Southern Methodist University's law school, Ms. Miers pushed for the creation of an endowed lecture series in women's studies named for Louise B. Raggio, one of the first women to rise to prominence in the Texas legal community ...Ms. Miers, whom President Bush announced on Monday as his choice to fill the Supreme Court seat being vacated by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, not only advocated for the lecture series, but also gave money and solicited donations to help get it off the ground ... A feminist icon, Gloria Steinem, delivered the series's first lecture, in 1998. In the following two years, the speakers were Patricia S. Schroeder, the former Democratic congresswoman widely associated with women's causes, and Susan Faludi, the author of Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women (1991). Ann W. Richards, the Democrat whom George W. Bush unseated as governor of Texas in 1994, delivered the lecture in 2003.

Having served on the faculties of three law schools, I can tell you that if you are an academic of the conservative political persuasion, this is the way you play the game: you call things by the terms the liberal academic establishment uses ("Gender Studies," "Women's Studies," etc.) and then you bring in lecturers and provide content that challenges their prevailing "wisdom."

There must be dozens -- hundreds -- thousands -- of conservative female attorneys, politicians, pundits and successful business owners in this country who would be wonderful role models for female SMU law students. If Miers pushed for the creation of a lecture series to honor Texas' first and finest female attorneys, and the series brought in the likes of Steinem and Faludi, then I know as much as I need to know about this woman.

Stick a fork in her. She's done.

[Eagle Eye]

therefore I shall never ask her to fix my car.

There's a lot of blowhards out here who seem to think that they could do a better job than half the Supremes but then don't think that this woman can do at least as well as they would.

Lots of messy diapers here on FR right now.

[handy]

I would have chosen JRB, but I'm not going grab on to unfounded assumptions about cronyism and the like. I will not go about trashing her nomination. I want to wait until I hear her in the confirmation hearings before I make up my own mind. I would like to hear more evidence particularly from her mouth.

I don't expect to hear much from her mouth. These days the less you have said and the less you have written the better. Even GWB says he has not asked her about Roe v Wade. It all comes down to
"Trust Me" (or, I trust Bush/Dobson/ACLJ/fill in the blank)";
"But she's an Evangelical Christian!"
"She used to be a Dim, but she's changed",
"Prove to me she is NOT conservative".

Maybe ok for an appeals court, but my $.02 says it is a major league dice roll for the SCOTUS. I'm disappointed, but I really do hope she is all you guys are saying she is. We've been working and waiting for this for a long time.

[zook]

Just remember--if it weren't for SDO's vote, Al Gore might be president now.

[maryz]

A logical person does not choose to believe whatever they wish. They seek the facts.

A logical person thinks logically. Period. He may or may not have any interest in finding further facts. He may have false "facts." A logical person will not draw a false conclusions from true and sufficient premises. A logical person will draw a false conclusion from false premises.

[cspackler]

BTW, are you going to go back through all the threads where the pro-miers attack dogs used Bush's name and make sure they start calling him 'President Bush' every time they talk about him?

Nope, just you...

[cspackler]

What's the "c" stand for, cspackler?

You won't believe this, but I never actually thought of it that way. Now, bark like a dog...

[Virginia Queen]

"The tide is starting to move against her and what I originally opined the day after she was nominated just might happen. If she doesn't get any Democrats, there might be more than enough Republicans who will vote to cut her loose. Information like what the author has presented just might be another straw added to the camel's back."

All you say is true. But I can't help but recall R.B.Ginsberg - ACLU, legalize prostitution, coed-prisons, etc. - and the fact she passed with a majority of Republican and Democrat votes because, in the end, they felt the President was entitled to his "choice." I am very anxious to hear what this lady has to say. The women's movement betrayed many of us - I supported things when I was young that the wisdom gained through time and age made me realize were idiotic. I cannot go back and change what I did then, but I would hope all who know me now would know I am smarter than that.

[Goodgirlinred]

I think posting Ms. Miers's picture with a faked ad for an Internet date is juvenile and cruel.

Ok, so you don't know much about her. Only the people who know her do. However, before this is over, we will know what she is made of and whether she will make a good Supreme Court Justice.

I can agree with you on the arranged marriage thing. How absolutely horrible! I would never trust anyone to choose even a date for me. I have never been on a blind date in my life. No, don't compare Ms. Miers to a blind date. She is out in the open for everyone to see. You can do research about her on the Internet. You will also have plenty of time to learn about her during the Congressional hearings. This will not be a rubber stamp appointment.

[Virginia Queen]

"You know, I kind of find what you say offensive. You make President Bush soundf like he's worse than Clinton and he thinks his supporters are scum. I volunteered to support his campaign and spent 30 hrs/wk working for his election. I don't think I'm dirt and I hope President Bush doesn't either. Did you feel Clinton was entitless to do whatever he wanted too?"
I did not intend to be offensive, I was trying to be "cute". I would never put "W" in the same category as Clinton and I do believe the President cares about us and believes in what he is doing. I was merely trying to make the point that we are all spinning our wheels over this nomination. He had the duty to appoint someone and he did. Now the Senate will either confirm or deny her. All of us pontifcating on the matter will make little difference - even if you write your Senators, in the end they will do what they feel is best. It is out of our hands. I believe President Bush has profound respect/regard for his supporters. But he views things through his eyes, with the knowledge that he has of situations and events and this is bound - at times - to conflict with what we, his supporters, think.

[phelanw]

Burnham's definition is the best I've heard. In academic circles, where I've spent the past 30 years of my life, ideologue is often used to describe a principled conservative. That's the way I often see it used in the mainstream media also.

[ontos-on]

You have to be kidding if you think that the standards of a criminal trial are somehow imposed on the American people when discussing a presidential appointment to the judiciary. When people who have seen her work say that she is a meticulous procedural type but without anything of a creative or penetrating insight...or even an interest in same.

You seem to be the one who is trying to trammple on people's rights--eg the right to speakm freely. I have pointed to the basis for my opinion.

[discostu]

Somehow I don't think one lecture more or less would really alter the quality of Gloria Steinem's life.

[maryz]

ideologue is often used to describe a principled conservative. That's the way I often see it used in the mainstream media also.

Do you mean when you hear the MSM say "right-wing ideologue," you hear "principled conservative"? If so, you're usually right of course! Translating the MSM indicates you're bi-dialectal in English! ;-)

[Nathan Zachary]

After reading all this trumped up garbage on Meirs over the past few days, worries that she WASN'T first corrupted by being a lower court judge, (although many before her never served on the bench either) and WASN'T brainwashed through the liberal approved Ivy league "old boy's club", I think she is a perfect pick.

I'd be much more worried if everyone liked her and aproved of W's selection considering how they are acting.

[meema]

from Federalist No.76

I agree with both you and A. Hamilton! This the point of Senatorial Confirmation!!!

[utahagen]

You are right that "Evangelical does not guarantee conservative." However, people who join evangelical denominations after some sort-of conversion experience are very likely to be orthodox when it comes to religion and conservative when it comes to politics. Plus, GWB must have known how much heat he'd take for proposing Miers; why would he do it unless he thought Miers would chip away at abortion rights? I believe GWB believes that Miers will interpret the Constitution strictly, which would include challenging the specious notion of a "right to privacy".

[wardaddy]

it will be great if you are right

[TomasUSMC]

The long and the short of it is she didn't come to this dance with you, she came with "W". "W" picked her, "W" wants her and this IS his dance to arrange, not yours or mine.

---

Who brought W to the dance? What tune is he dancing too now and who is he dancing with?

I think this little ole Southern Bell is smart. She started working for Conservatives and she finds Jesus and starts sending her cash the other way. If she really was such a God filled woman maybe she would realize that she is not qualified an step down.

Either way, I will reserve judgement until I hear her at the confirmation hearings. If she does not stand up for the thousands of innocent babies murdered every single day in this country then she should be voted down.

Conservative should ready their own gang of 14 together to prepare for a filibuster.

FIRE WITH FIRE

[jeremiah]

You sir, have the ability to express a point of view that a grade school student would cherish.

[griffin]

he does it as outreach.