Judges Are No Reason to Vote for McCain

The Wall Street Journal ^ | 2008-07-17 | Bob Barr

[Dead Corpse]

I don't care who wins at this point. After reading that article about Barr's falling in with the Global Warming nutcases...

Screw 'em all. I'll vote for the real conservatives in my local races, and write in Hunter for POTUS.

"Cry havok, and let slip the dogs of war."

If this idiotic, excretory, socialist, cluster-f*ck is the best we can do for a Presidential election cycle... we deserve the coming Civil War.

[traviskicks]

He has never paid much attention to judicial philosophy, backing both Clinton Supreme Court nominees – Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He also participated in the so-called "Gang of 14," which favored centrist over conservative nominees as part of a compromise between President George W. Bush and Senate Democrats.

Libertarian ping! To be added or removed freepmail me or post a message here.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Reagan sort of goofed with O’Connor. It was a nice story though. First female SCOTUS Justice.

The point is well taken.

Picking Supreme Court Justices is sort of like the NFL draft.

For every Joe Montana taken in the 2nd round, there is a Ryan Leaf taken with the 2nd pick in the first round. You never know.

Although, you have to hand it to GW. Roberts and Alito look like keepers.

[dcwusmc]

I guess your comment means you have no principles that you espouse? That’s the main difference between a liberal/opportunist and a conservative: We HAVE PRINCIPLES which we will NOT allow to be violated with impunity. You opportunists apparently have NOTHING you’re willing to stand firm for. And, remember the old saying, he who stands for nothing will fall for anything. As you seem to have fallen for McLame.

[dcwusmc]

And you’re SMART for wanting McLame? Your kind give morons a bad name.

[Darren McCarty]

I like Bob Barr, but he's damn wrong here. First off, the importance of the court is shown by its 5-4 decision in the DC v Heller case.

Nor is it obvious that Barack Obama would attempt to pack the court with left-wing ideologues. He shocked some of his supporters by endorsing the ruling that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to own firearms, and criticizing the recent decision overturning the death penalty for a child rapist.

Bob, look at Obama's voting record. He voted against John Roberts and Alito. Obama also considered the DC gun ban constitutional and refused to sign the amicus brief.

McCain MIGHT appoint centrists. He MIGHT appoint conservatives. If nothing else, he DID vote for Roberts and Alito. He DID sign the amicus brief supporting DC v Heller - even though BUSH went with a 3rd option. He voted for Bork as well, even though I'm glad he wasn't confirmed (although Doug Gingberg, the 2nd choice was much better than Kennedy AND Bork).

We will likely have a democrat senate majority. That means there is no real check on Obama's picks. There is on McCain's, but Obama's will be far worse.

McCain wasn't my first, or my last choice for president among republicans. Obama is my last choice among all candidates. We are one justice away from gaining a solid conservative majority or losing everything with our 4-4-1 lineup.

McCain isn't Tom Coburn, but he isn't Barack Osama either.

[Darren McCarty]

1. The most likely retirees are liberal, and there is no way Leahy, Kennedy, etc., would allow a conservative McCain nominee to replace a liberal. And, Obama would make no difference in the court replacing a liberal.

That's an assumption. Kennedy and Scalia are also in their 70's. Considering the number of politicians re-elected, if Obama wins two terms, they will be pushing 80 if they are still on the court in 2016. Also, Obama will replace the leftists with clones 20-30 years younger. If we get a buffer, when a leftist is elected, we might not lose the entire court for 40 years like we did with the Warren and Burger courts.

2. Kennedy and Leahy will not allow committee approval of any true conservative. McCain would have to sit down with Ted and Pat and agree upon someone in advance. And, we all know how great McCain is at reaching across the aisle. And they won’t agree on the conservative opposite of Ginsburg and Breyer. They won’t roll over on SCOTUS nominees as the Republicans did during the Clinton years.

Those same senators will let a clown like Erwin Chermerensky sail through. I'll take a Kennedy clone over Cermerensky, Stephen Reinhardt, or another Breyer.

3. Who believes McCain when he says he’d appoint conservatives in the first place?

I'll take a MIGHT appoint a conservative and voted for conservatives over someone who VOTED AGAINST conservatives like Roberts and Alito.

[fatima]

Look to who he picks as a Vice President.

[Darren McCarty]

Sources affirm McCain dissed Alito

When the going got tough, McCain voted FOR Alito.

[Darren McCarty]

Point blank: You are not a conservative if you are voting McCain. Deal with it

I'm voting for McCain. So I'm not a "conservative". Big deal then. Screw the labels.

[donna]

The point is who will McCain pick when he is President. He doesn’t like Alito - too conservative.

[Darren McCarty]

The point is who will McCain pick when he is President. He doesn’t like Alito - too conservative.

That is 2008 article originally from Bob Novak or John Fund based on the word of John Fund's recollection of a conversation years prior when Alito was nominated. McCain denied making that comment. He said, he said. That's not enough to take to a jury when the other evidence is weighed - the voting record.

[supercat]

That is 2008 article originally from Bob Novak or John Fund based on the word of John Fund's recollection of a conversation years prior when Alito was nominated. McCain denied making that comment. He said, he said. That's not enough to take to a jury when the other evidence is weighed - the voting record.

What is McCain's record in clinch situations? How he votes when it makes a difference is far more important than how he votes when it doesn't.

Which would you rather have--someone who voted conservatively except on issues that were within two votes of passage, when he voted with leftists, or someone who votes with leftists except on issues that are within two votes, when he'll vote conservatively?

[donna]

I already posted that, didn’t you notice? It’s dated Jan. 2008.

“Sen. John McCain has denied a report that he privately suggested Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was too conservative, but columnist Robert Novak writes today that multiple sources confirm the presidential candidate made negative comments about Alito nine months ago.”

Who to believe, McCain or Novak: NOVAK!

[Darren McCarty]

I have to check a lot of the roll calls on other issues. I think Alito was 58-42 or around that. Clarence Thomas was 52-48. That was within three votes, and 11 dems voted for it (with 2 republicans against it - Jeffords and Packwood). If McCain caved there, I think fellow Arizona senator DeConcini (D) and at least one other probably wouldn't have gone along with Thomas.

McCain isn't perfect. Some things he drives me up the wall on, like Global Warming. On other things he's great, like pork spending. On judges, he's not Santorum, but not bad either.

[Redleg Duke]

If you were to accuse me of being a liberal to my face, you would be in your dentist chair right now.

You are so puffed up with your own self-purity and importance. You have no concept of reality.

[Tribune7]

Judges are not important! / s

Bob Barr is a sell-out.

[bert]

Bobbarr is but a pretender.

His gambit is a resume enhancer.

[newfreep]

It is common courtesy once a president’s picks have been cleared to let the president have the nominee.

Tell that to Robert Bork

[Williams]

Oce again the issue of who is confirmed is a red herring. Obama won’t nominate a single Bork, Roberts, Alito, Scalia, etc. He will nominate ad get confirmed, multiple Ruth Bader Ginzbergs. If that tells you not to support McCain because of the judges issue, go in peace.