“Given the fact that the older justices are liberal rather than conservative—and that the oldest, John Paul Stevens, is 88—it’s hard to deny that nominations by John McCain would change the Court far more dramatically than those by Barack Obama. An Obama victory would maintain the current balance of the Court, while a McCain Court could create a solid conservative majority.”
I’m desperately looking for reasons to be optimistic if Obama wins.
And the fact that the Court’s geezers are the liberals, and more likely to be replaced by a President Obama, helps.
There’s always the chance he botches the appointment and puts up a reverse Souter.
The situation is not as bad as it looks. If we can hold Obama to 1 term, he might only get 1 SCOTUS appointment.
We blew the appeals courts, but not much can be done now.