A gentle reminder: Although Reagan gave us Scalia and Rehnquist, he also gave us O’Connor and Kennedy. G H W Bush gave us Souter, but he also gave us Thomas. G W Bush gave us Roberts, but he also gave us Alito. All three presidents were 50/50 on their decisions. Perhaps some have forgotten how much hatred was directed at GWB’s candidates. But I think some might recall that only a blank slate such as Roberts stood a chance of getting through the entire process.
Not if you push it. President Trump and Justice Kavanaugh showed that.
One of President Reagan’s biggest failures was failing to push back HARD on the Bork nomination. Had they done that, we might never have had Anthony Kennedy.
That’s another useful aspect of President Trump’s list. If you don’t put the nominee (whoever he or she is) through, we can just pick someone else from teh list they might like even less.
(As long as it’s not Hardiman.)
Great reminder. It is so frustrating our picks are rather 50/50. The left seems to get 100/0. Practically. There is the occasional surprising vote.