Posted on 07/20/2005 7:33:31 AM PDT by Babu
After pretending to consider various women and minorities for the Supreme Court these past few weeks, President Bush decided to disappoint all the groups he had just ginned up and nominate a white male.
So all we know about him for sure is that he can't dance and he probably doesn't know who Jay-Z is. Other than that, he is a blank slate. Tabula rasa. Big zippo. Nada. Oh, yeah...we also know he's argued cases before the supreme court. big deal; so has Larry fFynt's attorney.
But unfortunately, other than that that, we don’t know much about John Roberts. Stealth nominees have never turned out to be a pleasant surprise for conservatives. Never. Not ever.
Since the announcement, court-watchers have been like the old Kremlinologists from Soviet days looking for clues as to what kind of justice Roberts will be. Will he let us vote?
Does he live in a small, rough-hewn cabin in the woods of New Hampshire and avoid "women folk"?
Does he trust democracy? Or will he make all the important decisions for us and call them “constitutional rights.”
It means absolutely nothing that NARAL and Planned Parenthood attack him: They also attacked Sandra Day O’Connor, Anthony Kennedy and David Hackett Souter.
The only way a supreme court nominee could win the approval of NARAL and Planned Parenthood would be to actually perform an abortion during his confirmation hearing, live, on camera, and preferably a partial birth one.
It means nothing that Roberts wrote briefs arguing for the repeal of Roe v. Wade when he worked for Republican administrations. He was arguing on behalf of his client, the United States of America. Roberts has specifically disassociated himself from those cases, dropping a footnote to a 1994 law review article that said:
“In the interest of full disclosure, the author would like to point out that as Deputy Solicitor General for a portion of the 1992-93 Term, he was involved in many of the cases discussed below. In the interest of even fuller disclosure, he would also like to point out that his views as a commentator on those cases do not necessarily reflect his views as an advocate for his former client, the United States.”
This would have been the legal equivalent, after O.J.'s acquittal, of Johnnie Cochran saying, "hey, I never said the guy was innocent. I was just doing my job."
And it makes no difference that conservatives in the White House are assuring us Roberts can be trusted. We got the exact same assurances from officials working for the last president Bush about David Hackett Souter.
I believe their exact words were, "Read our lips; Souter's a reliable conservative."
From the theater of the absurd category, the Republican National Committee’s “talking points” on Roberts provide this little tidbit:
“In the 1995 case of Barry v. Little, Judge Roberts argued—free of charge—before the D.C. Court of Appeals on behalf of a class of the neediest welfare recipients, challenging a termination of benefits under the District’s Public Assistance Act of 1982.”
I'm glad to hear the man has a steady work record, but how did this make it to the top of his resume?
Bill Clinton goes around bragging that he passed welfare reform, which was, admittedly, the one public policy success of his entire administration (passed by the Republican Congress). But now apparently Republicans want to pretend the Party of welfare queens! Soon the RNC will be boasting that Republicans want to raise your taxes and surrender in the war on terrorism too.
Finally, lets ponder the fact that Roberts has gone through 50 years on this planet without ever saying anything controversial. That’s just unnatural.
By contrast, I held out for three months, tops, before dropping my first rhetorical bombshell, which I think was about Goldwater.
It’s especially unnatural for someone who is smart and there’s no question but that Roberts is smart.
If a smart and accomplished person goes this long without expressing an opinion, they'd better be pursuing the Miss America title.
Apparently, Roberts decided early on that he wanted to be on the Supreme Court and that the way to do that was not to express a personal opinion on anything to anybody ever. It’s as if he is from some space alien sleeper cell. Maybe the space aliens are trying to help us, but I wish we knew that.
If the Senate were in Democrat hands, Roberts would be perfect. But why on earth would Bush waste a nomination on a person who is a complete blank slate when we have a majority in the Senate!
We also have a majority in the House, state legislatures, state governorships, and have won five of the last seven presidential elections — seven of the last ten!
We're the Harlem Globetrotters now - why do we have to play the Washington Generals every week?
Conservatism is sweeping the nation, we have a fully functioning alternative media, we’re ticked off and ready to avenge Robert Bork . . . and Bush nominates a Rorschach blot.
Even as they are losing voters, Democrats don’t hesitate to nominate reliable left-wing lunatics like Ruth Bader Ginsberg to lifetime sinecures on the High Court. And the vast majority of Americans loathe her views.
As I’ve said before, if a majority of Americans agreed with liberals on abortion, gay marriage, pornography, criminals’ rights, and property rights –liberals wouldn’t need the Supreme Court to give them everything they want through invented “constitutional” rights invisible to everyone but People For the American Way. It’s always good to remind voters that Democrats are the party of abortion, sodomy, and atheism and nothing presents an opportunity to do so like a Supreme Court nomination.
During the “filibuster” fracas, one lonely voice in the woods admonished Republicans: “Of your six minutes on TV, use 30 seconds to point out the Democrats are abusing the filibuster and the other 5 1/2 minutes to ask liberals to explain why they think Bush's judicial nominees are ‘extreme.’" Republicans ignored this advice, spent the next several weeks arguing about the history of the filibuster, and lost the fight.
Now we come to find out from last Sunday’s New York Times — the enemy’s own playbook! — that the Democrats actually took polls and determined that they could not defeat Bush’s conservative judicial nominees on ideological grounds. They could win majority support only if they argued turgid procedural points.
That’s why the entire nation had to be bored to death with arguments about the filibuster earlier this year.
The Democrats’ own polls showed voters are no longer fooled by claims that the Democrats are trying to block “judges who would roll back civil rights.” Borking is over.
And Bush responds by nominating a candidate who will allow Democrats to avoid fighting on their weakest ground – substance. He has given us a Supreme Court nomination that will placate no liberals and should please no conservatives.
Maybe Roberts will contravene the sordid history of “stealth nominees” and be the Scalia or Thomas Bush promised us when he was asking for our votes. Or maybe he won’t. The Supreme Court shouldn't be a game of Russian roulette.
You are right - Bork will never be nominated again. What worked against Bork was that he had a serious, gruff demeanor, and that superficially gave credibility to the Dem horror stories about him, made him seem sinister. Also, Bork tried to argue technical legal points with Specter et al, and the public couldn't handle that, it made Bork seem like a too-serious intellectual, the kind that many Americans are afraid of. Roberts, on the other hand, comes across as fairly likeable and his braininess isn't of the schizoid ennea Type 5 variety that spooks people.
This one is a throw-away and a diversion.
the next one will be the one this administration really wants...............
I got $1000 (or any lesser amount if you desire) that says over the first year after he is confirmed, he votes with Thomas and/or Scalia over 90% of the time. Care to take it?
Why not nominate a clearly pro-life candidate and then let the Dems do their filibuster thing now. Do you think they can get away that that tactic twice? I doubt they can survive it once.
Dang! Ann is fired up!
Semper Fi
Annie seems quite likely to be wrong as to Roberts but a lightweight she is not. She graduated Cornell undergrad and University of Michigan Law School, neither a lightweight feat.
Amen, brother. Amen.
Ok, good point. This President's judgment has been sound, and he certainly has earned my trust.
I think Bush wants to get a conservative securely on the Court before he nominates someone who's a bit edgy or outspoken, like Edith Jones or what's-her-name Brown. So I think mild-mannered Roberts is the safest conservative choice, which is why he's the first. The Dems will fight harder against a woman or a minority, especially an outspoken one, because they think they own them.
Quote: Bush has privately interviewed the guy and trusts him.
Yeah I personally voted for Bush and trusted him but got instead lax borders, R/X 550billion for seniors and one of the biggest spenders of all time.
I believe the reasoning on this is that O'Conner was considered more 'mainstream' (note: liberal BS lable), so Bush decided he needed a solid canadate the left would have a hard time trashing. But when Rhenquist seat comes open, Bush can say by appointing a conservative with a long unquestionable history, Bush can make the case he is just maintaining the balance of the court. My thoughts on the strategy anyways, and I think I am correct.
This will be interesting. Ann makes some great points and is entertaining in her unique way. I really hate the fact that we'll have to wait 3-5 years before we find out if we were rewarded or screwed for voting for Bush. By then, we'll have made voting decisions based on the presumption that we did the right thing. If it turns sour, what do you all think we should do?
Nah!.. but I'll duel you for it.. I select the weapons.. and the venue..
A Supreme that can't bring himself to, even, SAY Republic..
IS a RINO.. Rinos will LOVE HIM.. He's one of them..
Count Von Bushula and the Bushbats are RINOS too.. obviously..
Very snide and tacky column.
Sounds like she thought it would be her.
Who is F. Lee Levin?
Is he a Constitutional lawyer like Ann?
CCRKBA site had an appeal for money that stated: gun grabber US Senator Chuck Schumer is the point man for an anti-gun rights attack machine aimed at destroying any chance for a pro Second Amendment nominee to be confirmed to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the US Supreme Court
But with no specific mention of Roberts. However I note that Schumer is very against Roberts, FWIW.
I'm actually more worried that Judge Roberts will be another O'Connor than another Souter. While there's conservatism there, I can't find anything out there in a semi-quick search that tells whether he's a Constitutionalist conservative (in which case, he would likely fit into the Scalia/Thomas mold) or a Populist conservative (think O'Connor/Kennedy).
Is he a Constitutional lawyer like Ann?
That is the nickname Rush calls Mark Levin (Men in Black) by.
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