The Miers Support Team: Gloomy and Demoralized [Byron York]

National Review Online ^ | 10-20-2005 | Byron York

[Big Horn]

I have more faith in Bush than I have in the whole dam senate.

[Hound of the Baskervilles]

"I seems that the Miers supporters are taking a break from free republic. I guess they are either fed up, or else the reality is starting to sink in...what do you think? "

I am not embarassed for supporting Miers. Why would I be embarassed? I don't like to trash and kick people who have the courage to step up to the plate. After all, she had great things going for her before this and now she's just being flattened. She deserves support and respect, not ridicule. I still support her and I hope everything works out okay for her no matter what.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

...NRO is actively trying to torpedo Miers.

Not necessary.

The Bush team is doing a fine job of accomplishing that task without any assistance.

[Hound of the Baskervilles]

"Having set up conservatives at so little a price ... the price of a sop ... the President proceeded to nominate his kind of jurist to the bench that counts. Their stealth was (is) not aimed at liberals, but at conservatives. He has no intention of changing the course of the SC. "

What kind of half baked conspiracy theory is this? Where does the part about the Trilateral Commission and the Builderbergers come in?

[Ken H]

She already made a gaffe in her questionnaire, claiming there was some "proportional representation requirement of the Equal Protection Clause."

Do you have a link handy?

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

No one is worth this. Harriet Miers, least of all.

Fixed.

:-)

[NapkinUser]

Did Bush say today that she is in the mold of, not Scalia or Thomas, but Roberts? We know nothing about Roberts on the supreme court, he hasn't been there long enough. Why can't Bush say she is like Scalia or Thomas?

Souter in a skirt alert!

[counterpunch]

Does Congress run afoul of the Equal Protection Clause if Congress passes a law stating that New Yorkers get one representative per 1000 citizens and Texas gets 1 per 1,000,000 citizens?

James Madison would certainly think so.

James Madison didn't write the Voting Rights Act. In fact, I'm pretty sure he wasn't even alive in 1965.

Miers's interpretation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is in complete contradiction to what it actually says, specifically the passage that "nothing in this section establishes a right to have members of a protected class elected in numbers equal to their proportion in the population."

I think you are confusing proportional representation with Article I. Section 2. Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution.

[Dan Evans]

God,things used to be a bit less hate-filled.

It isn't about hate, it's about reason. It's about the Constitution.

[Dan Evans]

Bush one the election, twice, and he knows her heart.

Would be better if he knew her mind.

[meema]

I believe the blogger, the anchoress, is a far-leftie.

[jwalsh07]

Very funny.

Just to be clear, is it your position that she is using the term proportional representation as with Proportional outcome?

You've done well knowing that Madison wasn't alive in 1965, now a bit more reading of Madison and the Federalist Papers will likely make you understand a bit more about the original meaning of proportional representation. Good luck.

[counterpunch]

Do you have a link handy?

Sure do. Senators Assail Miers's Replies, Ask for Details:

Meanwhile, several constitutional law scholars said they were surprised and puzzled by Miers's response to the committee's request for information on cases she has handled dealing with constitutional issues. In describing one matter on the Dallas City Council, Miers referred to "the proportional representation requirement of the Equal Protection Clause" as it relates to the Voting Rights Act.

"There is no proportional representation requirement in the Equal Protection Clause," said Cass R. Sunstein, a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago. He and several other scholars said it appeared that Miers was confusing proportional representation -- which typically deals with ethnic groups having members on elected bodies -- with the one-man, one-vote Supreme Court ruling that requires, for example, legislative districts to have equal populations.

And right here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1506135/posts?page=228#228

[ichabod1]

Even if she's not a conservative, it would help if she had a brain. Or those justices will eat her alive. Never listen to her. Make her get them coffee. They do that. They've been doing that to one of them for years (Kennedy?)

[counterpunch]

You've done well knowing that Madison wasn't alive in 1965, now a bit more reading of Madison and the Federalist Papers will likely make you understand a bit more about the original meaning of proportional representation. Good luck.

Sorry, but this was specifically in reference to her work on the Dallas City Council regarding minority representation.

You made a noble effort defending the indefensible, though.
There's a tall glass of Kool-Aid waiting for you in the bunker.

[Pondman88]

"I believe the blogger, the anchoress, is a far-leftie."

Actually she seems pro Bush to me.

[nonliberal]

Bush's religious cult of personality.

Better have your flame suit on. I said Bush has a cult of personality and I got hammered by the Kool-Aid crowd.

[JWojack]

I didn't say York. I said NRO. I can't recall specifically, but it seems that York had a piece out not long ago that made some really off predictions. Here is mine: Miers will be confirmed by the same # as Roberts, perhaps larger.

WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU SMOKING?!?

If she gets confirmed, it'll be by less than 60 votes, and probably close to 50.

[counterpunch]

This link will bypass registration:
Miers argued for minority representation in Dallas

Or you can read this one:
Miers espoused progressive views as elected official, records show

[Hound of the Baskervilles]

"If she fails to convince GOP Senators that she deserves to be on the SC, she will be voted down, and Bush will appoint someone else, though I don't think he'll be in any big hurry. "

Right. Geesh is this THAT big of a deal? Oh let's all slit our wrists!! The sky is falling! This presidency is over! Lots of Clinton's nominees were withdrawn. See Alamo girls list below:

Attorney General nominee Zoe Baird name was withdrawn
Attorney General nominee Kimba Wood name was withdrawn
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights nominee Lani Guinier was withdrawn
Defense Secretary designate Bobby Ray Inman name withdrawn from nomination
Surgeon General nominee Dr. Henry Foster, Jr not approved

Of course Clinton did not have the added burden of members of his own party trashing him and his nominees with much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

If the conservative pundits would have held their fire and waited for the hearings and just let the GOP and DEM senators vote up or down in a sane and considered way, this whole thing would not have blown up so much. Then if she did not get through...big deal. Find someone else. They should have taken their que from Newt who was on Hannity and Comes last nite. He was not hysterical .He was matter of fact, saying if she's voted down that's the way it goes. Bush can just try again.