The right attacks - "activist judges."
May 27th 2009 06:01
Just what is an "activist judge" anyway? Is it just an arbitrary phrase thrown out to the public forum? Perhaps the term might be applied to judges and courts who overturn the 'will of the people?" If that's the test, the most activist judges on the Supreme Court are Scalia, Thomas, and Kennedy - each of them have voted more than 50 percent of the time to overturn laws either passed by Congress or voted in by the people, when such cases have been brought before them. No so-called "liberal" judge on the court hits that mark.
And which judges, if one were to guess, have been more likely to vote in favor of corporate interests and big money elites? Now we look to the first of hopefully many Supreme Court nominees to come out of the Obama years and he, by all but the most partisan observers, has made an excellent choice. Of course, the hard right will mobilize for a battle, and they will say they want nominees who aren't "activist judges."
As it turns out, every time a non-hard right judge gets nominated, the right cries about "activist judges." In truth, they mean any judge that doesn't follow their narrow ideology. Sonia Sotomayor is an extremely qualified candidate, and is in fact more a centrist than a lefty. Still, look for the right to attack and attack again. What, you expected something else? They have shifted the definition of center so far to the right that anyone but a staunch rightie will do for them.
Once the dust settles a few Republicans in the Senate will likely vote for her. Most probably won't. All of them might find themselves between the proverbial rock and hard place. If they fight too hard they will further expose their party as obstructionist and wandering. They will drive one more nail into the conservative coffin as it were.
If they don't fight, the nutcase base, fired up already by Hannity and Limbaugh and Parshall and Levin and Savage and Robertson and Huckabee (look for Palin to chime in too) will be extremely miffed. The far right sees the world through some very, very, narrow prisms and anything outside of their view is immediately suspect. Senators with a R by their names will have to struggle with which side of that fence they want to come down on. If they do anger their base, they may find themselves in the same boat as Arlen Specter.
What the upcoming fight may prove to people who haven't figured it out already that the conservative movement in America over the past four decades or so has done nothing good for America. The leadership might be even more exposed as advocates for corporate elitism and religious self-righteousness.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor will prove to be an excellent addition to the Supreme Court. And with some luck and good fortune, Scalia and Thomas will follow David Souter into a life away from the courts.
And which judges, if one were to guess, have been more likely to vote in favor of corporate interests and big money elites? Now we look to the first of hopefully many Supreme Court nominees to come out of the Obama years and he, by all but the most partisan observers, has made an excellent choice. Of course, the hard right will mobilize for a battle, and they will say they want nominees who aren't "activist judges."
As it turns out, every time a non-hard right judge gets nominated, the right cries about "activist judges." In truth, they mean any judge that doesn't follow their narrow ideology. Sonia Sotomayor is an extremely qualified candidate, and is in fact more a centrist than a lefty. Still, look for the right to attack and attack again. What, you expected something else? They have shifted the definition of center so far to the right that anyone but a staunch rightie will do for them.
Once the dust settles a few Republicans in the Senate will likely vote for her. Most probably won't. All of them might find themselves between the proverbial rock and hard place. If they fight too hard they will further expose their party as obstructionist and wandering. They will drive one more nail into the conservative coffin as it were.
If they don't fight, the nutcase base, fired up already by Hannity and Limbaugh and Parshall and Levin and Savage and Robertson and Huckabee (look for Palin to chime in too) will be extremely miffed. The far right sees the world through some very, very, narrow prisms and anything outside of their view is immediately suspect. Senators with a R by their names will have to struggle with which side of that fence they want to come down on. If they do anger their base, they may find themselves in the same boat as Arlen Specter.
What the upcoming fight may prove to people who haven't figured it out already that the conservative movement in America over the past four decades or so has done nothing good for America. The leadership might be even more exposed as advocates for corporate elitism and religious self-righteousness.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor will prove to be an excellent addition to the Supreme Court. And with some luck and good fortune, Scalia and Thomas will follow David Souter into a life away from the courts.
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