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Did Bush promise to appoint a justice like [in the mold of] Scalia? Have we been misled?
Media Matters ^ | October 13, 2005 | - J.F.

Posted on 10/15/2005 3:15:52 PM PDT by Jim Robinson

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To: Jim Robinson

Much has been made of the fact that Miers is virtually unknown to most of us. I contend that the President knows exactly what her views are on virtually every subject of importance to him. And he chose her because of those views.


281 posted on 10/15/2005 7:37:31 PM PDT by SmithL (There are a lot of people that hate Bush more than they hate terrorists)
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To: sinkspur
I thought he said it. I would have claimed that I heard him say it, only now I question that. Regardless, the assumption is still accurate. He said he would appoint only strict constructionists -- NO ACTIVISTS! That he said. He also said Scalia and Thomas were his favorite justices. The only way you could claim he DIDN'T mean he would nominate strict constructionists like Scalia and Thomas is if you prove he did not believe them to be strict constructionists. If you can prove that, then you must also explain why his favorite justices were not strict constructionists.

I just think this is an interesting quest, but ultimately it doesn't matter. He promised justices in the mold of Scalia and Thomas when he promised strict constructionists, especially when you add that he said Scalia and Thomas were his favorite justices.

282 posted on 10/15/2005 7:39:37 PM PDT by The Ghost of FReepers Past (The sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite heart. Ps. 51:17)
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To: The Ghost of FReepers Past
He said he would appoint only strict constructionists -- NO ACTIVISTS!

And, from all we can tell, that is exactly what W has done.

283 posted on 10/15/2005 7:44:12 PM PDT by sinkspur (If you're not willing to give Harriett Miers a hearing, I don't give a damn what you think.)
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To: Jim Robinson; Congressman Billybob
Please refer to an article in The Washington Times, October 16, 2000, by Frank J. Murray, entitled, "Election Could Reshape Court."

The article should be read in its entirety, but the following excerpts give a clue to answers to the question posed here.

"Presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore both predict their election would tip the Supreme Court balance of power on divisive social issues.

"The search for that prize may best define their differences.

The vice president has said, "I will appoint justices to that court who understand, and reflect in their decisions, the philosophy that our Constitution is a living and breathing document . . . intended by our founders to be interpreted in the light of the constantly evolving experience of the American people."

"Mr. Bush has stated, "I'll name people who strictly interpret the Constitution and who do not use the bench from which to legislate.

"I've named four highly competent, very good judges . . . bright legal minds and judges who believed they should interpret the law, not make it," the Texas governor said, referring to the justices he appointed to the state Supreme Court.:

[edit]

SHAPING THE COURT "The extent to which the next president can shape the court depends on which justices leave vacancies.

[edit]

The article continues:

"Both have managed to tiptoe through semantic traps about a "litmus test" on Roe vs. Wade or other hot buttons like affirmative action, gun rights and the constitutional protection of homosexuality.

"When the issue of the Supreme Court came up in the presidential debate Oct. 3, the candidates stuck close to their previous statements on the subject.

"'The voters will know I'll put competent judges on the bench, people who will strictly interpret the Constitution and will not use the bench to write social policy,'" said Mr. Bush.

"Mr. Gore said: 'In my view, the Constitution ought to be interpreted as a document that grows with our country and our history. . . . And I would appoint people who have a philosophy that I think would make it quite likely that they would uphold Roe vs. Wade.'"

In a Section entitled, "AN ELECTION ISSUE," are these telling paragraphs:

". . . a number of liberal interest groups have mounted advertising and public relations campaigns to target Mr. Bush on the court-appointment issue.

"'Our whole way of life is at stake,'" Barbra Streisand said at a $5 million Hollywood fund-raiser. 'I shudder at how a more conservative court can put at risk all we hold dear.'"

[edit]

"Still, on the issue of abortion, both candidates deny harboring a litmus test for judges.

"Mr. Gore says, 'I am confident that without using a single case as a litmus test that there are ways to understand whether or not a potential nominee has an interpretation of the Constitution that is consistent with mine.'"

"Mr. Bush states, 'There will be no litmus test except for whether or not the judges will strictly interpret the Constitution.'"

[edit]

The section entitled, "IN THE MOLD," seems to contain the summary of how that phrase became used in commentaries by pundits in both the print and other media.

It says:

"Bush opponents, such as the advocacy group People for the American Way, have targeted the Texas governor on the grounds he would select judges 'in the mold' of Justice Scalia. Mr. Bush injected Justice Scalia's name while answering a television interviewer's question about which justice he 'really respects.' But Mr. Bush cautioned that Justice Scalia could not be a model.

"'I don't think you're going to find many people to be actually similar to him. He's an unusual man,'" Mr. Bush told Tim Russert on NBC's "Meet the Press." He said his choices would be "compatible from a philosophical perspective."

"The attack began Jan. 21, a day after the Christian Science Monitor paraphrased the television comments this way: 'George W. Bush has said he would seek out justices in the same mold as Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.'"

"That phrase, 'in the same mold,' was quickly picked up by PAW President Ralph Neas in speeches and in the group's "Right Wing Watch."

"'If any of you are considering backing George W. Bush,'" Mr. Neas said on Jan. 21, 'let me urge you to consider the impact of his pledge to appoint three or four new justices in the mold of Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. Freedom of expression, separation of church and state, civil rights, and gay rights - we'd be turning back the clock 40 or 60 years.'"

"Labor unions, columnists and the Gore campaign followed suit.

"'Gore's opponent has indicated his preference for appointments in the mold of Justices Scalia and Thomas,'" Gore campaign spokesman Chris Lehane said.

"In the Oct. 3 presidential debate, Mr. Bush stated: 'I don't believe in liberal, activist judges. I believe in strict constructionists. And those are the kind of judges I will appoint.'"

"Mr. Gore responded: 'When the phrase `strict constructionist' is used, and when the names of Scalia and Thomas are used as benchmarks for who would be appointed, those are code words - and nobody should mistake this - for saying that the [Texas] governor would appoint people who would overturn Roe vs. Wade.'"

"No similar assault on Mr. Gore has resulted from him for espousing the "living Constitution" philosophy of Justice Brennan, whose views strongly upset constitutional conservatives, or for saying his idol among justices is Justice Thurgood Marshall, a civil-rights advocate before his appointment in 1967 and a symbol of that movement until his death.

"Mr. Bush says he opposes "the attempt to label and denigrate certain justices.

"'We've been steadfast in not politicizing the Supreme Court as my opponent and my opponents' supporters have done,' he said."

This Times article seems to have summed up the matter. Inasmuch as it was written in the Year 2000, its legitimacy seems established.

284 posted on 10/15/2005 7:57:21 PM PDT by loveliberty2
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To: RichInOC; Jim Robinson
Jim, I'm amused by the source. I'm not discounting the article, you understand. I'm just amused by where it's coming from.

If that source was amusing, you might find this source also questionable but they seem to both say the same thing:
http://www.amnation.com/vfr/archives/003657.html

Bush's past promises on Supreme Court nominees

Now that our president is openly talking about nominating to the Supreme Court his friend Alberto Gonzales, whom no one but no one considers to be a Scalia-like opponent of the "living Constitution," it's worth remembering what Mr. Bush has said about this subject in the past. This is from an Alan Keyes action alert:

During the 2000 presidential campaign, Gov. George W. Bush repeated a number of times that, if elected and if a Supreme Court slot opened up, he would nominate a judge that held the same judicial philosophy as Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia.

On "Meet the Press" in 1999, the future President Bush said that the justices he most admired were Scalia and Thomas. Bush referred to Scalia during one of the nationally-televised debates as his favorite Supreme Court judge, and the kind he would nominate during his presidential tenure.

During a campaign speech, candidate Bush was very clear on the type of judge he would nominate if given the chance: "I'm going to name strict constructionists." Speaking with reporters after the speech, Bush defined a strict constructionist as a judge who "doesn't use the opportunity of the Constitution to pass legislation or legislate from the bench."

"That's going to be a big difference between my opponent and me," he said in a debate against Gore. "I don't believe in liberal, activist judges."

Once elected, President Bush didn't get a chance to fulfill his campaign promise during his first term. But in his second nomination acceptance speech at the Republican national convention, he clearly stated, "I will continue to appoint federal judges who know the difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law."

While no one knows what will happen, one thing is clearly established by the above quotes. Whether or not Bush actually nominates Gonzales to the Court, by letting it be known that he feels free to do so, Bush has already made a lie out of his repeated pledge to choose a judge who believes in interpreting the Constitution rather than in re-writing it according to his own preferences.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at July 06, 2005 04:47 PM | Comment | Send

285 posted on 10/15/2005 8:07:16 PM PDT by evad ( PC KILLS-)
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To: loveliberty2

Thanks for the info.


286 posted on 10/15/2005 8:15:41 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
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To: DoughtyOne

Nope. If I want to be the one to select nominees for the Supreme Court, I'll run for President. Until then, I'm going to allow the President to do HIS job and wait to see if the Senate will do their job. As a nominee, she deserves to have a shot at confirmation hearings.


287 posted on 10/15/2005 8:34:17 PM PDT by jess35
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To: EternalHope

We're conservatives. We don't surrender. We fight. We lead. We persuade. We overcome adversity. We twist arms and kick butt when necessary.

And I trust the president. I also trust the lessons learned through experience. Trust, but verify.

Fight on!


288 posted on 10/15/2005 9:23:42 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
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To: Rokke
I stand corrected. al-Gore (and the still duller Kerry four years later) accused Bush of trying to appoint justices like Scalia and Thomas, both much loathed (by the pro-death movement) for their vociferous opposed to the pro-death agenda and uncompromising pro-life stance.

AL-GORE: "And Governor Bush has declared to the anti-choice [or, more accurately, pro-death] group that he will appoint justices in the mold of Scalia and Clarence Thomas, who are known for being the most vigorous opponents of a woman's [so-called] right to choose [to commit feticide with impunity, and consequently advocates of the right of innocent babies to live]." (I added the bracketed information for clarity and context.)

Now, we all know that al-Gore never told a lie, subject of course to the typical proviso of the Standard of Truth, by which "it all depends on what the definition of the word 'is' is"--we should interpret "is" so broadly as possibly to mean "is not."

Senators get paid as professional athletes. Their sport is filibustering--giving extremely long-winded, extraordinarily pointless, sleep-inducing speeches intended to put their colleagues (and any insomniac Americans tuning to C-SPAN to cure their troubles) to utter boredom. It's a complex sport with draconian rules intended to impede and obstruct the President and a bizarre scoring system.
289 posted on 10/15/2005 9:42:01 PM PDT by dufekin (US Senate: the only place where the majority [44 D] comprises fewer than the minority [55 R])
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To: dufekin

Ha. Great post. Thanks for the laugh.


290 posted on 10/15/2005 9:54:15 PM PDT by Rokke
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To: The Ghost of FReepers Past
The Presidents who appointed Souter, Kennedy, O'Connor, and Earl Warren for that matter, did NOT KNOW those Justices personally when appointing them. In each case, the President relied on the advice of others who claimed these were good appointments.

The purpose of the hearings is for us, and the press, and those few Senators who have open minds, to learn more about this nominee. There is no need for the President to learn more about the nominee, as there desparately was in the examples you cite.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column: "Racially-Based, Academic Nonsense"

291 posted on 10/15/2005 10:18:19 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob (Quoted by Rush, again, this Thursday. Hoohah.)
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To: Paladin2
Here we are at post 213, and finally someone, namely you, says something to advance the discussion. Yes, the really important appointments will be Bush's third and fourth ones to the Supreme Court.

Roberts replacing Rehnquist and Miers replacing O'Connor will not change the philosophy and direction of the Court. But replacing Ginsburg or Stevens WILL make a radical change in the direction of the Court.

That's why you are correct. Those battles, yet to come, are the battles to the death.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column: "Racially-Based, Academic Nonsense"

292 posted on 10/15/2005 10:37:26 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob (Quoted by Rush, again, this Thursday. Hoohah.)
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To: The Ghost of FReepers Past; Jim Robinson; All
Much of the debate on this thread is irrelevant. For instance, did Captain Kirk ever on *Star Trek" say "Beam me up, Scottie"? No, he never said those precise words. However, he clearly expressed that concept a few hundred times.

There is no question that Bush promised to appoint Justices who will enforce the law, rather than rewrite the law. There is no question that Scalia and Thomas are that kind of Justice. That is clear about Thomas now, but was NOT clear publicly when he was appointed.

It is clear that Roberts is that kind of Justice, based not on his statements at the hearing, but on his prior cases. As for Miers, I say wait for the hearings. Nothing useful can be accomplished prior to that time.

John / Billybob

293 posted on 10/15/2005 10:55:07 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob (Quoted by Rush, again, this Thursday. Hoohah.)
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To: Congressman Billybob
Yes, the really important appointments will be Bush's third and fourth ones to the Supreme Court.

President Bush has been betrayed by alot of so-called conservatives. He must feel alot like Moses right now.

294 posted on 10/15/2005 10:58:53 PM PDT by af_vet_1981
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To: Paladin2
If you do not think that Roberts is a "strict constructionist," you have NOT been paying attention. Come up to speed and quit making off-the-wall statements.

John / Billybob
295 posted on 10/15/2005 11:02:08 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob (Quoted by Rush, again, this Thursday. Hoohah.)
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To: Congressman Billybob

Well, I was just trying to find out if the "in the mold of Scalia" quote attributed to George W. Bush was accurate. Apparently, it's not. Next thing you know they'll be telling us George Washington didn't actually say, "I cannot lie. I did chop down that cherry tree." Politics is soooo ugly.


296 posted on 10/15/2005 11:03:23 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
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To: Jim Robinson
Evening, my friend,

Actually, the best information about George Washington's childhood is that the cherry tree story is apocryphal. However, there is no question that he was a man of towering integrity. Myths develop because they fit the facts.

John / Billybob
297 posted on 10/15/2005 11:10:12 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob (Quoted by Rush, again, this Thursday. Hoohah.)
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To: AmishDude

So according to you, all math majors are smarter than all history majors.

Wow.


298 posted on 10/15/2005 11:31:14 PM PDT by Politicalmom (Must I use a sarcasm tag?)
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To: Jim Robinson

I like to research and I've been checking the internet for this quote. I found the following excerpt from around the Oct-Nov 2000 timeframe:

"According to Newsweek, Bush has pledged to nominate candidates "in the mold of Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, the court’s most ardent conservatives" to the Supreme Court."
- http://www.uaw.org/solidarity/00/1100/feature03.html

The Newsweek article in question was written by Anna Quindlen in the November 7 2000 election issue. I haven't been able to find a copy online to confirm this but articles like the one above refer to it. Maybe this is where the actual quote came from??

I also found:

"It seems that Flesicher is trying to lay the groundwork for someone to be nominated who is not as conservative as Scalia or Thomas. But many stories from the campaign period are quite clear about what Bush said. As noted by the Associated Press, "Throughout the year, Bush tried to frame the issue in terms of philosophy, saying his ideal nominees would base their judgments strictly on the words of the Constitution. Pressed to name a justice who fits that mold, Bush pointed to Scalia and Thomas."
http://www.aim.org/publications/media_monitor/2003/07/15.html

"WASHINGTON (Los Angeles Times) --The two major presidential candidates are giving the voters a sharp, clear choice on the future of the Supreme Court. Texas Gov. George W. Bush says he would choose new justices in the mold of Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. The court's two most conservative justices, they want to repeal a woman's right to abortion. "
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/10/02/latimes.scotus/

"We really expect that the president will keep his promise, which he made repeatedly in both campaigns, that he would put forth nominees in the profile of Thomas and Scalia," says Jan LaRue, chief counsel of Concerned Women for America, a conservative group.
http://www.usatoday.com/educate/college/polisci/articles/20050710.htm

"During the 2000 campaign, as was his right, Mr. Bush made judicial selection a political issue, saying he intended to appoint as judges people in the mold of Justice Scalia, one of the conservative ideologues on the Supreme Court."
http://www.lawandeverythingelse.com/id62.htm

From this year:

" Ken Mehlman, the newly elected chairman of the Re­pub­lican National Commit­tee, knew just what his Religi­ous Right audience wanted to hear. Standing in a packed ballroom at Washington’s glitzy Ritz-Carlton Hotel Jan. 19, the former chief of President George W. Bush’s re-election campaign told a collection of far-right religious activists that changes are coming – starting at the top with the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Promises made will be promises kept,” Mehlman said. As the Los Angeles Times reported, he went on to call the appointment of judges a president’s “most sacred duty.”

Concluded Mehlman, “We’re going to have more Scalias and Thomases.”

...

During the 2000 campaign, Bush was asked what sort of justices he would appoint to the Su­preme Court. He cited Scalia and Thomas. Sev­eral of his lower court appointments – Michael Mc­Connell and William Pryor come to mind – have been in this mold.
http://www.au.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=7249&abbr=cs_



299 posted on 10/15/2005 11:46:06 PM PDT by plushaye (President Bush: W-2-4-4!! God Bless him and his administration.)
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To: plushaye

Always someone saying he said "in the mold of Scalia," but where and when did he actually say it?


300 posted on 10/15/2005 11:54:01 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
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