Posted on 10/17/2005 8:49:05 AM PDT by cogitator
Nice article highlighting Democrat confusion on how to handle the Miers nomination.
Excerpts: "While the turmoil on the right offers Democrats a tantalizing opportunity, party strategists said, it also will confront them with a difficult choice: Confirm a conservative with close ties to President Bush, or oppose her and join ranks with hard-right activists who historically are their archenemies."
and
"Jim Jordan, a former presidential campaign manager for Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), agrees that Democrats will have plenty of reasons to oppose Miers, but he said some worry that Bush might replace her with a more forceful and effective conservative. "Even though she's undoubtedly a mediocrity," he said, "philosophically she's probably the best they [Democrats] can do." . . .
Jordan added: "If the Republicans splinter, as looks likely now, the Democratic caucus will be in the bizarre position of having to decide whether to bail Bush out." The choice will not be easy, he said. "From a purely political standpoint, they'll have to decide whether to add to his humiliation," Jordan said. A Miers rejection, however, would allow Bush "a do-over" that could improve his relations with his conservative base.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I swear, playing three-dimensional Strategery will cause a major headache.
It's a risky game to play, when the Dems might just turn around and confirm her.
It's in the bag unless some significant info comes out of the hearings.
Miers will be confirmed.
Honestly...don't you think the President counted Senatorial noses before he put her forward?
Maybe not accurately. Some of those actually face reelection.
hmmmmm
He has his own resources and those of Frist to count noses.
You'd have to think he'd at least check the confirmability of any nominee among his own party senators.
I would.
And they might not want that to happen, either.
Even if it was accidental, Bush managed to set up a cute lose/lose scenario for the Dems.
So in 3-D strategery, it might not have been accidental but it plausibly could have been accidental. Because it looks accidental, the President looks like he made a mistake when he actually ends up with what he wants, either way.
I think I should stick with checkers.
"D*mmit, Spock, I'm a doctor, not a politician!"
The strategy for now is "to not interrupt the argument that's going on in the Republican camp," said Joel P. Johnson, a lobbyist and former Clinton administration aide with close ties to Democratic senators. "But as we get closer to the hearings, and if this thing moves to a confirmation vote, I think it's going to begin to occur to people that this person who is completely devoted to the president is not very likely to let the president down."That's what I'm counting on. That's why I support Miers.
Of course he did and he also did count the Senatorial votes if he nominates an openly know conservative and the results were that this nominee would have been defeated no matter how much pressure the President would put on the 7 to 10 RINOS in the Senate who would not vote to end the judicial filibuster.
LOL.
"philosophically she's probably the best they [Democrats] can do."
This is the reason many conservatives are upset - we don't want a USSCJ nominee to be the best one possible for the Dems. That's the worst we can do for US.
I get the impression that all but the most frothing, deranged anti-Bush zealots are on board with the Miers selection.
Am I off-base in that assumption?
:(
The Dems all seem pretty happy with her.
You would think from the deadly silence of their side. Of course, our side is having a showdown:
Maybe when he wakes up in the morning and turns on his computer he does strait to that days "Day in the life" thread on FR, and thus thinks that he can do no wrong with his base.
Honestly, RK, if you were the president, wouldn't you do a nose count on any given nominee?
You are way off base, all polls show democrats oppose the Miers nomination 2+ to 1. Check Rasmussen and FOX polls for the latest two. NARAL and NOW are fuming over this choice, but holding their fire because democrat leaders are telling them to. You can expect when push comes to shove, and it appears her nomination is likely, they will bring out the fire power to try to make sure she is not confirmed. They are wanting her to directly state she supports 'women's rights and the right to privacy', which will never happen, and when it doesn't, just watch their campaign against Miers swing into high gear.
As long as Bush does not withdraw the Miers nomination, he has strategically set himself up in a win/win situation. Either Miers gets confirmed or he gets a 'do over'. And after democrats reject someone they put on the list, he is free to nominate a hard core conservative with impunity.
I do not fear the Miers nomination, though she is not my first choice, nor second or third, etc. I personally think Roberts will actually turn out to be to the right of Rehnquist, I think because Miers was so closely involved with the Roberts pick, she will gravitate towards him on the Supreme Court. They will probably be the two most pro-capitalist judges on the Supreme Court, which is a good thing for conservatism.
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