How Democrats lost the political battle

www.signonsandiego.com ^ | 2/1/06 | Steven Lubet

[AZRepublican]

With the confirmation of Associate Justice Samuel Alito, the Bush administration has managed to win both the battle and the war over the future of the Supreme Court.

Under the leadership of new Chief Justice John Roberts, the court almost certainly will take a sharp turn to the right on issues such as women's rights, environmental protection, gun control, separation of church and state, presidential power and the relationship between the federal government and the states. It is no exaggeration to say that 10 years from now Americans may be living in a society with less privacy, less autonomy, less democracy (at least at the federal level) and less respect for science.

It did not have to be that way. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats consistently misplayed, overplayed and underplayed their strengths, until they virtually assured their own defeat.

[jamaksin]

" ... Don't take the elections for granted. ...

Exactly - very well said. Thank you.

[hsalaw]

It is no exaggeration to say that 10 years from now Americans may be living in a society with less privacy, less autonomy, less democracy (at least at the federal level) and less respect for science.

I think he forgot to take his medication.

[floozy22]

It is no exaggeration to say that 10 years from now Americans may be living in a society with less privacy, less autonomy, less democracy (at least at the federal level) and less respect for science.

Wow. This guy is really smart to know what our life will be like in 10 years.

And that brought us Alito, a nominee who, though modest and affable, is a literal avatar of right-wing jurisprudence.

OK. Let's just give up now and say that a supreme court justice who believes in a strict interpretation of the consititution really doesn't believe in individual liberty, and the Founding Fathers were a bunch of freedom-hating right-wingers.

[NathanR]

It is no exaggeration to say that 10 years from now Americans may be living in a society with less privacy, less autonomy, less democracy (at least at the federal level) and less respect for science.

Overwrought much? Let me parse this sentence, as much as I can.

less privacy Abortion has been misconstrued as a privacy issue. It is not. It is a medical ethics issue, which the state can regulate like any drug or other medical procedure.

less autonomy Not sure about that one, possibly "right to die", if so see abortion.

less democracy Since the "Warren Court" of the 50's, the Supreme Court has become more and more something which it was never meant to be, an oligarchy. Alito will bring more democracy, not less. The "Alito Court" will likely force issues like abortion into the legislature, not the courts.

less respect for science Maybe. However, the left's hatred of science is probably greater than the religious right's hatred of The Theory of Evolution, which is only one theory. The left's rejection of the idea of "Truth" itself is much worse.

[blue_nova]

OK some translation required from PC to English:
'privacy' = abortion
'less autonomy' = activist judges
'less democracy' (at least at the federal level) =
fewer federal mandates
'respect for science' = stem cell/human cloning

[NathanR]

"Less Privacy" is a codeword for "Less Abortion".

[buckeye27]

"And that brought us Alito, a nominee who, though modest and affable, is a literal avatar of right-wing jurisprudence."

Imagine that. A Republican president elected because of his Republican ideals would seek to place a Republican minded judicial candidate. Those revelations are earth shattering. Perhaps we should convene scientific studies at our universities to study the phenomenon. I can't help but think that perhaps President Bush had an agenda in his pick. The arrogance.

[george wythe]

Thank you for posting this article. It's full of liberal regrets of 'what could have been.'

For instance:

Almost miraculously, the nomination of Harriet Miers presented the Democrats with one last chance to keep a centrist on the Supreme Court. [...]

Miers' fate was sealed when it became clear that neither Patrick Leahy nor Charles Schumer would vote for her in the Judiciary Committee, thus ending the possibility of a bipartisan defense against the fundamentalist barrage.

I thank Schumer and Leahy for doing the dirty work and ditching Miers. Alito is a godsend.

[oblomov]

When liberals say "democracy", they mean "taking money from some people and giving it to others". So I certainly hope for less "democracy".

[Bigh4u2]

"Under the leadership of new Chief Justice John Roberts, the court almost certainly will take a sharp turn to the right "

I could never understand how upholding the Constitution is a 'sharp turn to the right'.

Unless, of course, they mean upholding the Constitution is the 'RIGHT' thing to do?

Ya think that's what they mean?

Nahhhh!

[Eva]

It is no exaggeration to say that 10 years from now Americans may be living in a society with less privacy, less autonomy, less democracy (at least at the federal level) and less respect for science.

[PotentialCore]

Bush's nominations increasingly came from the far right, and the filibuster was the only way to defeat the most extreme among them.

Definition --
"far right" - less radical than Cindy Sh--han