Posted on 03/08/2008 11:01:28 AM PST by vietvet67
Justice John Paul Stevens turns 88 in April, and by January 2009 five other justices will be from 69 to 75 years old. If Barack Obama is elected president, he will probably--with the benefit of resignations by liberal justices eager for him to be the president who chooses their successors--have the opportunity to appoint two or three Supreme Court justices in his first term, with another two or three in a potential second term. That prospect ought to focus the attention of all Americans who want a Supreme Court that practices judicial restraint and respects the proper realm of representative government. For Obama, if elected, would certainly aim to fill the Supreme Court--and the lower federal courts--with liberal judicial activists.
Although Obama has served in the Senate for barely three years, he has already established a record on judicial nominations and constitutional law that comports with his 2007 ranking by the National Journal as the most liberal of all 100 senators. Obama voted against the confirmations of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, and he even joined in the effort to filibuster the Alito nomination. In explaining his vote against Roberts, Obama opined that deciding the "truly difficult" cases requires resort to "one's deepest values, one's core concerns, one's broader perspectives on how the world works, and the depth and breadth of one's empathy." In short, "the critical ingredient is supplied by what is in the judge's heart." No clearer prescription for lawless judicial activism is possible.
(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...
The courts will look like “chocolate courts” perhaps
This is really scary. Reason enough to vote for McCain. With him, at least we have a chance at getting good judges. We’ll have no such luck with Jug Ears.
But didn’t you hear, no difference between Obama and McCain. At least that’s what “True Conservatives” tell us.
We can not let Hillary or Obama win. The liberals are at the end of the line on the Supreme Court. We can put a stake in the heart of a liberal Supreme Court for another twenty years, or we can let them reload the court with a bunch of young far-left liberals.
Reason enough to vote for McCain. With him, at least we have a chance at getting good tolerably sane judges.
Good?
I wouldn't take it that far....
I agree with you and made such a comment here a week ago.
Caught some heat for it, but for the reason of SCOTUS alone, I can hold my nose and vote for the ancient Nasal Radiator.
With free cold duck for all.
“This is really scary.” Yes.
“Reason enough to vote for McCain.” Yes.
If Obamie the Commie is elected, the SCOTUS will entrench social Marxism to the point that it will not be possible for the nation to recover. That, and national defense, are the reasons McCain has to be elected.
Ha, ha, what makes you think that? McCain is too old to run for a second term, so he will do whatever he pleases in his only term of office. You do remember that it was a Republican prez who gave us Souter, right? I don’t trust McCain as far as I can throw him.
I think we’re tooled no matter which one of the 3 candidates wins. They’re all liberal clowns.
McCain has already said he’d never appoint an Alito, because he ...”wears his conservativism on his sleeve”...who would McCain appoint...probably another Souter.
Who would Barry appoint...probably another Souter.
The only big screwup I see is Souter. Otherwise, the GOP has always given us better judges than the Dems, at least in my lifetime. I didn't say perfect judges (is there such a thing?) just better judges.
This is the ONE Big reason that I will vote for McCain.
Practice these:
Justice Boxer
Justice Feinstein
Justice Sheila Jackson Lee
Justice Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Justice Rangel
“But officer, no need to search the house. We turned in all our firearms last week.”
Recent justices and who appointed them:
(deceased) Rehnquist - Nixon (R) [Reagan appointed him Chief Justice)
(retired) O’Connor - Reagan (R)
Stevens - Ford (R)
Scalia - Reagan(R)
Kennedy - Reagan (R)
Souter - Bush I (R)
Thomas - Bush I (R)
Breyer - Clinton (D)
Ginsberg - Clinton (D)
Roberts - Bush II(R)
Alito - Bush II (R)
It would appear that anyone would have a difficult time blaming the ills of the SC on the Dems, considering only 2 of the current nine and previous two were appointed by Republicans.
http://www.usscplus.com/info/justices.htm
Another good reason to vote for anyone but “O”
Reagan screwed up with O’Connor and Kennedy.
The only big screwup I see is Souter. Otherwise, the GOP has always given us better judges than the Dems, at least in my lifetime. I didn't say perfect judges (is there such a thing?) just better judges.
Well you did qualify this by saying "in my lifetime" so...., but the R's have done just as pitiful a job over the last several decades as the dems.
Eisenhower (R) gave us Earl Warren, easily one or the two or three worst justices ever; Brennan and Stewart, leftist lunatics both.
Nixon (R): Blackman and Powell who gave us abortion, along with another Nixon appointee Berger (and the aforementioned Brennan and Stewart)---yes, Eisenhower and Nixon appointed 5 of the 7 justices that gave us Roe v Wade.
Ford (R) gave us the left winger Stephens.
Reagan (R) gave us Sandra Day O' Left-Wing and Anthony Kennedy who is no conservative.
Bush the Elder (R) gave us Souter the Puke.
Based on history, no need to vote for a R just to give us better justices because it doesn't happen. I'd pick Kennedy's Byron White over any of the "republican" justices during the last 50 years.
That scare tactic has been used with presidential elections for years.
It's ridiculous to call this analysis a "scare tactic". This is how rational people compare candidates, weigh the likely outcomes, and then decide how to place a vote to ensure as close an outcome as possible to their preferences.
McCain voted yes on Priscilla Owen, William Pryor, Janice Brown, etc for Circuit Judges and voted yes for Roberts and Alito for SCOTUS. Clinton and Obama voted NO on all of them.
It's absolutely clear that McCain and Obama/Clinton have radically different preferences regarding judges and judicial nominations is an area of immense power for a President with long-term and far-reaching political consequences.
.
The “True Conservatives” who say that are what Lenin called “useful idiots.”
Not really.
<p<
Reagan also supported Amnesty, the Brady Bill and raised taxes.
McCain is younger than more than half the Court but he’s “too old to serve” because he’s not a Democrat. LOL!
Granted, there’s no guarantee McCain or any other Republican will appoint conservative judges, but we have no chance of getting an even moderate judge with either Marxist on the other side. SCOTUS is reason alone to hold your nose and vote McCain.
It was that same Republican president who gave us Clarence Thomas too. A .500 batting average on judges is better than the .000 we got from Clinton.
I said there’s a chance with McCain. With Obama, we would get nothing.
I agree with your “tolerably sane” comment. Thank you for improving my thoughts on this.
thanks, bfl
I have a lot of reasons to distrust McCain, but these aren't among them. Most Republican senators did vote for that looney old leftist Ginsberg, because that was back in the days when they thought the President had the right to choose Supreme Court justices. And a number of Republicans supported Miers and it may just have been one of the very few times McCain decided to support Pres. Bush.
For the most part, yes I like them (in order: Thomas, Scalia, Alito and Roberts), but White easily outpaces all four of them. Don’t be fooled, all five of the justices would be considered wildly liberal and part of the lunatic left by the founding fathers.
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