Professor -- please stop calling them "conservative democrats". They are anti-Democrats, pseudo-Democrats, fake-Democrats, Republicans-in-drag, ... not conservatives. There is nothing true to the spirit of the current Democratic Party that they are conserving.
Even the thought that Manchin or Sinema would have veto power over a Supreme Court nominee and thus diminish the role of the President makes me want to throw up.
Frankly that breaks with the division of powers in the Constitution. It is the President’s choice and the Senates consent. If either of those senators grandstands their way into the pre-approval process then it is time to cut them down to size. If Biden doesn’t put them into their place on HIS Supreme Court nominee then no one will have any respect for him. As I say the thought that a junior first term senator can veto a Supreme Court nominee is just too much to stomach.
After Antonin Scalia's death, President Obama made the decision to nominate someone as inoffensive as possible, in the hope that McConnell and his right wing bloc would confirm him. That didn't work, obviously. I wondered whether a Black woman at that time would have been more successful, since refusing to confirm her would have been seen as overtly racist.
Since Biden promised to nominate a Black woman, and there are several who are infinitely more qualified than the White males currently on the Court, he should go for it. I want to see someone who can understand what the lives of ordinary people are like, and doesn't sit in the ivory tower looking down imperiously at the unwashed masses below. (This is my impression of John Roberts.)
Someone who is not a corporate whore. None of the current justices fully comprehend that corporations are not people, and are not entitled to deference. They are chartered at the state level and should be closely scrutinized. Cases like Buckley v Valeo and following were wrongly decided because they are based on the false impression that the 14th Amendment applied to corporations. This mistake needs to be rectified!!! https://www.oyez.org/cases/1850-1900/118us394
Having read through most of the comments, I am increasingly despairing of a balanced Supreme Court. The GOPerves are going to do everything in their power to knock any Biden choice into the trash can. I find myself wondering how/why American voters have allowed them to have the kind of power they seemingly wield. At the same time, I wonder what we can realistically do about this horrible minority rule we now have to deal with. They have truly perverted our government and laid waste our Constitution!!
What matters is the extent the nominee will defend democracy! Thomas is black and he couldn’t care less about saving our democracy. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter if the identity politics cards played are white male Christian (e.g., Trumpism) or gender, race and sexual orientation (e.g., Democrats)—identity politics can and have been used to observe our focus on policy and law that furthers democracy. Let’s focus on creating the policies and laws that benefit the average United State’s citizens! It’s that manner of politics that will save our democracy.
Democrats must take back the word socialism, which has been conceded as to the Republicans for over a century as a scare tactic.
Some ad ideas/themes.
1) Convey what socialism is--public or collective ownership of factories and businesses.
2) Democrats oppose socialism
3) Explaining that the following is not socialism: Child care, Health care for all, paid parental leave, negotiating drug prices, strong consumer protection laws, CFPB, etc
4) Note which of the above are available in other nations and that having such in the US will make America as great as other nations.
Have ads in which citizens from other nations mock the US for not having these things
5) Have real people from other countries appear in ads extol the non-socialist items above.
Question to all - WHAT IF - the golden rule, (a worldwide principle from throughout all time, all traditions) became an important part of our whole judiciary, our whole justice/judicial system? There are thousands of formulations that can guide us in such an endeavor. Thich Nhat Hahn's contributions to this principle are well known.
Lots of excellent potential replacements for Justice Breyer, but we are still way behind. One thing for sure: there is nothing perfect in this world, but what Moscow Mitch pulled with Merrick Garland and the other follow-on ersatz Supremes is as perfect an example of hypocrisy, shamelessness and complete lack of character that one will ever see.
My pick would be Stacy Abrams for all she's done to right the wrongs in Georgian politics. Of course, Neal Katyal would be a great pick. He's neither black nor female. Maybe we'll have to wait for his appointment after CThomas passes. That said, I'm not so sure neither Sinema nor Manchin wouldn't cross the floor and side with Republicans to block a nominee vote for SCOTUS. I don't trust these two DINOs. Their record of contrarion politicizing won't stop with their recent grandstanding(s).
Professor -- please stop calling them "conservative democrats". They are anti-Democrats, pseudo-Democrats, fake-Democrats, Republicans-in-drag, ... not conservatives. There is nothing true to the spirit of the current Democratic Party that they are conserving.
Even the thought that Manchin or Sinema would have veto power over a Supreme Court nominee and thus diminish the role of the President makes me want to throw up.
Frankly that breaks with the division of powers in the Constitution. It is the President’s choice and the Senates consent. If either of those senators grandstands their way into the pre-approval process then it is time to cut them down to size. If Biden doesn’t put them into their place on HIS Supreme Court nominee then no one will have any respect for him. As I say the thought that a junior first term senator can veto a Supreme Court nominee is just too much to stomach.
After Antonin Scalia's death, President Obama made the decision to nominate someone as inoffensive as possible, in the hope that McConnell and his right wing bloc would confirm him. That didn't work, obviously. I wondered whether a Black woman at that time would have been more successful, since refusing to confirm her would have been seen as overtly racist.
Since Biden promised to nominate a Black woman, and there are several who are infinitely more qualified than the White males currently on the Court, he should go for it. I want to see someone who can understand what the lives of ordinary people are like, and doesn't sit in the ivory tower looking down imperiously at the unwashed masses below. (This is my impression of John Roberts.)
Someone who is not a corporate whore. None of the current justices fully comprehend that corporations are not people, and are not entitled to deference. They are chartered at the state level and should be closely scrutinized. Cases like Buckley v Valeo and following were wrongly decided because they are based on the false impression that the 14th Amendment applied to corporations. This mistake needs to be rectified!!! https://www.oyez.org/cases/1850-1900/118us394
Having read through most of the comments, I am increasingly despairing of a balanced Supreme Court. The GOPerves are going to do everything in their power to knock any Biden choice into the trash can. I find myself wondering how/why American voters have allowed them to have the kind of power they seemingly wield. At the same time, I wonder what we can realistically do about this horrible minority rule we now have to deal with. They have truly perverted our government and laid waste our Constitution!!
I nominate Barack Obama.
What matters is the extent the nominee will defend democracy! Thomas is black and he couldn’t care less about saving our democracy. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter if the identity politics cards played are white male Christian (e.g., Trumpism) or gender, race and sexual orientation (e.g., Democrats)—identity politics can and have been used to observe our focus on policy and law that furthers democracy. Let’s focus on creating the policies and laws that benefit the average United State’s citizens! It’s that manner of politics that will save our democracy.
Democrats must take back the word socialism, which has been conceded as to the Republicans for over a century as a scare tactic.
Some ad ideas/themes.
1) Convey what socialism is--public or collective ownership of factories and businesses.
2) Democrats oppose socialism
3) Explaining that the following is not socialism: Child care, Health care for all, paid parental leave, negotiating drug prices, strong consumer protection laws, CFPB, etc
4) Note which of the above are available in other nations and that having such in the US will make America as great as other nations.
Have ads in which citizens from other nations mock the US for not having these things
5) Have real people from other countries appear in ads extol the non-socialist items above.
Question to all - WHAT IF - the golden rule, (a worldwide principle from throughout all time, all traditions) became an important part of our whole judiciary, our whole justice/judicial system? There are thousands of formulations that can guide us in such an endeavor. Thich Nhat Hahn's contributions to this principle are well known.
Watch Mitch say that it's too late to nominate a new Justice before the mid-term elections.
Stacy Abrams is better left to fight battles.
Lots of excellent potential replacements for Justice Breyer, but we are still way behind. One thing for sure: there is nothing perfect in this world, but what Moscow Mitch pulled with Merrick Garland and the other follow-on ersatz Supremes is as perfect an example of hypocrisy, shamelessness and complete lack of character that one will ever see.
Omg. Stacey Abrams or Kamala Harris!! That is so exciting! I don't have words! I didn't know that was possible!
I want the best, unbiased, professional for this appointment - could not care less about their ethnicity, gender or color of their skin.
My pick would be Stacy Abrams for all she's done to right the wrongs in Georgian politics. Of course, Neal Katyal would be a great pick. He's neither black nor female. Maybe we'll have to wait for his appointment after CThomas passes. That said, I'm not so sure neither Sinema nor Manchin wouldn't cross the floor and side with Republicans to block a nominee vote for SCOTUS. I don't trust these two DINOs. Their record of contrarion politicizing won't stop with their recent grandstanding(s).
This doesn't quite fit with your column of today, but is a recall of Sinema in Arizona and Manchin in West Virginia a possibility?