Reality-BasedTM Political Numbers from Nicholas Beaudrot
Electoral Math
Reality-BasedTM Political Numbers from Nicholas Beaudrot
Five Minutes with an (Above) Average Legislator | Home | Friday Chinchilla Blogging and Shuffle!
How does it feel to get played?
You thought that with all the code words about strict constructionism, the debate praise for Justices Scalia and Thomas, and the Dred Scott shout-out, that Bush would nominate unabashed ideological conservatives to the Court. But you forgot that in politics, you dance with the one that brought you. In his case, that means giving back to the flock of Doboson-and-co. churches that provided small donations and sweat-hours in support of his election. They get the table scraps -- various rollbacks on third-world family planning and contraception, some sympathizers at the FDA. But it's the business lobby that gets the full meal with this executive, time and again. The National Association of Manufacturers (via Brad Plumer) doesn't want to rock the boat on the Miers nomination, and the "non-partisan" Chamber of Commerce is downright giddy. Miers' purpose is to allow Congress wide latitude to enact a pro-business (but not necessarily "pro-free market") agenda while granting deference to the executive branch. She'll exercise restraint in meddling with the tax code, efforts to block small meat manufacturers from shipping to Asia, radio spectrum giveaways, and so forth.
You wanted one of your own on the Court; another Justice who wouldn't hide or apoligize his contempt for Roe, umpteen different civil rights cases, Lawrence, and all that hippie-dippie environmental and consumer protection regulation you can't stand, 100% of the time. Instead you'll get someone who will oppose it 90% of the time, but will be quiet about it. Instead of movement conservatives getting "one of their own" on the Court, corporate lawyers got one. You thought that big business made an alliance with conservative jurisprudence out of convenience, when really it was the other way around.
So, how does it feel?
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updated by Nicholas Beaudrot on 06:55 07 October 2005
