Who Needs Republicans With Democrats Like This

"Oh, my God!" any media brainwashed American TV viewer might exclaim today when they see a grown up, a certified adult, let alone an adult so many other adults elected to represent them in the United States Senate, say something so inane!

Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, we learn, might vote to join a Republican filibuster if President Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court is an activist judge. What is an activist judge? Best one can tell, an activist judge is a judge who Ben Nelson declares to be an activist judge. Mr. Nelson reminds us he is the author of the deathless phrase, "extraordinary circumstances," as it applies to Supreme Court nominees, and that he might very well agree to filibuster were such "extraordinary circumstances" found in the next appointee.

It follows that no two sets of "extraordinary circumstances" could be alike because the more nominees to whom the phrase might apply, the less extraordinary the circumstances. So "Oh, my God!" could have some real meaning if extraordinary c's are discovered in President Obama's nominee. Because if not God, who else could look not just into the records of potential Supreme Court appointees, but into their hearts and minds in the future of their long years on the highest bench in the land, and see the extraordinary circumstances lurking there that should demand their nominations be challenged by a Republican filibuster? Senator Nelson, of course. Oh, my God!

Comments

[ld]

This posting is not up to your usual standards. "Activist Judge" has a pretty well-defined meaning to the right wing. It refers to anybody to the left of Scalia, including individuals that might support decisions like Miranda, Roe v. Wade, Brown v. Board, and so on. Anyone who might tend to support individual rights v. corporate rights would be included. The right's view includes that there are degrees of activism. I could list lots of other parts to the definition and it would, of course, vary from right winger to right winger.

Anyhow, my point is that Nelson's audience pretty much knows what he means.

Odd that Nelson is a Democrat, though.

[Clayton139]

Bush, Cheney, Rove and/or administation are the worst years EVER for the USA !

[Kungfublood]

As a member of the Republican party I must say that it takes a Democrat to criticize a "war President ".
No self respecting member of the GOP would ever obstruct a war President it would be tantamount to treason as we have been saying throughout the wonderful Bush years.

[yert33]

...WHAT???

[Amondale]

We understand. If the president does anything during war, you're not allowed to criticize.

One more thing. Is "criticize" and "obstruct" now the same thing? In my 47 years they've always been different.

[FoonTheElder]

Babbling Ben appears to be a Dick Cheney wannabe. Here in Nebraska, most non-machine Democrats are hoping he either moves to the Republican party or there is at least a choice in the next primary. All he does is suck up to the big Nebraska corporations (being a former insurance exec) and all the extremist Republicans. Chuck Hagel, a Republican, was far more respectable than Ben Nelson ever was.

[Suyu]

Nelson STARTED in the Republican party and only left it when he could not get them to forward his career. He then made the classic NE move of those in such a position, and became a NE Democrat which meant he only had to run to the right of his GOP opponent..­.. no problem for Sen. Nebbish to do that. He is, and always was, a shill for the NE plutocrats and a dedicated lackey of the insurance industry. When health care comes before the Senate you will see just how much an indentured servant Nelson is of the insurance industry. Since GOP nominees are virtually assured election in NE, effectively a one-party state, they can afford to be more "respectable" which accounts for Hagel.

[flea1989]

I agree! It wasn't even 2 months ago, when the Democrats said that the Republicans had lost their way so badly and couldn't handle a middle of the road politician like Spector or Powell! Seems the Democrats are no better!

[Snowball]

I wouldn't qualify Nelson as a centrist, he's more of a corporatist, which should be of concern to Conservatives and Liberals alike.

[MerhabaAbi]

Activist Judge is code for pro-choice.

[Kungfublood]

It's code for will not lick spittle.

[Suyu]

Activist judge is code word for "will not advance my party's agenda".

[theclosetconservative2]

I'll take a Contritution supporting judge, not a left wing activist judge that sees things in the Constitution that aren't there. The courts are the left's weapon for enforcing their will on the American people when they can't get it through at the ballot box. http://theclosetconservative.com

[theclosetconservative2]

Consitution supporting judge. Excuse the typo.

[Clavis]

"The left"? What kind of lunatic do you have to be to believe that "the left" is some vast evil America-hating conspiracy instead of simply fellow Americans with differing opinions?

You seem to be saying, categorically, that liberals are not to be trusted. You are a dangerous person who ought not to vote.

[luziannagirl]

I'll take a Constituti­on-support­ing, democracy-defending "activist judge" any day over a theocratic, plutocracy­-supportin­g anarchist judge.

And that's anarchist, not antichrist. Though, if I were an Apocoloyptic Evangelical, I would be looking hard among my own ranks---those of the Right--- for ol Mr. AntiChrist­...

[Snowball]

Umm, Anarchists would never have anything to do with the far right plutocrats from the Federalist Society. They're authoritarians capitalists, pure and simple. Anarchism is a left wing, anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist ideology.

[dogdiva]

Please know that Ben Nelson speechifies and votes in his own interest. It has nothing to do with personal integrity or conscience. It has everything to do with values...h­e values getting re-elected in a very Republican state. He values getting campaign funding from big agribusiness and big insurance companies. He values "atta boy's" from the Right and he values jerking around the President of the United States if it's Barack Obama. He values a slap on the back and being nicknamed "Benny" by George W. Bush. It's always hard to know with Ben Nelson if the attention this gets him is more important or the $$$'s it brings in are more important. Lucky for Ben he can get both.

True liberals in the state of Nebraska are lonely people with absolutely no representation in Congress since Chuck Hagel (R) left the Senate.

[jpsd]

you mean he represents the wishes of the majority in his state?

[Clavis]

I don't think that's what dogdiva said. He/she said that Nelson panders to the majority, not that he actually represents their interests. He seems, instead, to represent the interests of the powerful forces that fund his campaigns.

[Snowball]

No, he represents the interests of the insurance industry. If his constituents were educated enough to figure that out, he'd be unelectable.

[EminemsRevenge]

Am I missing something here???

Hasn't it ALWAYS been one of the fringe benefits of being president was trying to put YOUR kind of judges in the Supreme Court? It looks to me like every politician has abdicated their power to Fox "news" and the talk-radio limbaughni­stas...the Vociferous Minority that could be silenced by just bringing back the Fairness Doctrine in broadcasti­ng...as THIS illustrates:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLjNJI54GMM

And to think, what was once written as a JOKE is now a CREDO

[flea1989]

You are missing something! During Bushes administration, the Democrats blocked his nominees a few times! Pay back is fair!

[frostypo]

Yeah, but I don't remember the Dems talking about blocking the nominee before s/he was even named, which is the case here.

[Clavis]

Bottom line: Bush nominated two and got two -- the Dems helped for the "Gang of 14" which allowed them to cave and give Bush what he wanted. Bush also appointed countless lower court judges to positions that had remained unfilled during Clinton's 8 years BECAUSE REPUBLICANS BLOCKED THE APPOINTMENTS.

[dsws]

We don't need the GOP. Let's grow the Blue Dogs until there's no one left with an R after their name.

[flea1989]

When Cap and Trade passes and gas, natural gas and electricity goes up by 30% to 50% it will hurt all Americans! Obama says he will sell credits to allow companies to pollute! These companies will raise their prices and this will effect you! Our economy has shown a few positive signs lately, but most people will not be able to afford any luxuries. This will make the economy take a dive! If Obama truly wanted to help slow global warming, he would allocate some of the stimulus money to give low interest loans to these companies to buy equipment to help the pollute less. He won’t do that because he wants your money and has a way to get it and still be able to say he didn’t raise the tax! The Blue Dogs will be irrelevant, because they will lose their seats!!

[Clavis]

That's a great idea -- give corporations more money, because they don't have enough!

[spyda]

I totally agre with the writer above. The Dems. will screw up a wet dream and the Rethugs. know it. All they have to do is sit back and wait a while and they will destroy themselves. These type up idiots need to be voted out!! And quick!!!!!!!!!!!! Hell we might as well have keep Bush and Cheney! I can't tell who won half the time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where was all the crying out when the f@#$ed up!!!!!!!! Get the hell out the way so this Pres. can try and help us help ourselves!!

[bayside]

I have to admit. Its been very clever to put republican moles ( blue dogs and moderates ) in the dem. party..Thi­s way they are sure to get their agenda..Ju­st put a D in front of their name.

[earlygrayce1]

Congratulations Senator Nelson, you have successfully done everything in your power to cement my previous opinion of the state of Nebraska!

[flea1989]

Yeah, it's a great state!

[earlygrayce1]

Sure, for Storm Chasers and people who've given up on their dreams. And Storms Chasers are just looking for a tornado to take them anywhere else.

[Suyu]

After living there for 40 years I can attest to this... it is a great state for reactionaries, for those who prefer mythology over facts, for those who value football more than libraries, for those who would defend their right to do whatever they want as long as they can dictate what others do, for those who would rather let children rot in an orphanage or foster home rather than be adopted by a same-sex couple, and for those who think that one-party (e.g. communist) states are bad unless it is their state.

[LostInTheStars]

There is no such thing as a non-activist Supreme Court judge. Any case that works its way to the highest court in the land is - almost by definition - a case where there is ambiguity in the law.

Judges fool themselves when they think they have given a strict interpretation of existing law. Actually, an extremely narrow interpretation is, in a very real sense, activism. Conservatives fool themselves whey they think that Roberts, Alito, Thomas, and Scalia are not activists. No single factor could predict how they will rule on a given case more than the factor that they are Republicans. Is it a coincidence that every single time they rule, they rule in favor of the rich and powerful? Also, Scalia's philosophy of originalism makes no sense. The literal intent of our founding fathers was rooted in a worldview different than that of the twenty-first century. To be consistent Scalia should not allow corporations to have rights. None were given to them in the Constitution. And Roberts is being an activist when he interprets the fourteenth amendment as a protection for white people. That was not the intent, and he knows it. Like other conservative judges, he bends the law to fit his Republican philosophy.

Let's face it, the court systems is as politicized as the legislative and executive branch. People every day lose or win cases purely on the basis of the luck of the draw - getting a conservative or a liberal judge.