At last we have reached the end of the saga that is the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to be an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. Every time a new Supreme Court Justice is required I shut my ears to the inane cries coming from Washington D.C. With every nomination comes outrage from those on the other side of the political aisle, expressing outrage over how someone so outside of the "political mainstream" could be trusted with adjudicating the most pressing issues of our society. We have hearing after hearing where blowhard Senator after blowhard Senator weighs in, pro or con. Enough already.
Perhaps said screaming senators should remember a little cliche: to the victor come the spoils. Barack Obama won the election. Fair and square. The president gets to nominate the person of his choosing to fill any positions on the Supreme Court. The only requirement, the responsibility with which the U.S. Senate is to arbitrate, is whether or not said candidate is of sound legal authority and has the qualifications necessary to fill the Justice position. Essentially, if someone has an upstanding record of being a judge and is in good legal standing with their state bar association, he or she should be allowed to serve. Not whether the candidate believes in Roe v. Wade or what he or she believes on the topic of affirmative action. If President Obama nominates Sonia Sotomayor it is presumed her political philosophies will like somewhat to the left. This is his right to do so.
What is laughable is that all of the Senators in Washington have a clear sense of what the political mainstream is. This country is too diverse to have a mainstream opinion anymore. Short of such common ground like banning bestiality or burning people alive, there is little, politically speaking, which you could confidently agree that 51% of Americans believe to be correct. Therefore the mainstream no longer exists. We are left with two diverse sets of opinions and at any given moment we are wont to switch between the two come Election Day. This past November we, as a nation, decided to swing left and this is reflected in Obama's nomination. That makes it the mainstream.
All voters know, or at least should know, that the President has the power to nominate someone of his choosing to the Supreme Court. I would assume that our esteemed Senators know this. How come, one wonders, it seems that with every nomination those of the minority party act shocked and outraged that the President would nominate someone with whom he shares political ideology? I suspect it is less about politics and more about grandiose showboating. In order to run for public office, one must posses a larger than average sense of self. Such shenanigans like we have seen in recent weeks is simply a way for ego driven Senators to get more face time on the NBC Nightly News. Can we please calm down and knock off all of this grandstanding? In the end we knew Ms. Sotomayor would be confirmed. How about these Senators just do their job and get back to what is really important? You know, finding new ways to waste our tax dollars.
Perhaps said screaming senators should remember a little cliche: to the victor come the spoils. Barack Obama won the election. Fair and square. The president gets to nominate the person of his choosing to fill any positions on the Supreme Court. The only requirement, the responsibility with which the U.S. Senate is to arbitrate, is whether or not said candidate is of sound legal authority and has the qualifications necessary to fill the Justice position. Essentially, if someone has an upstanding record of being a judge and is in good legal standing with their state bar association, he or she should be allowed to serve. Not whether the candidate believes in Roe v. Wade or what he or she believes on the topic of affirmative action. If President Obama nominates Sonia Sotomayor it is presumed her political philosophies will like somewhat to the left. This is his right to do so.
What is laughable is that all of the Senators in Washington have a clear sense of what the political mainstream is. This country is too diverse to have a mainstream opinion anymore. Short of such common ground like banning bestiality or burning people alive, there is little, politically speaking, which you could confidently agree that 51% of Americans believe to be correct. Therefore the mainstream no longer exists. We are left with two diverse sets of opinions and at any given moment we are wont to switch between the two come Election Day. This past November we, as a nation, decided to swing left and this is reflected in Obama's nomination. That makes it the mainstream.
All voters know, or at least should know, that the President has the power to nominate someone of his choosing to the Supreme Court. I would assume that our esteemed Senators know this. How come, one wonders, it seems that with every nomination those of the minority party act shocked and outraged that the President would nominate someone with whom he shares political ideology? I suspect it is less about politics and more about grandiose showboating. In order to run for public office, one must posses a larger than average sense of self. Such shenanigans like we have seen in recent weeks is simply a way for ego driven Senators to get more face time on the NBC Nightly News. Can we please calm down and knock off all of this grandstanding? In the end we knew Ms. Sotomayor would be confirmed. How about these Senators just do their job and get back to what is really important? You know, finding new ways to waste our tax dollars.
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