Deferential Analysis
El presidente has nominated the race-conscious, aggressively multicultural, non-constructionist, and unapologetically liberal Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. In virtually all ways she is the anti-conservative, an avowed leftist in matters judicial and otherwise. Why would any sentient being be remotely surprised by this.?
Sundry Dem. gloaters have more than once used the phrase "We won" as justification for this that or the other policy prescription. Perhaps it is crass and graceless of them to do so but it is nevertheless true. They did win and are now pursuing the project of rearranging the political landscape to their likeing. They are doing precisely what they promised to do if elected. Any unseemly haste may have to do with a nervous apprehension that the body politic may reject them in the next election cycle so they might as well make as much hay as possible while they can. This apprehension is entirely merited.
The American public elected the most liberal president in the history of the republic less out of enthusiam for the progressive agenda of sweeping change and more because of dissatisfaction with the previous administration. That McCain was about as not-Bush as was possible in the Republican party was largely beside the point. The inchoate wisdom of the public was to "Throw the Rascals Out". That the same public may be suffering from severe buyer's remorse in a couple of years is, well, too damn bad. It's not as if every conservative pol and pundit wasn't shouting the alarm that the One was a doctrinaire leftist whose ideological proclivities were a vast distance from anything resembling a centrist outlook. That message, media obstruction notwithstanding, did in fact get out but 53 percent of the electorate either approved of Obama's openly displayed progressivism, did not really believe he meant it, or was seduced by his elevation to celebrity godhood.
Sonia Sotomayor is a perfect example. A person of such thoroughgoing progressive/leftist inclinations has not ascended to the court before but she is in perfect tune with Obama's weltanshaung. She is his ideal candidate and will be confirmed even if a few blue-dogs have to hold their noses to it. A bit more problematic is the parade of progressive policies, national health care, climate change legislation, massive bailouts of sundry description, wildly escalating goverment spending, etc. etc. These will have to pass through the congressional saugage grinder before implementation but a president can only jawbone for passage of a bill. He can do lots more than jawbone for a Supreme Court nominee.
It is the constitutional privilege of a president to nominate anyone he chooses and there should be at least some deferring to his judgement on the issue. Not that the Democrats have exhibited any of this deferential attitude but they've they certainly should have for no other reason than what goes around comes around. Even as the talk pundits rail against the new nominee some respected conservative pundits, such as the inestimable Charles Krauthammer, have maintained that a certain amount of deference is a gracious mature attitude to have.
He's right but he's also firmly in the camp that believes, as he has said, that "elections have consequences". Well the consequence of the public's dissafection with the Bush administration may be the enabling of an attempt at a wholesale overhauling of the political, cultural, and economic fabric of the country. Dem. lever pullers may well have not realized they were abetting such but Obama was certainly no stealth candidate. His progressivism was not only not hidden but indeed was/is worn on the empathetic sleeves of his crisply tailored suits. To have thought otherwise was to engage in major league wishful thinking. To any in that 53 percent who might be feeling a bit fretful or alarmed there can only be this advice. Tough. Suck it up. Pull the other lever the next time.
It can only be hoped that any long term collateral damage that results from this fusillade of progressive artillery accrues more to the Democratic party than to the country in general but of course we shall see. In the meantime it may only be necessary for the Republicans to sit on their hands and whistle a happy tune as they wait for vindication in 2012. Progressive overeach may well do more for conservative electoral success than overt and noisy disapproval ever could. On the other hand it may not be too early to print up bumper stickers that say "Don't Blame Me. I Voted For McCain."
Sundry Dem. gloaters have more than once used the phrase "We won" as justification for this that or the other policy prescription. Perhaps it is crass and graceless of them to do so but it is nevertheless true. They did win and are now pursuing the project of rearranging the political landscape to their likeing. They are doing precisely what they promised to do if elected. Any unseemly haste may have to do with a nervous apprehension that the body politic may reject them in the next election cycle so they might as well make as much hay as possible while they can. This apprehension is entirely merited.
The American public elected the most liberal president in the history of the republic less out of enthusiam for the progressive agenda of sweeping change and more because of dissatisfaction with the previous administration. That McCain was about as not-Bush as was possible in the Republican party was largely beside the point. The inchoate wisdom of the public was to "Throw the Rascals Out". That the same public may be suffering from severe buyer's remorse in a couple of years is, well, too damn bad. It's not as if every conservative pol and pundit wasn't shouting the alarm that the One was a doctrinaire leftist whose ideological proclivities were a vast distance from anything resembling a centrist outlook. That message, media obstruction notwithstanding, did in fact get out but 53 percent of the electorate either approved of Obama's openly displayed progressivism, did not really believe he meant it, or was seduced by his elevation to celebrity godhood.
Sonia Sotomayor is a perfect example. A person of such thoroughgoing progressive/leftist inclinations has not ascended to the court before but she is in perfect tune with Obama's weltanshaung. She is his ideal candidate and will be confirmed even if a few blue-dogs have to hold their noses to it. A bit more problematic is the parade of progressive policies, national health care, climate change legislation, massive bailouts of sundry description, wildly escalating goverment spending, etc. etc. These will have to pass through the congressional saugage grinder before implementation but a president can only jawbone for passage of a bill. He can do lots more than jawbone for a Supreme Court nominee.
It is the constitutional privilege of a president to nominate anyone he chooses and there should be at least some deferring to his judgement on the issue. Not that the Democrats have exhibited any of this deferential attitude but they've they certainly should have for no other reason than what goes around comes around. Even as the talk pundits rail against the new nominee some respected conservative pundits, such as the inestimable Charles Krauthammer, have maintained that a certain amount of deference is a gracious mature attitude to have.
He's right but he's also firmly in the camp that believes, as he has said, that "elections have consequences". Well the consequence of the public's dissafection with the Bush administration may be the enabling of an attempt at a wholesale overhauling of the political, cultural, and economic fabric of the country. Dem. lever pullers may well have not realized they were abetting such but Obama was certainly no stealth candidate. His progressivism was not only not hidden but indeed was/is worn on the empathetic sleeves of his crisply tailored suits. To have thought otherwise was to engage in major league wishful thinking. To any in that 53 percent who might be feeling a bit fretful or alarmed there can only be this advice. Tough. Suck it up. Pull the other lever the next time.
It can only be hoped that any long term collateral damage that results from this fusillade of progressive artillery accrues more to the Democratic party than to the country in general but of course we shall see. In the meantime it may only be necessary for the Republicans to sit on their hands and whistle a happy tune as they wait for vindication in 2012. Progressive overeach may well do more for conservative electoral success than overt and noisy disapproval ever could. On the other hand it may not be too early to print up bumper stickers that say "Don't Blame Me. I Voted For McCain."
posted by The Center Punch at
5:14 PM
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