Thursday, March 23, 2017

Tell it


Paul Waldman expresses the indignation that those of us who wish for fair play and clean politics have been feeling for a long time:

Democrats are going to filibuster Gorsuch; it's the right thing to do

(By the way, I don't think it's the right thing to do, not because I think Gorsuch should be seated, but because I think the Democrats should be showing the Republicans the value of statesmanship.)

But here's what Paul says in the piece, which I totally agree with. I added the underline, which is what I thought was a terrific, true statement.
"Gorsuch was presented to Trump as a possible nominee by the Heritage Foundation; he was on its list not because he’s keen of mind and pure of heart, but because he’s a staunch conservative who, above all, could be counted on to vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. The lie that he and all his supporters tell is that every case has one true and objective outcome that you can reach if only you put aside crass ideology and allow yourself to be guided by the light of the Constitution’s wisdom. No one who knows anything about the law could believe that, no matter how often it gets repeated.
...
So why filibuster if the end result will be the same? The reason is that these are truly extraordinary circumstances. The Republicans’ refusal to allow Merrick Garland to get even a hearing to fill this seat was nothing short of a crime against democracy, a twisting of democratic norms beyond all recognition. Garland should be in this seat, and Democrats should go as far as they possibly can to avoid giving even a shred of validation to the way Republicans stole it."
But I don't agree with that last statement, as liberal as I am.  Mitch McConnell is scum and proved it with this tactic;  Democrats aren't like him.  They should show it, take the vote, and let it be party-line disapproval.


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