I listened to some clips of the Gorsuch nomination hearings, mostly the questioning by Al Franken and Patrick Leahy with some from Dianne Feinstein, against my better judgement. And, as predicted, Neil Gorsuch lied through his teeth in such a transparent way that anyone who has any knowledge of the issues involved would know he's lying through his teeth. On that alone Democrats should try everything they can to block him. If he is confirmed he will work to destroy pretty much the entire 20th century liberal and progressive agendas and he will try to destroy much of the 19th century, perhaps going back to the beginning to destroy selected measures to prevent overt oligarchy. The man is a middle age Ken doll who can serve as a false front for corporate fascism, destruction of the environment, the profiting of the filthy rich, the destruction of workers.
Also against my better judgment I listened to a bit of NRP yesterday and heard Nina Totenberg - former court reporter, present day Cokie Roberts imitator - describe him as looking " like a Supreme Court Justice" a tall, stately patrician, white male, grown up in privilege, given an elite Ivy League education, member of what I've read is a pretty vile fraternity, even by privileged, white-boy, Ivy League standards. He is a Washington DC Insider - Federalist fascist, American Enterprise Institute fascist dream boy.
All of that is worth blowing up the myth of the power of the Senate Democratic minority over, it's worth giving up the myth that Democrats in the minority have the power to filibuster his nomination over. That same myth that seems to, when Democrats are in the majority, always disable Democrats and empower Republicans in the minority. The Senate is screwed up to start with, its rules and traditions are obviously a fraud that are to be gamed to make the worst of the facists win.
Gorsuch is a purjurer as were Alito, Robert, Thomas and other Republican nominees who went on the court and ruled exactly as everyone who heard their lies knew they would. So will Gorsuch. He is a totally known quantity, he is not going to turn into a Warren or a Souter, rare examples of Republicans who, sometimes and not always wisely, didn't meet Republican expectations.
Gorsuch is getting on the bench, of that I'm sure. But it would be worth it to force the GOP to blow up the filibuster over him, and then face those consequences the next time they are the minority.
ReplyDeleteYes, he'll get on because Republicans want someone like him on the court and I think the only thing to do with that fact is to make them pay as big a price as possible.
DeleteI think this should be used to point out how discreditable the court is under Roberts as it was under Rehnquist. I'm all in favor of taking them down off of the pedestal and seeing them as the political players mostly bent on propping up privilege the court has always been.
Democrats in the Senate have been a big part of the problem, I'm hoping there are enough of them who have had it with that "traditions of the Senate" crap, which has enabled the worst of the worst since before the minority kept them from passing anti-lynching laws.