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Blind Justice
Jul. 21st, 2005 10:15 pmA couple of nights ago, President Bush worked to try to get Karl Rove off the nation's headlines and back behind the curtain by finally making him nomination of John G. Roberts Jr. to the Supreme Court. What seems like a relatively random good-old-boy network pick was actually orchestrated with more care than one would think for an appointment.
For starters, since it had taken nearly three weeks for this administration to actually come up with a name, allowing media speculation to grow and grow as they drew up lists of names. This also allowed several groups opposed to much of Bush's agenda (read Democrats, although there are many others) start attacking people who they would be opposed to, should they be nominated. This even led up to the media nearly crowning two women, Edith Clement and Edith Jones for the position. there was even a report that Edith Clement's office had been called and that she was out, thereby all but confirming the upcoming nod from Bush.
With Judge Clement already being talked about in the media, there was certainly no reason for the Bush administration to confirm or deny this until about an hour before the actual announcement, keeping their man out of the spotlight. It's wondered it this might have been by design as another judge, Judge Michael Luttig prepped his family for a spotlight appearance that was all a ruse. This allowed Bush to say the first words about Roberts, with very little media spin.
What's odder still is a Supreme Court appointment actually being made in prime time. Sure, it's been almost fifteen years, but is it really necessary to make this announcement by interrupting the nightly shows? Yes, again, a lot of it has to do with media control. For one, more people are watching television at that hour, and also you're after much of the nightly news cycle. Even most of the serious news shows on the cable networks are over, bringing on just a few extra talking heads on cable, but certainly little on the networks that will see to it that they will get back to Big Brother quickly as not to lose ad time.
It seems like the entire strategy with Roberts is to try to create a stealth candidate. Since he has only been on the bench for two years, when George W. nominated him for the US court of appeals for the DC Circuit, there has been very little that he has delivered an opinion on, so again, he comes off as a cypher. Much of what is known, and what's being combed over about his views come from the cases he's worked on as a lawyer working for the US Attorney General's office, and then as a lawyer in private practice in the late 80's and early 90's. He has presented cases before the Supreme court, but the opinions can't always be claimed as his, but moreso his clients.
What you can see is that he's a family man, and you see that his wife is a member of Feminists for Life, and anti-abortion group that, although Roberts himself isn't a member, certainly would mesh with his Catholic religion. Certainly one of the major issues that many religious conservatives have been pushing is the overturn of Roe vs. Wade, and hoping that Bush would nominate a candidate that would be the tipping point for this. Still, they haven't been convinced that Robert's views really make him that candidate - yet.
The odd thing about putting up an enigma for a candidate means that even your base is unsure of your pick. Right wing chatterbox ann Coulter groused, "Conservatism is sweeping the nation, we have a fully functioning alternative media, we're ticked off and ready to avenge Robert Bork...and Bush nominates a Rorschach blot." Even she doesn't know who he is, and was hoping for someone who would have made the words "moderately conservative" look like a communist (and please, do we have to bring Bork into this? Why are we still living in the 80's?).
The problem is, a real right wing fundamentalist wouldn't, couldn't get through. The senate will let a man like Roberts through, and that' what's actually smart (love it or hate it) about this strategy. Before we really get a good hold on what Roberts' views are, Roberts will have already charmed several senators, and worked his way onto the court. Many conservatives say that they have been very unhappy with justice David Souter, who was nominated by George H. W. Bush as a conservative judge, but has turned out to be much more liberal in his judgments. We may not really know what we've bought into because there's such a push to get Roberts placed on the bench by the first monday in October.
Certainly you can be sure that Roberts wouldn't have been nominated if he didn't hold the values that Bush hopes to push onto the court. It's not like Roberts hasn't been involved both the Republican administrations before, again, working with the attorney General during the Reagan years, and being nominated to the circuit court by Papa Bush, but being turned down but the Senate. it also doesn't hurt that he's worked previously as a law clerk for Chief Justice William Renquest, a Republican nominee himself.
Now it's all up to the nominee to make his way through the senators on the Judicial Nominations Committee, and try to work around the threat of Democrats trying to filibuster, and get to the court. If he's a smart as people say, and he's as good a speaker as one would think you'd have to be to argue before the Supreme Court, it seems that he has a very good chance of making his own case.
It seems that the Bush Administration did it's job of keeping Roberts' record out of the blogs and news for as long as it could, which I'd have to say is a remarkable job of media manipulation. One worthy of people who should be more know for leaking information rather than withholding it.
For starters, since it had taken nearly three weeks for this administration to actually come up with a name, allowing media speculation to grow and grow as they drew up lists of names. This also allowed several groups opposed to much of Bush's agenda (read Democrats, although there are many others) start attacking people who they would be opposed to, should they be nominated. This even led up to the media nearly crowning two women, Edith Clement and Edith Jones for the position. there was even a report that Edith Clement's office had been called and that she was out, thereby all but confirming the upcoming nod from Bush.
With Judge Clement already being talked about in the media, there was certainly no reason for the Bush administration to confirm or deny this until about an hour before the actual announcement, keeping their man out of the spotlight. It's wondered it this might have been by design as another judge, Judge Michael Luttig prepped his family for a spotlight appearance that was all a ruse. This allowed Bush to say the first words about Roberts, with very little media spin.
What's odder still is a Supreme Court appointment actually being made in prime time. Sure, it's been almost fifteen years, but is it really necessary to make this announcement by interrupting the nightly shows? Yes, again, a lot of it has to do with media control. For one, more people are watching television at that hour, and also you're after much of the nightly news cycle. Even most of the serious news shows on the cable networks are over, bringing on just a few extra talking heads on cable, but certainly little on the networks that will see to it that they will get back to Big Brother quickly as not to lose ad time.
It seems like the entire strategy with Roberts is to try to create a stealth candidate. Since he has only been on the bench for two years, when George W. nominated him for the US court of appeals for the DC Circuit, there has been very little that he has delivered an opinion on, so again, he comes off as a cypher. Much of what is known, and what's being combed over about his views come from the cases he's worked on as a lawyer working for the US Attorney General's office, and then as a lawyer in private practice in the late 80's and early 90's. He has presented cases before the Supreme court, but the opinions can't always be claimed as his, but moreso his clients.
What you can see is that he's a family man, and you see that his wife is a member of Feminists for Life, and anti-abortion group that, although Roberts himself isn't a member, certainly would mesh with his Catholic religion. Certainly one of the major issues that many religious conservatives have been pushing is the overturn of Roe vs. Wade, and hoping that Bush would nominate a candidate that would be the tipping point for this. Still, they haven't been convinced that Robert's views really make him that candidate - yet.
The odd thing about putting up an enigma for a candidate means that even your base is unsure of your pick. Right wing chatterbox ann Coulter groused, "Conservatism is sweeping the nation, we have a fully functioning alternative media, we're ticked off and ready to avenge Robert Bork...and Bush nominates a Rorschach blot." Even she doesn't know who he is, and was hoping for someone who would have made the words "moderately conservative" look like a communist (and please, do we have to bring Bork into this? Why are we still living in the 80's?).
The problem is, a real right wing fundamentalist wouldn't, couldn't get through. The senate will let a man like Roberts through, and that' what's actually smart (love it or hate it) about this strategy. Before we really get a good hold on what Roberts' views are, Roberts will have already charmed several senators, and worked his way onto the court. Many conservatives say that they have been very unhappy with justice David Souter, who was nominated by George H. W. Bush as a conservative judge, but has turned out to be much more liberal in his judgments. We may not really know what we've bought into because there's such a push to get Roberts placed on the bench by the first monday in October.
Certainly you can be sure that Roberts wouldn't have been nominated if he didn't hold the values that Bush hopes to push onto the court. It's not like Roberts hasn't been involved both the Republican administrations before, again, working with the attorney General during the Reagan years, and being nominated to the circuit court by Papa Bush, but being turned down but the Senate. it also doesn't hurt that he's worked previously as a law clerk for Chief Justice William Renquest, a Republican nominee himself.
Now it's all up to the nominee to make his way through the senators on the Judicial Nominations Committee, and try to work around the threat of Democrats trying to filibuster, and get to the court. If he's a smart as people say, and he's as good a speaker as one would think you'd have to be to argue before the Supreme Court, it seems that he has a very good chance of making his own case.
It seems that the Bush Administration did it's job of keeping Roberts' record out of the blogs and news for as long as it could, which I'd have to say is a remarkable job of media manipulation. One worthy of people who should be more know for leaking information rather than withholding it.
