Why we must fight for good judges

At the Free Republic thread on Harrier Miers’s support for quotas, someone had said: “If Miers does pull out, which I seriously doubt, then Bush might just decide to give the Republicans their candidate and then sit and watch less than 40 real Republican senators embrace the next ‘real conservative’ Republican judge. And the liberal left of the Senate will simply sit there and smile that the Republican senate just doesn’t exist.”

Do you find yourself stumped by this objection? I was, somewhat, when I read it late last night. The best answer I could come up with was that we can only win what we believe in if we fight for it, and, further, that some of the conservative picks that our side supports are not so conservative that the “moderate” Republicans would necessarily vote against them. But this was relatively superficial. Jim Noble has posted a much better reply at Free Republic that should be an inspiration to every real conservative or traditionalist:

Well, this is the heart of the matter.

You are right, this Senate will not confirm any acceptable nominee.

To my way of thinking, retaking the Supreme Court and ending unconstitutional “legislation” by judges is our strongest issue with the people. It got George W Bush elected—twice. It got 55 Republican senators elected. It sent Tom Daschle home.

Now, if what we’ve worked for, voted for, bled for for the past 35 years can’t happen because our elected senators and our president refuse to give us what we sent them there for, WE NEED TO KNOW THAT.

If George W Bush sent up Luttig, and after he was rejected sent McConnell, and after he was rejected sent Estrada, and after he was rejected sent Jones, and then Brown, and so on and so on, the people would rally to him and there would be 70 Republican senators before long.

This presupposes, of course, that George W Bush (a) thinks the Court issue is important; (b) understands what’s wrong with the status quo; and (c) would be pleased with a Court of Luttigs, Browns, and Estradas.

Anyone who voted for him was entitled, until he nominated his horse for the O’Connor vacancy, to believe that these things were true.

Now, through this cynical and contemptuous gesture, he has made it clear that none of them is true.

It’s no wonder it has led to difficulties for him.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at October 22, 2005 08:27 AM | Send