I love televised hearings…especially those from the Senate Judiciary. Proof positive that these preening popinjays are in reality garrulous gasbags, there’s no way you could crowd that many egos in one room unless they were in a gaseous state.
My favorite part of the proceedings is when the Senators each get their turn at the microphone to bore us for 10 minutes or so with the public display of grinding their axe against the skin of the nominee. The opposition party warns ominously that the nominee is in for a tough fight if he dares voice an opinion that endangers their pet positions. The other party flaps their gums in what can only be called a love fest.
Give me a break.
I would genuinely like to hear what Alito has to say. Doubt I’ll get to, because the Senators are so busy telling him what they think (or what TO think) that he’s likely to say very little. It’s kind of like the “time of possession” stats in football…the Senate is not about to allow Alito a bully pulpit to tell us what he really thinks.
Another much-overlooked irony is that Alito is the only one in the room who is supposed to refrain from forming an opinion on any issue that is likely to come before the court. Yet, almost half the Senate seems to think that he’s obligated to spill his guts on so-called “third rail” issues like abortion. (Note that none of the Senators are shy about expounding – at length – on their oppinions on any issue.)
One thing EVERYBODY seems to be right about – once Alito is on the court (and he WILL be on the court), he will have a huge effect on our country. I think he’ll have a positive effect. I’m really tired of liberal, activist judges that make up any rationale in order to justify a whacked-out rulling. I’m tired of flip-flopping judges that seem to change their position on every issue. This so-called “swing-vote” seat is what the liberal side of the aisle has depended upon with almost every case that’s gone their way. To hear them tell it, the “swing vote seat” is a constitutionally-mandated necessity. (It’s nothing of the sort.) In the 60’s the Supremes skewed on the liberal side. Today, they are poised to swing to the conservative side. It happens. The pendulum swings BOTH ways. This time, it’s our turn. (Finally!) Now if only the court would hear a case about constitutionally limiting Senators from boring us to tears instead of fulfilling their real constitutionally-mandated role of “advise and consent.”
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