Quote:
Originally Posted by SEC_Chick
Can you refresh my recollection as to the how the vote for Miguel Estrada went?
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Yes, I believe it was a completely similar situation to Garland, in that Senate Democrats categorically obstructed Bush judicial appointments, preventing him from filling a seat on the DC Circuit.
No, wait -- that's not right. Bush II appointed several conservatives to the DC Circuit, including John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh. Perhaps you were confused?
The post of yours to which I responded called out lefties who prepared to oppose Trump's nominee before they knew who it was. Of course, very few conservatives had a problem with kneejerk opposition to Obama. When the other side does it, one can sniff that they lack intellectual heft or principle. When your side does it, it's just a political tactic that doesn't mean anything.
I think it would be interesting to have a real conversation with someone like yourself about what is broken with the judicial appointment and confirmation process, but only if there is some prospect that we might actually agree on some shared principles. The right has been engaged in a decades-long project to shape -- to politicize -- the federal judiciary. It's not a secret. Of course the left responds. Each side can point to instances where the other side has abandoned prior norms, so each side can play the victim. I have many thoughts about this, but the overarching one is sadness. I think it's bad for the judicial system to be politicized in this way, and I don't see how to reverse it.
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