OK, America, everybody back to your corners. It hasn't been twelve hours since Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her resignation and the news channels, news websites and blogs are run amok with speculation. In less than 6 hours I received over 100 emails from interested parties with subjects like:
First off, I can't believe I am about to say this, so here goes. Give President Bush a chance, folks. You liberals and Democrats stop positioning yourselves as if Armageddon has arrived. The guy hasn't made a decision yet. Well, not formally anyway. And you conservatives and Republicans, get off President Bush's back. This guy has enough on his plate with a burgeoning economy, raging war in the Middle East and an electorate that is as divided today as it was prior to the Civil War. He's not going to nominate some clown who is so far over to the right that we'll return to the 1930's. He will also not nominate some leftist ACLU member either, that's a guarantee. When the President makes his announcement, then we can react.
The cable news networks are having a slow news weekend so now they have this Supreme Court vacancy to rile America up. Are we that stupid that we cannot see what the mainstream media is doing? They're helping both extremist sides fuel the fires of division. Now, everybody, stop. Take a long, deep breath. Enjoy your weekend. It's the anniversary of our Independence. If those on the extreme right get their way, then those of us who believe that a more moderate nominee is in order can do something by contacting our respective Senators. If the religious right gets too out of hand, and sticks their nose in the secular business of the state, stop watching their damn telecasts! It's that simple! The extremists are going to waste a lot of energy trying to polarize America. It's time those of us in the rank and file stood up and shout, “STOP THE BULLSHIT!”
Article comments
1 - Bennett
As always Silas, well written, to the point, and calmly sane.
Thanks!
2 - gonzo marx
thanks for the read Silas..and the call to sanity
a few nits that need picking from yoru humble Narrator..
Silas sez...
*He's not going to nominate some clown who is so far over to the right that we'll return to the 1930's.*
would that i could believe that..NOTHING he has done, and no nomination he has put forward convinces me this is accurate...in fact, the Shrub's history of nominations show that he can't even spell moderate
as for the analogy to Reagan..sorry i just don't see it...hell, the Shrub has managed to surpass even Reagan in the abysmal failure to balance the checkbook
( talking the fucking Defecit here kiddies, not overall Debt...you budget your mortgage, but you are in a sad state when you make the payments on a high interest credit card, yes?)
so, i will be alone at the Round House...my wife is still in Italy until the 9th...but myself and Q the pit-wolf will be enjoying the long weekend
all the Best to you, gentle Readers, enjoy the festivities!
Excelsior!
3 - Nancy
Emails?! Less than 15 MINUTES after I first heard it on the radio, I heard 4 - FOUR! - opposing ads from just about all sides accusing the other side of lying, grandstanding, slandering nominees, trying to abrogate American rights, etc. - and they were talking about the S.C. nomination! Good grief! Enough is enough. Wait til someone actually is proposed. All this 'crying "wolf" ' ....
4 - Silas Kain
I know, Nancy. Here I am trying to talk common sense and get everybody to chill and the other SCOTUS threads are going at full warp speed. I still think the President will show restraint. I may be off my rocker as gonzo insinuates, but there's something in my heart that says the President really does not want a Congressional showdown. So sit back, have a few cocktails, smoke a few bowls, have some barbecue, enjoy the fireworks and wait until government business resumes.
5 - b8tzm
The foundation of R v W will be cracked if there isn't a call to action ASAP
6 - Shark
SilasKain: "...If George W. Bush is as much like Ronald Reagan as he claims, I believe he will do the right thing..."
Kinda like what he did after 911; a very united country, full support from all political sides -- which he promptly took advantate of and abused.
Fuck Bush.
Fuck the Lap-Dog Infotainment Media.
And where's Micheal Jackson and Scott Peterson when ya need 'em?
Gotta run! A live report from Aruba is on!
xxoo
Shark
7 - Temple Stark
Good post. Silas.
One thought occurred: I never knew politicians were so intimidated by the establishment media aka "the media" aka MSM? that their behaviour changes at the drop of a media blitz.
Who knew?
8 - Nancy
Well, I'm not as sanguine as you are about Smirk doing the right thing, but I'm not going to get exercised about it until he actually DOES do something offensive. Why waste time & energy frothing at the mouth over a bridge we MAY not even come to? There'll be time enough. And even when he DOES nominate someone (I was being facetious about Rove) I want to check out their record before I start objecting. I don't knee-jerk react on command from anybody, including MoveOn or Howard Dean. Frankly, I do think the Dems have been overdoing it royally, and losing credibility in so doing - from me, at least. Not that it increases GOP/Smirk credibility either, mind you ;)
9 - RJ
"an electorate that is as divided today as it was prior to the Civil War."
That's just a tad hyperbolic, dontcha think?
10 - Silas Kain
Actually I don't think it is hyperbolic at all. We are a very divided nation. It's just that we hide our prejudices more effectively. The racial divide doesn't openly simmer but exists nonetheless. Then there is the equally serious division of extreme conservatives vs. extreme liberals. The politics of hate have infected Washington like a plague.
11 - RJ
If we, as an electorate, are as divided now as we were 145 years ago, I'm pretty sure there would be mob violence in the streets, and state governments seriously considering secession.
Like I said, it's hyperbole...
12 - Silas Kain
Nope. There's no mob violence or secession. The Union is preserved and the Northern states have little or no clout in Washington.
RJ, unless there is radical change in the way the business of politics is carried out in Washington, there will come a day when dividing this Union may be our only option. We may be the most powerful nation in the world. We may live in freedom. We do take a lot of what we have for granted and turn a blind eye when it comes to the rampant corruption in Washington.
13 - Dave Nalle
The problem is that we can't divide the nation geographically. Even in the northern states there is still a large minority who agree with the red states, and down south there's a large minority who agree with the blue staters. And if you go issue by issue things are even more jumbled up. Don't look for secession any time soon.
Dave
14 - Silas Kain
Having experienced the patriotism exhibited at the Esplanade in Boston last night, I'll admit that maybe we're not as divided as I first thought. But there was one thing I noticed in talking to many people. Most are grateful to our troops for the work they are doing and distrusting of the current Administration. As much as people celebrated America last night, there was an undercurrent of tension. Many of us noticed that the crowd was overwhelmingly white vs. the diversity that America truly represents. That says something in and of itself in my book.
Now back to the original subject of this post. I am pleased to see that President Bush is trying to get all sides to cool their jets in this Supreme Court debate. I'm sticking to my original prediction. George W. Bush will not nominate a candidate who will send the Senate into a turf war. Just sit tight, America, and take a deep breath.
15 - Nancy
Rumor has it he's going to be nominating a REPUBLICAN-!
LOL - well, that's OK by me. I kind of expected that! But to listen to some of the radio ads, you'd think he's thinking of nominating Adolf Hitler. And from the Other Side, the religious reich is already screaming bloody murder because he might be thinking of nominating ALBERTO GONZALES, that borderline commie-faux Republican babykiller!
Jesus H. Christ. For once, I feel sorry for ol' W. For the moment, at least. What a bunch of maroons....
16 - Silas Kain
Indeed, Nancy. The Right Wingnuts and the Left Wingnuts are doing George W. a favor. People like us who are not overly thrilled with his performance have come to wonder how the hell this guy can put up with the crap he has for so long. I honestly believe that this guy wants to make an impact in his second term and won't let us down. If he does, he will have squandered the last opportunity he has at redemption in history's eyes.
17 - RJ
Bush will appoint conservatives to the bench. The Dems will scream. They will be confirmed by the Senate anyway.
And that's about it, as the history books are concerned...