Here it is, the laudatory statement from Minority Leader Harry Reid’s press office. So, Mier’s nomination was coordinated with some of the Democratic leadership. (And, Scott McClellan just mentioned Reid’s statement.) This is interesting in that Reid opposed Robert’s confirmation. What gives? ALSO: Since the first thread is filling up, this is the #2 thread.
STATEMENT OF SENATOR HARRY REID ON THE NOMINATION OF HARRIET MIERS TO THE U.S. SUPREME COURT
Monday, October 3, 2005
“I like Harriet Miers. As White House Counsel, she has worked with me in a courteous and professional manner. I am also impressed with the fact that she was a trailblazer for women as managing partner of a major Dallas law firm and as the first woman president of the Texas Bar Association. Continued below:
“In my view, the Supreme Court would benefit from the addition of a justice who has real experience as a practicing lawyer. The current justices have all been chosen from the lower federal courts. A nominee with relevant non-judicial experience would bring a different and useful perspective to the Court.
“I look forward to the Judiciary Committee process which will help the American people learn more about Harriet Miers, and help the Senate determine whether she deserves a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court.”
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Shall we all just drop dead now?
On the thread below, I left you a note imploring you not to explode — BECAUSE I LIKE YOU!
Well, we could drop dead. Or we could find new hobbies. ‘member my stepsister-in-law’s obsession with her collection of swizzle sticks? And her swizzle stick newsletter? If we really get into it, we could get interested … and it’d be infinitely less stressful.
What are we to do?
2006 is lost now… there is no way Reid can “lead” shit now… this is too pathetic to believe… even their precious “Swing Voters” would be disgusted at their sheer weakness.
Because you and I are the kind of people who make it happen, who vote and who drive others to vote and who turn out “the base” even when we ourselves aren’t that excited about the Democrats we’re working for.
And today, I couldn’t give shit one about the Party. While I haven’t voted for the fascists, I have apparently voted for their enablers. There’s only so long I can do that before the guilt also rubs off on me.
Exactly, I will no longer be accomplice to this madness. Reid et al can count me out… this has gone to far.
Welcome to the Green Party!
For a brief rundown on party positions, and differences with the Democrats, check out this:
http://www.therealdifference.org/issues2.html
I’ve been there, and I continue to support local Green politicians in many cases. But as disgusted as I am with the corporate shell that is the Democratic Party, I still don’t see a realistic strategy involving a third party at the Federal level in my lifetime. I’ll continue to pick and choose, vote for Greens and real progressives when I can, and look for signs of hope.
Do people really look like the dogs they are attracted to? And also, do some preznits need glasses?
“I am thankful to be an American, and to live in the greatest land of all. In a nation blessed with the very best I will stand with my head up tall!” Ha ha hee hee ho ho it’s off to the padded room I go!
I look like Marty Feldman.
Must’ve been all that Tularemia in the air!
with that one. I had rabbit fever!
Boo, Military “Mrs. Nat’l Enguirer” Tracy tricks us with this photo! She flipped it vertically. That’s why you look like you have no neck and a big head! It was taken from the angle of your feet!
Found out again! Yes I flipped the same old photo to put the Booman in the same sort of position as the Newfoundland…….that is what kind of dog you have isn’t Booman? When I was done though, yup, it was a whole new shade of Rabbit Fever on the Booman!
Tracy, that pic, of boo was hilarious, thanks for that laugh today, and sorry Booman, but it is really funny!!!!!
Awww, don’t drop dead!
I know how we can fix this!
Let’s use the Republican strategy of wishful thinking solves all real problems!
I’m sure Harriet Miers and John Roberts will not only uphold Roe v Wade, they’ll do it so forcefully that Scalia and Thomas will drop dead straight away (Scalia via heart attack, Thomas from an brain aneurism). Then Bush will appoint two more stealth-liberals to the courts, who’ll overturn enforced school prayer, and ban religious monuments on public grounds.
This will cause all the Republican voters to keel over dead, fixing social security and ensuring a Democratic Majority for all time.
(see, I see Condi nodding in approval already… “just like Iraq”, she’s muttering)
My snort of disbelief when I first read the news doesn’t count. Thanks, Yaright.
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Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) …
to advise Harriet Miers?
See also my previous comment first thread – A Good Friend to Bush!
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Christ! I feel like I’m trapped in the film Groundhog Day.
Peace
I do like you. But is there any possibility you could give us a tiny clue as to what the hell is going on? You’ve got some credibility with me over some stands you’ve taken, especially Social Security, but lately the capitulation thing is starting to get to me. Is there really a reason that this unqualified political hack should get your nod? Because if there is, I’d really, really like to know what it is.
She’s a qualified woman with no record. What do you expect him to do?
I thought I said. If there is a reason for HR to preemptively faun on this woman, I’d like to know what it is. Hey, I give money, I write letters, I staff phone banks. How about some information here?
She appears to be a fundamentalist wingnut. That’s enough for Reid to be all over her.
In a completely chaste manner of course. Her holy Christian underwear would permit nothing less!
I slept in this morning. I know almost nothing except what I’ve read here from Susan and over at redstate. No one is happy. She appears to be anti-abortion, but redstate is very skeptical of that. What’s the deal?
Reid, WTF? It would be “different and useful” to have an ordinary political hack lawyer with storied experience at fetching coffee for the Bush boys serve on the SUPREME COURT? Why didn’t they just nominate Bruce Willis?
I guess it’s over now. At least we don’t need to talk about the SCOTUS for the next few weeks, since we know its composition for the next couple of decades as of today.
So…what shall we talk about instead? Green Party organizing?
. As White House Counsel, she has worked with me in a courteous and professional manner.
Is this code for “She knows her place as a woman, and that’s subservient to us men?”
Christ, she thinks George is brilliant. That alone is enough reason not to confirm. She’s obviously delusional.
It demeans the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States of America for Bush to have nominated someone who’s never been a judge. The SCOTUS is not a dumping ground for political water-carriers.
But we expect such cluelessness and disrespect to American institutions from Bush. Reid’s “got your back” statement shows similar scorn for the judicial branch.
I don’t care if there is some meta-strategy to this, and I find such postulation rather desperate. Senate Democrats have cheapened the process and the institution by requesting and by supporting early Bush’s “contractual obligation” nominee.
Two things.
First, for the Democratic party to line up like lemmings in support because she is, as Reid says in his release, “a trailblazer for women,” is just plain stupid. It would be like lining up to support the ’08 Presidential ambitions of Condi Rice because she is a pioneer in foreign policy as an African American woman. It is not the race, sex or creed of the nominee. It is the substance, stupid. A substance, in this case, that seems to be missing from public documentation. Fucking investigate where she stands on substance before you place your imprimatur on her head.
Second, the “experience as a practicing lawyer” is not real comforting to me, and I don’t think should be real comforting to any person. And I use the term “person” as it is understood by the American people, and not by the American courts. You see, the term “person” in the Constitution has been interpreted to include protections for “corporations.” While individual rights are falling like a tropical rain forest over an oil field, corporate rights are increasing faster than average global temperatures. And from what I can gather, based on the scant information that is available about this nominee, the “experience as a practicing lawyer” has all come while she was representing powerful corporations, or politicians and political causes that I despise.
Reid. Why I am on the verge of not being a Democrat.
Exactly — and some people, no names necessary, are already trumpeting this as a voctory for the democrats. Sure, I agree, if you are a bought corporate lackey, then yessiree, this is a victory for you — you will have a SCOTUS that will rule in favor of your patrons making even more billions in profit off of the back the what the founders meant by people when they wrote the founding papers.
As strongly as I feel about repreoductive rights, these two nominatiosn were never about that (much the the shagrin of the right-wing chorus), they were about corporations and big money fromt he get-go.
We are well and duly fucked for the next 1/4 of a century.
He is a complete fool… it is embarrassing.
Had to laugh. And then I thought of a NYT’s crossword clue. 3-Across — Three letters. A supposedly Democratic website. Rhymes with Rose.
Am I onto it?
Way to Give ’em Hell, Harry.
is at it again. The only thing Reid and this hack have in common is their fealty to rightwing Christian mythology. A lot of us were uneasy with Reid for exactly that reason, but it seemed as if he was able to overcome that source of bias the way Kennedy, for example, did. Now I’m not so sure. There’s no other explanation for his idiotic preemptive strike in favor of this undistinguished Bush crony.
Markos says this is all part of the brilliant “reverse psychology” strategy: Democrats all line up immediately with praise for the new nominee, driving a wedge into the Republican Party who can now no longer embrace her if them libruls like her.
Ummm…yeah. Or else it’s just another leadership failure by Democrats.
I’d be glad to be proved wrong here. But my track record of guessing is a lot better than Markos’.
He is a fool.
Tell me why Harry Reid opposed Roberts’ confirmation. …
for today’s ejaculation.
They did not give Reid enough time to get his lies straight…
Looks like the strategerie is:
He didn’t. Everything he said up until his vote showed him to be in favour of it. This seems to quite clearly show that he is a) working with the Bush white house and b) vote-swapping with more progressive Democrats to try and cover his ass.
Explains a lot of his nonsensical positions and inability to keep order by just enough to make opposition to the Republicans impossible, doesn’t it?
My kids don’t even believe that line of crap. Who cares if the like her or not if she’s a George suck-up with a lifetime appointment?
But by a preemptive strike in her favor, he’s crippling hard questioning during the hearings and putting opponents of confirmation on the defensive, when it should be her and Bush who are on the defensive. If that is Reid’s strategy, it’s a bad one, IMO. Dems keep trying and miserably failing to manipulate the nutcase Bush base instead of standing up for a real alternative. Looks like they’re at it again. I may never bother voting for a Dem again. Hell, I may not be allowed to.
cannot execute on the far simpler strategy of “let’s all vote together,” I see no reason to believe that they will suddenly run this more subtle, hypothetical plan with military precision.
I’m in a snarky mood…I guess Reid is keeping his powder dry for the next “more important” battle. Right?
for which Reid is keeping said powder dry is apparently the contentious and divisive fight around which taxpayer-funded retirement plan he chooses to leave Congress with a few years from now.
I haven’t read Markos’ opinion on that but I kinda sorta agree…kinda. During the WH press briefing, one of the reporters quoted some conservative columnist’s opinion on Miers and it wasn’t favourable. Although – in the grand scheme of things – one cannot ignore that she was Bush’s personal counsel (she’ll get away with non-responsive answers during the hearings by saying what Roberts did ie. “I was just doing my job”) and, regardless of what the Dems do, the Repubs will line up behind Bush’s butt again to give him what he wants. So, in the end, the Dems can do whatever the hell they want as far as strategery is concerned and it won’t make a difference to the final outcome. As we’ve already seen, however, what they choose to do will have a huge impact on their base.
I don’t think Reid was wise to state already that she would make a great addition to the court. He could have said he liked her and left it at that. You can like someone and still vote against them, but to endorse them for the court at this point is a mistake.
Markos says this is all part of the brilliant “reverse psychology” strategy: Democrats all line up immediately
Does this surprise you?
I know lots of people in the DC area who are like Miers, Roberts, and, let me throw in Hillary Clinton. Shapeshifters. Creatures of opportunity.
You can investigate Miers’ donation record; her activities; her legal career until you are blue in the face. Each and every action she has taken only has meaning in the context of what opportunity to advance herself existed at the time.
Creatures of opportunity rationalize their approach as “ideology-free”. Ideology is for suckers.
Does this surprise you?
What that Kos is an opportunist? No, it does not surprise me…
What I am surprisesd about is that he did not continue to predict with absolute certainity that the because of Reid premature capitulation Dems will re-take the Senate AND Congress in 2006 and are a shoo-in for Hillary Presidency in 2008… because “Swing Voters” will be so impressed by Reid charasmatic leadership of the Democratic Party that as we type… they are lining up with their wallets in their sweaty hands ready to join the party.
they are lining up with their wallets in their sweaty hands ready to join the party.
Everybody has a right to their idea of what is the best approach. In my opinion, all of the “ideology-free” fanatics will be responsible for the campaign work and donations for their new, ideology-free Democratic Party.
I think this new incarnation of the Democratic Party may be “vote-free” as well.
Another brilliant move done en masse by the Democrats in this chess game of political fate. They are so organized, unified, and smart! Someone pass the tequila, and fuck the lime – I have plenty of lemons, and I’m throwing the salt over my shoulder! My only consolation is that my husband took the link to work to military.com about the dismantling of the V.A. and his office building is burning to the ground right this minute as they have all been reading it this morning. Ah Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Headed to a firey hell all together now aren’t we?!?!
I would love to be a fly on the wall at your hubby’s office today…
It’s been ugly. Ugly accusations and ugly ugly ugly and then he emailed the link to every single person he works with or knows. The Ugly just grows!
magic ranch were Mummy and Daddy took all the sick and evil pets and they had just made it all up!
So even Bush voters know how Charlie Brown felt when Lucy took the football away, huh?
Maybe I should have more coffee before I weigh in here but Reid’s letter seems fairly innocuous to me. He likes her personally, has found her congenial to work with, thinks practicing lawyers could be useful on the court, and looks forward to finding out more about her. I don’t see commitment on his part here.
STFU until he does have some information. I’m not interested in whether he thinks she has nice titties or a pleasant smile.
who made gaggy nice to Roberts when he was first nominated but voted against confirming him, to my pleased astonishment.
As usual, when I first got this news I flew into a rage. But I’ve been thinking about the pit bull designation.
I was once a volunteer at the humane society shelter. We took in several pit bulls. I have gotten close to and loved many of them. My feeling is that you can train a dog to be vicious, just as you can a human, but underneath it is still a dog, and dogs are mostly about frolic and love.
I hope I’m not being foolish by consoling myself with the thought that Ms. Miers has the nature of a woman and the strength to escape and rise above her training.
This one doesn’t bother me as much as the Stepford chief justice. Miers will face a battle over serving her country or her master george. Poor thing.
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It could have been worse!
George Nominates His Intimate Friend
“Bush’s brain” wanted to make the state’s top court politically friendly for the man he was about to make governor.
You see – now you are happy with Harriet’s choice?
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I saw the name of your link included Karl Rove, so I didn’t click it and hence spared myself a small bout of nausea. 🙂
“Your ladyship, in the absence of any record relevant to the position to which you have been nominated, I’d like to get a sense of who you are from your other greatest achievements and known comments.
First, as a Supreme Court justice, would you favor buying Pick Four or Powerball?
Second, who do you think is more brilliant: George W Bush or Calvin Coolidge’s tapeworm?
And finally, your holiness, which strategy would you recommend to mediocrities who want to rise to the top: syncophancy or blind ambition? Which worked best for you? I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”
thinks it’s a plus – not a minus to have someone on the court without judicial experience…
Miers served with distinction as a trial lawayer..anyone with that experience makes me feel good..
fine lawyer, partner in a big law firm, first female pres of Dallas bar and TX state bar…devoted a lot of her time to people who need the umbrella of a lwayer..legal aid society, pro bono work…she’s a woman…
looks forward to the process…spoke to Leahy a few times today…expects the hearings to be dignified…
Q.: why go to bat for a Repub nominee?
A.: I don’t know if this is going to bat…just glad we have someone like her…
Q.: tell us why you recommended Miss Miers
A.: I think that’s a bit of an exagerration..I don;t know that I recommended her…just spoke to some people about her
Q.: (missed the Q)
A.: (responding that he didn’t know she contributed money to Al Gore)
Anyway, this post over at Free Republic is very interesting. See link
This guy makes her sound like a real fundamentalist. Uh oh.
overboard? Should he wait to support a SCOTUS nominee until Inauguration Day, 2009?
I’m not a democrat, so it doesn’t matter much what I think of Harry, but from what I’ve been hearing from people, it’s more than just SCOTUS nominations that are his problem….
What would be wrong with withholding support until a qualified candidate is presented and all relevant records are furnished? There’s nothing in the Constitution about how many “justices” have to be sitting.
georgia10’s diary over on dKos about the opportunities afforded democrats through the Miers confirmation hearing. While I agree with almost everything she says, I personally feel the likelyhood of ANY of it happening is an even bet with the entire adminstration up and resigning for the good of the country….
What do you all think? Is there a snowball’s chance in seven hells that the democrats will reverse their brilliant strategy of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and do anything the georgia suggests?
The short answer: No
They would even fight for the Roberts documentation… so I do not see them lifting a finger to question Harriet.
Again the Democrats seem more concerned with pulling the wool over their own bases eyesthan actually acting like an opposition party.
As I said in another comment, the Dems can bring up anything they want to during the hearings but Miers will hide behind the fact that she was just doing her job as a paid lawyer and adviser. She won’t have to state her personal opinions on any of those matters even though it will be strongly implied that she supports all of Bushco’s positions since she agreed to work for him.
As far as cirumventing the MSM through the questioning of Miers at the hearings goes, the public didn’t pay much attention to the Roberts hearings, so I doubt this will have much of a dent.
Any inkling of where she stands on abortion?
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The Global Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Committee provides an ABA-sponsored venue for energy law practitioners who wish to monitor, discuss and explore legal trends and developments that impact the practice of law within the oil and gas industry.
This Committee focuses upon many topics of interest, among others:
SUPREME COURT NEEDS A LOBBYIST ON BOARD FOR OIL & GAS EXPLORATION ISSUES?
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Oil and Gas and there’s the real reason she is being picked by BushCo!
How about this?
“As Staff Secretary, she acted as “the ultimate gatekeeper for what crosses the desk of the nation’s commander in chief”
We’ve been hearing for year after sickening year about how Bush has been “misinformed”, didn’t know, wasn’t aware, blablabla. He’s the most ill-informed fool to ever disgrace the White House. According to her own sycophants, Meirs was the one responsible for keeping him informed.
That makes her the either breathtakingly incompetent or the most demonic deceiver since Rasputin.
The hearing could go on for months with detailed questions like: “And as gatekeeper of information did you pass along the information that there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? Did you inform the president that there was no connection between Saddam and Sept 11? Did you pass on the information that there was a hurricane? Did you inform the president that the troops didn’t have enough ammo?
Well, fill in the rest. The hearing would present an opportunity to revisit every single lie, every “misinformation” that’s been excused on account of ignorance. It was Meirs’ job to keep him from ignorance.
If we only had an opposition party, life could actually start getting fun again….
Seems to me Bush and Reid have common ground in that both have, as their top priority, a desire to avoid a showdown on the Senate Floor via the nuclear option. It’s entirely possible this was worked out in advance.
Both realise taht however the midterms come out,the Senate is going to be closer, not further from 50/50 and neitehr wants to lose the filibuster…and i fit is lost on judicial appointments it will soon be lost on all matters.
Wikipedia already has a Bio going on her.
Check out this excerpt:
Let me update that quote a little:
“On abortion, choosing his words carefully”
Why is it people chose words carefully when all they have to do is tell the truth?
Oh yeah! Silly me.
The truth would sink her nomination when it comes to mainstream American values…
A little more:
And that is why he chose his words carefully…
Miers was a Democrat until the late 80’s and an “On again, off again” catholic until the early 80’s … And a has sinced become a GOP fundie.
This is the religious rights gift from bush. But in the end she is just another “oil” shill.
And our worst nightmare.
What does she know about bush’s involvement in treasongate… And when did she know it? lol
She’s the White House counsel. Clinton’s White House counsel was ordered to tell what they knew about billary, so… Come on, spill the beans?
OUCH!
And was she involved in decisions about torture?
OK, now I went and looked. That’s Karl Rove? ?
Rats, wrong place. I meant Oui’s picture up there ^