August 30, 2005

Will Democrats follow the lead of the liberal group Alliance for Justice?

The liberal group Alliance for Justice is officially opposing the Supreme Court Nomination of John Roberts. That’s about as shocking as seeing cows in a barn. I mean, we knew this was going to happen. The real question here is just how much are the democrats willing to follow their lead? Already, the liberal special interest group People for the America Way is against Roberts.

Democrats, especially the liberal ones like Kennedy, Schumer, Leahy, and Durbin are simply going to hammer Roberts on the abortion issue, on rolling back civil rights, on women’s rights issues. You watch. Many have predicted it won’t be that ugly. I disagree. I think the Democrats are ready to bask in the limelight of hearings that will be televised nationally, and they must come through as tough on the nominee to satisfy the liberal groups. I think conservatives tend to do the same thing. It’s the game that’s played in Washington.

The fact of the matter is that many Congressmen know where their bread is buttered, and they don’t want the donation money to stop coming in. Plus, and maybe the real important point here, is that they agree with these groups. I mean, we make a big deal about how Democrats are being led down this road by the interest groups. But the liberals on the Senate Judiciary Committee aren’t being forced down the road. They concur with most of what these special interest groups believe anyhow.

I’ll be reporting from Capitol Hill next week on the Supreme Court Confirmation hearing. I’m looking forward to it. They’ll be a lot of grandstanding by senators on both sides but in the end, I’m looking forward to a frank discussion of judicial philosophy. Will Judge Roberts answer all the questions? Absolutely not. Not even close. He’ll defer citing that he may have to rule on certain cases on that topic in the future. Democrats will raise their eyebrows and complain. Republicans will say it’s the smart thing to do.

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