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Lindsay Graham announced his support for Elena Kagan to become the nation’s 4th female Supreme Court Justice today, in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on her nomination. Kagan will clear the Judiciary Committee later today.
In his remarks announcing his support, Graham said that “There’s plenty of reasons for a conservative to vote no, but there are plenty of reasons for a conservative to vote yes,” and while he didn’t agree with Kagan’s judicial philosophy, he felt duty-bound to support the nomination because of Presidential prerogative. He said that while he would have made a different choice for the Court, he will honor the 2008 election by supporting a qualified nominee.
That’s a curious statement for Graham to make, since he has participated in virtually every filibuster of Obama nominees for executive branch positions, or has at least not spoken out about obstruction of those positions. He voted to filibuster David Hamilton, Obama’s first judicial nominee for the 7th Circuit. He voted to filibuster Kathleen Sebelius. He has no compunction against using the filibuster on Obama nominees. But this pose makes him look wise and responsible to his Beltway admirers. They’ll remember him saying that “the last election had consequences” but not that he tried to nullify those consequences over and over again.
Kagan’s nomination will pass out of the Judiciary Committee today. Democratic leaders, and the White House, would like to see the nomination confirmed before the August recess.
UPDATE: The nomination passed, 13-6.
UPDATE II: After the vote, both Harry Reid and Barack Obama looked forward to a full Senate vote “before the August recess.” That would be within the next 2 1/2 weeks.
21 Comments
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Watched.
I thought Senator Franken hit the nail on the head
“judicial activism exist”
And then Durbin gave Graham kudo’s but said he is sometimes hesitant to do this publicly because the Repubs then use his comments in their campaign adds. Durbin mentioned Senator Grassley
Welcome to the Imperial Presidency.
The champagne is popping in Tel Aviv.
He won the election….
Another great bipartisan victory for Mr. Bipartisan. I guess the strategy really works.
Completely predictable. This is another instance of when Obama wants something he gets it, another done deal, another third rate choice, another reason not to have voted for Obama in the first place.
…Kagan’s judicial philosophy?
And lied his ass off to do it. This is more of that change we can believe in I suppose.
To be a solid defender of our corporatist elites and the Imperial Presidency.
Philosophy?
Graham is getting positively obstreperous. The Tea Party will have a fit.
OT the economy is doing great for the plutocrats, just not the working and middle class. United Health Care profits up 31% in last quarter.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/unitedhealth-raises-outlook-as-profit-rises-31-2010-07-20
Keep rolling that giant boulder up the hill…
Sen. Graham and Pres. Obama are politicians, doing political things, evaluating how much they can disappoint/piss off their bases, and the maximum amount of change they think they can bring off consistent with getting to hold the Precious.
I’m still part of Obama’s base (still have the Obama/Biden 2008 bumper sticker on my 14 year old car), and I don’t see a better alternative except for ‘more [better] Democrats in Congress’ – meaning minimizing losses at this point, I guess – but if he evaluates the political tipping point as being that far to the right, it’s discouraging, to say the least. YMMV
And saddles us with this pick for the next 30 years.
Should work out well for President Liz Cheney.
Linsdsey Graham emerges as the soul of Republican moderation and reason?
Heat wave is over, boys, because Hell just froze over.
The base is dwindling.
I think she’s more of a political opportunist and self-interested self-congratulatory unprincipled suck up than you give her credit for being. She’ll only be in favor of imperialist policies to the extent that there’s something in it for her. Luckily for the Exec branch – she’s really really good at making it so that there is something in it for her.
Of course Graham voted for her – he and Obamaco have been hard at work, together, to enshrine torture in all branches of gov – not just the Exec and Legislative branches. Kagan is a big “SUCESS” button flashing for them.
She’s a worse pick than Clarence Thomas – she’s basically Roberts, without the sansabelt golf slacks.
I see lots of alternatives. For one thing, McCain as President would have never been allowed such a bad and such a grossly, on its face, purely political, pick – one that was deliberately intended to let torturers and mass felons off the hook for politics sake.
I know – I can see the edge from where I sit. Sounds like it might be even closer once I go back and read the background for Mary’s post.
I think the adjective is more applicable. See number 7 below (nothing personal MaryCh):
From Merriam-Webster
Base
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English bas, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin bassus fat, short, low
Date: 14th century
1 archaic : of little height
2 obsolete : low in place or position
3 obsolete : bass
4 archaic : baseborn
5 a : resembling a villein : servile b : held by villenage
6 a : being of comparatively low value and having relatively inferior properties (as lack of resistance to corrosion) — compare noble b : containing a larger than usual proportion of base metals
7 a : lacking or indicating the lack of higher qualities of mind or spirit : ignoble b : lacking higher values : degrading