In a sure sign that the universe may be righting itself after a couple weeks during which the White House seemed to be uncharacteristically sloppy and off-balance, President Bush nominated conservative Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court this morning. Pundits and bloggers are scrambling to come up with talking points and are stretching out the sharp elbows for what looks to be a bruising fight, so let’s just jump right to the anger and calls for civil war, shall we?
Certain Slant of Light is ready to go, writing that “The GOP had better get the job done. There had better be splendid leadership and toughness of purpose. If, as expected, the Kennedy-led, mindless-Reid cabal is intent on all out war pitting the Left against the Right, then bring it on.”
Over at National Review‘s The Corner, Jonah Goldberg is also prepping for a fight, writing that “this is the guy. Cokie Roberts said a senior Demcratic senator has already denounced Alito as a ‘rightwing whacko’ or words to that effect. Nina Totenberg called him ‘filibuster bait.’ Even now, Federalist Society and NARAL types are running around town ducking their heads into barber shops and shoe shine parlors, shouting ‘It’s on! It’s on!’ Those inside throw down their newspapers, haircuts unfinished, and race to the law libraries … The seventh seal has been broken, the goat entrails point toward gotterdamerung, it’s on.”
Over at Bull Moose, which is partly sponsored by the Democratic Leadership Council, they essentially agree with Goldberg assessment, writing:
With the nomination of “Scalito”, the political forces are arrayed for an Armageddon-type court battle. After a brief diversion, the president has returned to the home base. The right is swooning and the left will be in a rage. The end of times battle has probably arrived.
This war between the bases will center on abortion and Alito’s sole dissent concerning the notification of husbands. It seems likely that this nomination will result in a filibuster and the deployment of the nuclear option. It is all so very predictable.
Everyone will play his/her designated role in this epic Washington confrontation. And the president has played the polarization card.
Stepping away from talk of the “end times” is Left in Lowell, who adds a little substance to the din, asking:
Where does Mr. Alito stand on corporate personhood and accountability?
Preserving Roe v. Wade is exceptionally important and enough to filibuster this guy’s butt any day, but the hidden danger in this cabal’s nominees is the fight against the worker and the environment and even the middle class in favor of big corporations. It’s modus operandi for these people to just give, give, give everything and the kitchen sink to their CEO buds. But I guess Roe is sexier, even post-Enron, for the media’s narrative, than the preservation of our American way of life.
So where does Mr. Alito stand when it comes to corporations?
And in some non-“Scalito” news, we have the Los Angeles Times‘ Michael Hiltzik, author of the “Golden State” column, who announced that he has started a blog through the Times. The point (as if you need one to blog) is to explore “how the sponsorship of blogging by the corporate media should work. Can a company that derives economic value from its reputation for literacy, judiciousness, and taste comfortably lend its imprimatur to an unfiltered online diary? … [T]his blog is a test of my hypothesis that the economic model of blogging will inevitably evolve into one that resembles the traditional, or ‘mainstream,’ media — complete with brand names and standardized formats.”
Watch out, Michael — those are fighting words to many out in the blogosphere who consider the words “business” and “mainstream media” anathema.
–Paul McLeary
Paul McLeary is a former CJR staff writer. Since 2008, he has covered the Pentagon for Foreign Policy, Defense News, Breaking Defense, and other outlets. He is currently a defense reporter for Politico.