Passing The Test
President Obama spoke about how he'll pick his Supreme Court nominee:
I don't have litmus tests around any of these [abortion-related] issues. But I will say that I want somebody who is going to be interpreting our Constitution in a way that takes into account individual rights, including women's rights. That is something that is going to be very important to me.
So in other words, he has no litmus test, he just won't pick a person who doesn't see abortion his way.
Presidents generally talk in platitudes when they discuss court nominees, but would it be that painful for Obama to admit he has a litmus test?
posted by LAGuy @ 12:23 AM
5 Comments:
He won't ask his candidates about how they feel about abortion because it's inconceivable anyone who doesn't support abortion could even be on his list.
His message is clear. He is trying o de-emphasize the issue. Supreme Court nominations shouldn't just be about abortion. While it is the only issue of importance to a certain coterie of shriekers, its probably not to most.
Many people link the polarization of American politics to the Roe v. Wade decision. Anon 2 may applaud President Obama for trying to de-emphasize the issue w/r/t the Supreme Court, but 500 years from now there will be debates about why and whether the S.Ct should have resolved such a political issue under the guise of Constitutional analysis. I can't think of another issue ever before the Supreme Court that raised so severely the spectre of political opinions being imposed on the populous as if they are fundamental rights under the Constitution.
As a matter of fact, I am not opposed to legalized abortion, at least through the first tri-mester, and would vote accordingly if given the opportunity. But the Supreme Court essentially chose to decide the issue of when human life begins by reference to a document (the Constitution) that says absolutely nothing on the topic. Since some people believe abortion constitutes the involuntary killing of a human life, the right to which is supposed to be Constitutionally protected, you can see how the decision sparked the win at all costs attitude that now prevails political events in America.
Left to a political resolution, abortion today would probably be a de-emphasized issue. a handful of states would ban abortion, a majority would allow it subject to a variety of regulations, as supported by majorities of the electorate in the various states.
Of course he's trying to de-emphasize the issue. It's political dynamite. Nevertheless, he has a litmus test on abortion. It would be really refreshing to hear him--or any President--tell the truth about these things.
Every party has their litmus test, and doesn't ask their nominees about it. And yes, LAGuy, if he admitted a litmus test, it would be very, very painful.
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