Why Harriet Miers' Supreme Court nomination is relevant anew

[LetMyPeopleVote]

As Justice Samuel Alito’s public reputation reaches new depths, it's worth remembering that he wasn't George W. Bush's first choice for the position.

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/harriet-miers-supreme-court-nomination-relevant-anew-rcna153923

But as I read the Vox piece, I was also reminded of a detail that often goes overlooked: When George W. Bush tapped Alito to succeed Sandra Day O’Connor on the high court in 2005, the far-right jurist was the then-president’s second choice.

Bush’s first choice was Harriet Miers.

Her nomination was, by any fair measure, a tough sell given her professional background — which did not resemble a typical Supreme Court nominee in any way. Miers had served as Bush’s personal attorney during his tenure as governor, for example, when she wrote him charming notes, telling him he was “the best governor ever,” who was “cool” and “the greatest.”

Once in the Oval Office, Bush brought Miers with him to the nation’s capital. In 2001, she was named the White House staff secretary. In 2003, Miers was promoted to deputy chief of staff, and in 2004, she became White House counsel. A year later, Bush took the next step and made his former lawyer a Supreme Court nominee......

I covered the story closely at the time, and there was plenty of mockery of Bush and his poor judgment. But on Capitol Hill, the Democratic message went in the opposite direction. NBC News reported the day after Miers’ nomination was announced:

... Bush insisted that “people are going to be amazed at her strength of character and intellect.” But that left open the question: If Miers is a classy, top-of-the-line conservative, then why was Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., beaming in contentment at his press conference Monday when he proclaimed that in nominating her, Bush had rebuffed “the very extreme wing of his party”?

Democrats didn't belittle Bush for choosing an unqualified Supreme Court nominee; Democrats were relieved that Miers wasn't Alito.

The New York Times’ Ezra Klein noted on Threads yesterday, “There’s a reason [then-Senate Minority Leader] Harry Reid tried damn hard to get Harriet Miers on the Court. He thought anyone else Bush would nominate would be worse, and he was right.”

Rolling Stone’s Tim Dickinson added, “Wonder what life would have been like if Harriet Miers joined the court instead of Alito.” I have the same thought all the time.

[bucolic_frolic]

1. She was a sacrificial lamb

Once they rejected her it would be nigh impossible to reject the next one too, especially from a popular president at that time.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. I remember! Thanks for posting!