For Supreme Court, GOP picks conservatives, Dems pick moderates. Why?

[Bluebear]

John Aravosis ponders: Bush didn't flinch with Alito and Roberts, both were quite conservative, no questions asked. Sotomayor, on the other hand, and Kagan, are hardly as liberal as Alito and Roberts are conservative. Why are Democrats always less Democratic than Republicans are Republican? From the NYT:

The selection of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to be the nation’s 112th justice extends a quarter-century pattern in which Republican presidents generally install strong conservatives on the Supreme Court while Democratic presidents pick candidates who often disappoint their liberal base.

Ms. Kagan is certainly too liberal for conservatives, who quickly criticized her nomination on Monday as a radical threat. But much like every other Democratic nominee since the 1960s, she does not fit the profile sought by the left, which hungers for a full-throated counterweight to the court’s conservative leader, Justice Antonin Scalia.

http://www.americablog.com/2010/05/for-supreme-court-gop-picks.html

[blue_onyx]

1. Because recent Dem. Presidents have been moderates

[Sebastian Doyle]

2. Same reason as anytthing else wrong with this party

the Damn Lunatic Cowards strike again. :evilfrown:

[DJ13]

3. Probably because we dont elect real liberals for President

Oh sure, they can talk the talk to win, but once sworn in they turn into milquetoast "centrists" who spend every day trying really hard not to anger the right.

[City Lights]

46. !

:thumbsup:

[HughBeaumont]

4. Set the bar low enough; eventually, we'll all have gummi spines.

More like Bewsh/Reagone picked reactionary fascists and our Democratic presidents picked Eisenhower conservatives.

I've asked this question again and again and again and again and again and have never received an answer: Shouldn't a judge, by principle, be apolitical?

[NJmaverick]

5. You are confused because you are operating from a faulty assumption

Dems have appointed liberals while the Republicans have appointed Conservatives. Stevens was the one exception. Interestingly enough the swing votes like Connors were Republican appointments. As to why the court leans to the right the answer is simple- We have FAILED to keep the Republicans out of the White House. Republican 8 years + Republican 4 years + Democrat 8 years + Republican 8 years = right wing SC

[T Wolf]

10. There are NO liberals on the court. And certainly no one anywhere near as far to the left

as the fascist four are to the reich. I do not think there has ever been any Supreme Court Justice as far left as the current crop of cretins is to the right.

Only someone who views Obama as a liberal would look at the court and see liberals.

[Green_Lantern]

19. Ginsberg isn't a liberal?

Please explain that.

[Ter]

6. Only W. picked two conservatives

Reagan picked two moderates (Kennedy and O'Connor), and one conservative (Scalia). Poppy Bush picked one liberal (Souter, not even a moderate!), and one conservative (Thomas).

[Bluebear]

8. Yes, as the article starts off, 'Bush didn't flinch with Alito and Roberts'

[Ter]

12. It also says in the title "GOP picks conservatives"

W. is just one example.

[Bluebear]

15. OK so your point is, the GOP usually picks moderates?

I don't get it.

[kelly1mm]

18. Chief Justice Warren was appointed by Eisenhower and, more

recently, Justice Bryer was appointed by Bush I. I believe that was the point.

[Ter]

28. My point is Bush II picks conservatives-only

The rest from Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Poppy Bush have mixed it up.

[Bluebear]

34. Yes OK thanks for your perspective

[Tesha]

37. Souter *ISN'T* a liberal.

He only looks that way in contrast to the Cro Magnons on
the right half of the court.

Tesha

[Ter]

38. He was a lot further left than the so-called moderates (Kennedy and O'Connor) were

He wasn't Stevens though, true. He did side with more liberal justices very often though.

[Scuba]

7. Because most of the Dems are as corrupt as the Republicans

[UndertheOcean]

9. Because most Dems are right of center , won't you people effing GET IT ALREADY

Want a progressive vote for Nader or someone from the Socialist party .

Even Kucinich is only slightly left of center.

[Lorien]

21. Some of us "get it"

but so far there's no place else for us to go-and they damn well know that. :-(

[ultracase24]

42. I get it but

I see here we are working against very skilled....well...I ain't going to say it.

[Hippo_Tron]

11. Because the religious right is a lot more successful than the organized left

When the organized left can deliver voters and political organization in the same quantities that the religious right and talk radio can, then you will see very liberal Supreme Court justices. The religious right is so powerful that the Republicans have to nominate ultra conservatives or their organization will collapse. Democrats don't rely on the organized left in this manner.

[NecklyTyler]

27. A little Fairness Doctrine is needed to level the playing field in the AM radio sector

The right wing has owned a whole segment of the broadcast spectrum for 20 years. This country needs some rebuttal time during the day long indoctrination to break up the brain washing that is going on.

A continuous spiel from one political side without a corresponding offset from the other side creates a poisonous political environment

[opihimoimoi]

13. THE GOPs RUN in the Sun is about to end this NOV...the politicalization of the Court

has cost us too many lives and treasure

Stopping the 2000 recount was so devastating its impossible to calculate...it led to 8 years of BUSHIES and SHOOTERs massive fuckups...

We can do better....elect Democrats not Grumpy Pubs

[David__77]

14. Because the Democratic Party is a centrist party, and the GOP Is a rightist party.

The left still has a long way to go in really capturing the Democratic Party. It started in 2002 or so, but we have much more work to do.

[WeDidIt]

16. Both Sotamayor and Kagan are liberals,

regardless of assertions to the contrary.

[Tesha]

39. You'll forgive me if I don't take *YOUR* word for it. (NT)

[WeDidIt]

45. Believe what you want

People are free to live in fantasyland if they so choose.

[muffin1]

47. My dear,

you are not paying attention!!11!! Just yesterday, he told us that he is left-wing liberal!!1!! :)

[Tesha]

50. Oh!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[villager]

17. Timorousness and fear

n/t

[treestar]

20. This country is not far left enough

That's why it's funny for a small minority to feel entitled to push everyone else around.

[ultracase24]

43. exactly,

why dont these liberals stop bitchin and complaining and enjoy their beat down :eyes:

[treestar]

51. Why don't they do something constructive to move the country leftward

Instead of pouting and threats?

[samsingh]

22. because we - me included - wimp out in these situations

[Green_Lantern]

23. it's because of the court's makeup...

You have 4 conservatives and 4 liberals or anti-conservatives and Kennedy is odd man out. The anti-conservative part of the court needs a Kennedy vote.

Otherwise the rulings would be 4-4-1. That breakdown isn't concerning to conservatives because laws denying civil liberties wouldn't be overturned.

[slay]

24. Because modern Democrats are pro-corporate and conservative. Not tea-bagger crazy, but conservative

non the less. There are no liberals allowed anywhere near seats of true power in Washington. Best we get are Kucinich and Grayson in the House. The Dems LOVE our liberal votes, but after they are elected, we are of no use to them.

[kenny blankenship]

25. Republicans pick candidates their base loves; Dems pick candidates the Republicans will tolerate

Heads they win, tails we lose.

Why? Because our elites aren't that different from their elites. Economically, socially they are much closer together than they are to the bases of either party. They agree on the most important stuff - the economic stuff that never gets talked about in campaigns. And they would never want to do something rash that would ruffle their colleagues' feathers and which would get them called ugly names that could prevent them from getting in certain clubs or boards.

[elehhhhna]

26. 1) Learned helplessness. 2) Stockholm syndrome? 3) BO is an old-fashioned

"conservative".

4) aLL OF THE ABOVE

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

29. "Change" = Politics-as-Usual aka Bi-partisanship aka Caving to the right.

[Rex]

30. They are scared to stick a liberal on the court, only Rwingers get that

privilege with Scalia and Thomas.

[Odin2005]

31. Because both parties are OWNED by the Corporations.

[mmonk]

32. Three letters

DLC

They run the party. They say, pretty much, love it or leave it because you have no where to go.

[KonaKane]

33. Because the Left in America has never had real power

And shows no sign of gaining it any time soon.

[Motown_Johnny]

35. GOP are ideologues, Dems are intellectuals

[ultracase24]

36. because liberals and progressives have been told to go jump off a cliff

short answer.

[amborin]

40. K&R

[Doctor_J]

41. Because the country is very close to fascism

One election away.

[howaboutme]

44. Because both Parties are Korporatists

Both Parties serve the commercial corporate and banking interest masters. The Parties use "progressive and conservative" labels as a means to rally their minions politically. The media uses them to make money and mask their corporate agendas. We are puppets in the process.

[arcadian]

48. Because of the ever rightward shift of this country

Democrats today are pretty much the same as Republicans of 50 years ago.

[Dappleganger]

49. Because Democrats feel a need to apologize continuously...

by catering to the RW and the middle.

[Egnever]

52. Because dems dont believe our courts should be driven by ideology?

Well except for the nutbags on DU.

[amborin]

53. because there's so little daylight between their policies