Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan

[Edward theurj Berge]

Jonathan Turley says bout Kagan’s nomination:

 

“President Barack Obama said he wanted to honor the legacy of Associate Justice John Paul Stevens with his nominee. If so, he has chosen to honor it in the breach with a nominee who is likely to dismantle a significant part of Stevens’ legacy. As with Justice Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama has decided to nominate someone who is demonstrably more conservative than the person she is replacing –moving the Court to the right.”

 

See more at his blog. So what's up with Obama and his continued moves to the right?

 

[William Harryman]

My guess is that we will not see a real liberal on the court for decades - there is no way the GOP would confirm a liberal justice. Hell, they may oppose Kagan, and she's a centrist. Obama is playing the cards with which he thinks he can win.

Oh yeah, Obama is NOT a liberal, never was.

[Edward theurj Berge]

Rachel Maddow tonight looked at this nomination. She noted that the White House is trying to sell Kagan as a non-ideological pragmatist that is capable of building coalitions with those whom she disagrees. Lawrence Lessig was a guest and he reiterated this defense, noting her time at Harvard and how she did exactly that. (And also that she really is a progressive.) But Rachel then showed a clip of Kagan as Solicitor General arguing before the SC and the Chief Justice challenging her to the point of outright rejection. Another guest (name escapes me) made it clear that the 5 conservative justices on the court will in no way give an inch to such pandering...I mean coalition building. They are extremely ideologically conservative and not amenable to such consensus with liberals. Hence it it questionable whether this defense will hold water.

It might have been better to get exactly the kind of ideological liberal that she will replace. But as Bill notes, Obama is not and has never been a liberal. That many still think he is are in denial and should by now get this obvious point from many of Obama's actions since being in office, this as yet another example.