Even though wide and deep support for President Bush and his nominee, Harriet Miers existed throughout the nation, a narrow cabal of those on the far right and the left, sprinkled with a small number of doubting Thomases in between, made enough noise to drive their concerns over and above the quiet majority that continues to support President Bush.
Are You Happy?
The firestorm of media reports exclaiming the fatal weakening of the Bush presidency has only just begun. Now, every decision he makes, on other nominees, the war, the economy, Social Security will be leavened by the political wounds inflicted on President Bush by fellow conservatives. Here we are, less than a year into the President's second term and the fractures from this debacle will creep slowly into the bones of our political body, hastening the lame duck status of President Bush and neutralizing his leadership.A New Nominee: History Is Not Kind
Miers is the first Supreme Court nominee to withdraw since Douglas Ginsburg, the replacement for the defeated Robert Bork, withdrew in 1987. President Reagan, the previous two term Republican President, faced a similar weakening in his authority and nominated Anthony Kennedy to the bench. Kennedy went on to join the left of center majority on the court in decisions which conservatives have decried ever since.Should the President nominate someone more evidently conservative, like my first choice Janice Rogers Brown, he will face a united Democrat Party with a badly divided Republican Party unable to muster any greater support than we managed for previous nominees. Does the Barabas wing of the Republican Party have the strength to carry a nomination forward on it's own? NO! And if that quiet majority that IS the true base of the Republican Party rightly decides to remain silent, the likely outcome will be another unity candidate, even less appealing to the right whiners who sunk the Miers nomination.
Not One More Dime to RNC?
Should the President nominate Janice Rogers Brown, or another conservative with appeal to the right whiners, then I expect the folks at Confirm Them.com and other Barabas hot spots to walk back from their threats to abandon the Party and put their money where their mouth has been the last few weeks.I have documented a number of the comments from these folks and I can tell you, that before I offer financial or other support to confirm a nominee to the liking of the Barabas wing, I will expect to see the folks who threatened to burn their membership cards in the Republican National committee post receipts of their recent donations at their web sites.
Many of us, who do represent the broader base of the Republican Party and the broader conservative movement (you know, the voters you need to WIN an election) would be justified in taking our marbles home and letting the right whiners of the Barabas wing carry the battle this time. But that's not likely to happen since the real base understands it's mature obligation and loyalty to Party, President and nation transcends narrow sectarian interests.
Do You Support President Bush?
I was proud to say "I support the Miers nomination" and have that support registered in the online blogger tally here. I would now call on fellow conservatives to join me in saying "I support President Bush" with no ifs, ands or buts. If you cannot manage that sentence without qualification, then I suggest you begin practicing how to say "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi" and "President Hillary Clinton."One more time:
I Support President Bush!
- In the Miers debacle Republicans have turned the old rallying cry: "Give them an up or down vote"upside down.
- Republicans in the Senate have overturned the principle of protecting Executive Branch documents.
- After witnessing this latest episode can we know expect our GOP Senators to grow a spine and defend an even more controversial nominee?
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