Did Reid Trap the Right?
| By MattSinger - Oct 3rd, 2005 at 8:52 pm EDT |
| Also listed in: Campus Progress Blog |
We've all read the stories about the wingers plotting a conservative reactionary insane revolution against the White House after Bush's announcement today that Harriet Miers would be his nominee for Associate Justice.
Indeed, the howls have been so loud, it has left many of us to wonder, "Just what, precisely, is that they know about her that has left them so angry?"
My honest answer is that I don't know, except that she doesn't appear to be a complete nut herself and in many ways, her appointment is among the most heinous examples of cronyism possible coming just political moments after the Mike Brown/FEMA fiasco.
All of this has led Bush's online base into something of a revolt. And conservative luminaries are helping lead the charge.
And now we've got the Huffington Post saying that Bush nominated Miers on the advice of Harry Reid. Some conservatives are so angy they are apparently threatening filibuster (picture this: GOP filibusters, Reid invokes nuclear option, Asheesh rushes to DC to defend GOP right to oppose Bush appointment).
Did Bush just walk into a trap? The only thing he had left was the unswerving loyalty of RedState.org and their ilk. One RedStater is saying Bush is asking them to "read [his] lips." Ouch.
President Bush was sitting at 40-45% in the polls. Most of that support is from a conservative base that couldn't before be bothered to question the President. On this appointment, they are.
An opening has been made for a conservative Presidential aspirant to distinguish himself for the primary voters of Iowa and New Hampshire. The question is who makes it an issue. When do conservative Senators turn on their President?
And, when they do, how low do Bush's numbers go?
Indeed, the howls have been so loud, it has left many of us to wonder, "Just what, precisely, is that they know about her that has left them so angry?"
My honest answer is that I don't know, except that she doesn't appear to be a complete nut herself and in many ways, her appointment is among the most heinous examples of cronyism possible coming just political moments after the Mike Brown/FEMA fiasco.
All of this has led Bush's online base into something of a revolt. And conservative luminaries are helping lead the charge.
And now we've got the Huffington Post saying that Bush nominated Miers on the advice of Harry Reid. Some conservatives are so angy they are apparently threatening filibuster (picture this: GOP filibusters, Reid invokes nuclear option, Asheesh rushes to DC to defend GOP right to oppose Bush appointment).
Did Bush just walk into a trap? The only thing he had left was the unswerving loyalty of RedState.org and their ilk. One RedStater is saying Bush is asking them to "read [his] lips." Ouch.
President Bush was sitting at 40-45% in the polls. Most of that support is from a conservative base that couldn't before be bothered to question the President. On this appointment, they are.
An opening has been made for a conservative Presidential aspirant to distinguish himself for the primary voters of Iowa and New Hampshire. The question is who makes it an issue. When do conservative Senators turn on their President?
And, when they do, how low do Bush's numbers go?
!
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I just can't see Bush listening to a Democrat and taking their advice on a judicial appointment. The only way I could see that scenario happening is if Bush and company just did not believe they would get a real conservative through the court due to a Democrat filibuster. In order to avoid that, he might very well have played into the hands of Reid's suggestion, at the expense of pissing off his base. He was losing them anyway, and he quite frankly doesn't need them since he's already screwed his 2nd term completely.
This is going to be real interesting.
Todd
Todd
anyway, i don't think reid got played. keep in mind that the judiciary picks he recommended to w. were entirely of his own volition - he sat down one day, and said, "gee, i think i'll write up a wish list of who w. should pick for the judiciary". i think, then, that the fact that he went about it his own way decreases the odds of him having been a) pressured by the GoP or b) played.
maybe i'm just being hopeful. i'm still not sure where reid's going with this one... but i guess that's what the hearing's for.