I dont understand liberals ...
Bolton is/was too mean and now this ...
This ‘niceness’ of Roberts is unnerving
By Reg Henry
President Bush’s nomination of Judge John Roberts for a seat on the
U.S. Supreme Court has put liberals in a quandary, which is not a
good position to be in. It is much like being in a quarry. Either way,
you find yourself between a rock and a hard place.
As conservatives leap about in celebration, liberals like me are left to
find a reason to oppose this nomination – and it’s not enough to
point to the general euphoria on the right. Liberals need to be able to
say plausibly: “This nomination raises serious questions,” which is our
standard objection to Republican nominations.
Usually, questions are raised after a search through the nominee’s
record.
President Bush has been obliging in this regard. Some of his notable
nominees have judicial records marked by a telltale trail of knuckle
dragging, with one case after another containing touching vignettes
featuring widows and orphans being rebuffed and prosperous
corporate gentlemen lifting their top hats to salute the bench.
Of course, I exaggerate (a little). But Judge Roberts has left only a
small paper trail, some opinion about a toad, I think, and who cares
about toads except their mothers?
Those looking to criticize Judge Roberts are reduced to looking at
memos he wrote long ago. How much can something written back in
the day tell us about a person now?
Another problem in opposing Judge Roberts is that, from all reports,
he is a genuinely nice guy, affable, cheerful, sunny and smart.
Did I say he was nice? Whenever he goes for a walk in the park,
puppy dogs strain their leashes wanting to rush up and nuzzle him. Of
course, he walks in a shaft of sunlight, even on rainy days. Bluebirds
seek to land on his head. Why, he’s so darn nice that bums in the
park stop to give him money, so touched are they by his modesty
and cheerful demeanor.
Apparently, he has been a paragon all his life. He was a model
student who was always awake in class, was unfailingly conscientious
and did his homework without complaint. I don’t know about you, but
I hated people like that when I was in school. If you ask me,
someone should have punched him in the nose for making the rest of
the class look bad.
I would humbly submit that we should take a closer look at his
preternatural niceness. It seems a little too nice to be nice. His
behavior raises serious questions about whether he is a sly
conservative.
I say this because I am regularly in touch with true believers on the right.
They like to send me e-mails brimming with disgust and bile but
delivered with a happy, sanctimonious air. This talent for vileness has
led me to form the impression – perhaps erroneous – that to be a
conservative is to be a bag of resentments held together by a feeble
string.
If you look at many prominent right-wingers – Bill O’Reilly, Rush
Limbaugh and Pennsylvania’s Sen. Rick Santorum – you will find folk
who have raised snarling to a high art and seem to take pride in
resembling the nether quarters of horses.
Yet here we have this happy, nice fellow nominated for the Supreme
Court. Go figure!
Another thing that is mysterious is why Judge Roberts doesn’t have
more of a record. Say what you like about most conservatives, but
they never shut up.
Yes, I know, he hasn’t been on the bench very long, but that doesn’t
explain it.
Obviously, when he was a boy reading some book of moral instruction
(when the rest of us were reading “Superman” comics), he came
across the proverb:
“Still waters run deep.” This ancient wisdom suggests to us the virtue
of keeping our big traps shut. If you are a quiet idiot, people will
think you are wise. If you are a quiet judge, the president will think
you should be on the Supreme Court.
Judge Roberts has kept nice and silent – and those concerned about
the direction of the court should not tolerate behavior that raises such
serious questions. If he gets on the court, he may bid all sorts of
protections adieu in a very nice and polite way – not just for toads
but for workers and women. As any gal will tell you, it’s the nice ones
who break your heart.
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Reg Henry is a columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Originally posted by socialist1917I can’t argue with your point, Roberts does not have a long history,
I must say, this guy has virtually no record, and there is not much liberals like myself can criticize him about. After he gets confirmed (which I am sure he will) we will see if he is "fair" like the Republicans say he is. Only time will tell.
which can be examined, but the author seems overly cynical to my
eyes. You have an open mind 1917 and I comment that. And the
truth be told Presidents have been surprised in the past on how
Justices have voted once they have sat on the bench for some time.