but do they want Barack Obama making those appointments?

That’s a trick question, right? :)

Emptiness staring into the abyss. Our country will follow the same path. Be careful and be afraid.

McCain ought to sign up for an intro macro and micro-economics class.

All he has to do is read two books: Basic Economics and Applied Economics, both by Thomas Sowell.

The top five issues for me: USSC, energy/economy, taxes, immigration, national security.

Conservatives have legitimate issues with John McCain — but do they want Barack Obama making those appointments?

For me, this is not the question that we should be asking. My issue with McCain is that I don’t believe he feels strongly about certain issues that he talks about and, as a result, I don’t believe he will fight for those issues when President against a rabidly Left and majority Democrat Senate.

John McCain can talk all he wants about certain issues which are dear to the hearts of conservatives in order to fool them into believing he actually cares about those issues (when in fact, in my opinion, he simply is giving lip service to them to earn votes, in the same manner Obama is giving lip service to earn ‘moderate’ and ‘independent’ votes).

But the issue is that we need a leader on these issues, not someone who doesn’t care about the issues, but knows he needs to take a side on them for the sake of earning votes. Once he gets into office, will he continue to fight for these issues against the Democrats? Or will he do what he has done for the past 8 years and simply ‘reach across the aisle’ and make deals with the Democrats, screwing over conservative issues?

I lost respect for John McCain when it came to conservative issues a long time ago. And no bit of lip service on the issues is going to convert me or have me ‘warm up to him’ or ‘bring me closer’ to him. Unless he makes it clear that he will fight for these issues, because be believes wholeheartedly in them.

And the only issue on which it is clear he cares deeply about is Amnesty. As a result, I am voting for him, because he will destroy this country less than Obama, but I am not under the false hope that McCain gives a rats rear end about fighting for issues such as conservative Justices (of the likes of Alito and Roberts). He has been backing down to the Left for years now. I don’t see that changing if he becomes President.

So we conservatives better hope that we can withstand the first two years of his Administration and then get many more conservatives elected in the Senate in 2010.

How about it Michelle, any hope that that power hungry politician, Juan McCain, will sit down for a real interview? I doubt he will.

Key problem is that his is just another of the same arguement McCain supporters have been making..

Its not that McCain is good, its that Obama is bad.

In McCain’s constitution its OK for the government to limit Freedom of Speech.

In McCain’s constitution the Feds don’t HAVE to defend our borders.

In McCain’s Constitution the government always gets bigger.

In McCain’s constitution its OK to invade another country WIHTOUT a decleration of war.

And worst off, in McCain’s constitution its now OK for the Feds to hold huge amounts of land unconstitutionaly and hoard its wealth, while the people go broke (land should belong to the states, not the Feds).

Yes, McCain will try to put up Justices in line with HIS intertretation of the Constitution, but that does NOT make him an origionalist.

Romeo13 on June 28, 2008 at 11:01 AM

I don’t agree with all of this, but for the sake of argument let’s say it’s all true. The fact is that there is not a “McCain school” of judicial thought. He’s not a lwayer. He’s already said that Fred Thompson will vet his judicial nominees. Any Supreme Court nominee he gets to name will likely be a sitting appellate court judge who was appointed by President Reagan or Bush 41, or possibly a Senator like John Cornyn. We’ll have plenty of time to examine those nominees and voice our opinions. We got Harriet Miers un-nominated and ended up with Samuel Alito, and Alito was confirmed by a Democratic Senate. Let me remind you that Barack Obama voted against Alito and against John Roberts.

The point here is that if Barack Obama is elected, we will get Supreme Court Justice Laurence Tribe, David Boies, or God forbid, Hillary Rodham. Or whoever was that assclown Chief Justice in Florida who tried to give the 2000 election to Al Gore. And that person may replace Anthony Kennedy or even Antonin Scalia. It’s not a given that the first Justice to die or retire will be Stevens or Ginsburg.

1) The most likely retirees are from the uber-lib 4. If McCain nominates even moderate Justices we are no worse off. If the Dems won’t confirm, he can actually leave the seat empty, giving us 4.5 to 3.5, better than the 4.5-even we have now.

2) Some Obama supporters are already demanding he expand the court to 11 seats. So we could be faced with a 7-4 court stacked hard left.

Six months ago I said you’d have to waterboard me to get me to vote for McCain. By the time November gets here, I won’t even have to cover my nose with both paws.

I think the Heller decision may be the single thing that gets John McCain elected. I would wager that the vast majority of Americans prior to Thursday really did not understand how precarious their fundamental rights are. Now they do, or they will if the Republicans play this properly. So far, I am encouraged.

Barack Obama voted against John Roberts and that vote alone disqualifies him to be President in my opinion. He can’t run away from that vote or shade it or blame it on his staff or some “inartful” statement. His philosophy of judging lays bare his anti-democratic instincts and his fundamental distrust of the people.

misterpeasea on June 28, 2008 at 11:32 AM

So by your reasoning we should surrender and get a Ginsberg instead of trying for the outside shot of a Roberts and maybe getting a Kennedy or O Connor who will exercise some restraint at least.

That makes none too much sense methinks.

I would trade Ginsburg and Stevens for two Kennedys any day.

And if he does, how in the world is he going to get them past the Senate?

Its not that McCain is good, its that Obama is bad.

In McCain’s constitution its OK for the government to limit Freedom of Speech.

In McCain’s constitution the Feds don’t HAVE to defend our borders.

In McCain’s Constitution the government always gets bigger.

In McCain’s constitution its OK to invade another country WIHTOUT a decleration of war.

And worst off, in McCain’s constitution its now OK for the Feds to hold huge amounts of land unconstitutionaly and hoard its wealth, while the people go broke (land should belong to the states, not the Feds).

Yes, McCain will try to put up Justices in line with HIS intertretation of the Constitution, but that does NOT make him an origionalist.

According to Ben Adler, the conservative base has begun to warm to John McCain on the issue of judicial appointments.

Maybe, but he pushes many away with his idiotic, stubborn stances on illegal immigration, global warming, campaign finance, and a host of other past transgressions and other issues. He isn’t just content disagreeing, he’s gotta be a total dick when it comes to disagreeing with conservatives, never does that with the left, though.

I think this sums up my feelings.

And let’s remember the newest “swing” vote – Kennedy – was put in under a Republican president (Reagan no less). So there is no guarentee on this particular argument. The argument now is a bit more nuanced.

Will McCain nominate strict originalists or take his opportunity at appointments to “reach across the aisle”? McCain has said he would nominate the right type and he has voted to support those (though he also voted for the lib justices too).

It’s a matter of trust now, and McCain is on shaky ground at best when it comes to that. Will he or won’t he?

I have no love for McCain; far from it. However, I am leaning more towards McCain because of the judgements handed down recently.

There are still many months between now and November for McCain to solidify – one way or the other.

Will Boumediene and Heller bring conservatives closer to McCain?

It’s not just conservatives. If you can convince the average Democratic voter to take the issues in Boumediene and Heller seriously, they will also be quite dissatisfied with these decisions and perhaps vote for McCain. While I would ordinarily find talking about Heller gutter-level demagoguery, I’m sure that there is a high-minded way to bring the case to people’s attention. If emphasis is kept on the micromanaging of state decisions and not killing the pedophiles, the issue can breached without Democrats accurately sensing a distraction.

My question is assuming that McCain becomes President AND assuming he appoints Scalias and Janice Rogers Browns, not Souters or O’Connors, exactly how will he get them out of a hostile Senate Committee chaired by one Patrick Leahy or confirmed by a Senate composed of a Boxer, Feinstein, Schumer, Kennedy and my very own Klobuchar?
Let me know.
I’m stumped.

Amendment X on June 28, 2008 at 10:49 AM

Here’s a standard answer:

With Obama it will be worse, and his nominees will be confirmed.

Here’s another:

The “people” will have to help the President, and go over the heads of the Congress. Just like the people had to “help” Bush and McCain over immigration reform.

I think the days of leaving the running of the government to professionals (politicians, journalists, lobbyists) are over.

volsense on June 28, 2008 at 10:46 AM

Stinging.

The anti-Bush, anti-Republican sentiment is simply too strong. Election Day is their day of revenge — for the Florida recount, for Swift-boating, for all the injuries, real and imagined, dealt out by Republicans over the past eight years.

The Constitution be damned, Election Day is Payback Day for many if not most on the Left.

Be prepared folks as I think we’re going to lose this one in November. The Left simply wants it more and nothing is going to prevent them from voting otherwise.