GOP rift looms over high court nominations –Evangelicals should keep quiet

[kskiska]

Some want evangelicals to keep quiet during fight

WASHINGTON -- As liberals and conservatives gear up for a multimillion-dollar battle over a potential Supreme Court vacancy, a growing divide on the right threatens the unity of President Bush's coalition: Conservative legal scholars want their evangelical allies to keep quiet and take a back seat in any nomination battle.

Evangelical attacks on judges over the Terri Schiavo feeding tube case backfired on Republicans, polls taken in the spring indicated. Now, many conservatives fear the religious right could hurt the party's cause by using faith-based arguments about abortion, same-sex marriage, and the separation of church and state to promote a Supreme Court nominee.

Instead, many Republican lawyers with close ties to the White House are determined to present such a nominee to the country in the religiously neutral terms Bush used in last year's campaign: as a judge who ''knows the difference between personal opinion and strict interpretation of the law."

''We should be looking for outstanding jurists, not ministers," said Victoria Toensing, a Justice Department official in the Reagan administration.

(snip)

''I've got an e-mail list of 150,000 grass-roots activists, and as soon as the president nominates somebody they're going to want the first e-mail from me to be everything I know about how good this individual is likely to be on the values issues these people care about," said Gary Bauer, a longtime standard-bearer for the religious right.

more…
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/06/26/gop_rift_looms_over_high_court_nominations/

[DanCa]

1. Why did the moderates vote for the shrub?

They new that chimp face would put an evangellical on the supreme court. But then agiain I have a question.
Why would anyone want to vote for the social security stealing, enron dealling, war mongering, skipped out of nam and ran to the gaurd whinning, christian bastardizing, homophobic embryo lover, and all around skanky brain dead trash bag bottom feeding fear monger wanna be cowboy is beyond me.

[TheFarseer]

4. Too many repukes are single issue voters

Some people only want to stop abortion and they will put up with their job getting outsourced and their son being killed in Iraq to get it. Some only want their taxes cut and they will put up with Iraq and all this religious fascism to get it - you get the point. These people can't consider the whole package for some reason. They love GW because he half-heartedly tried to outlaw same-sex marriage and blame someone else for Iraq and outsourcing and whatever else. I can't stand single issue voters! People that stupid shouldn't be allowed to vote!

[DanCa]

8. Agreed

There are issues within our party i disagree with . I am not going to name them but its "Not" gender or oriented related issues. I am pro choice and pro gay marriage. I am not going to turn my back on senator a if he doesnt vote my way on one bill. Glad to see am not only on this.

[Walt Starr]

16. Sorry, but it's undemocratic to make such a requirement

If you are to have democratic principals reign in elections, you must accept the single issue voters with the multi-issue voters. That's how it works.

[TheFarseer]

20. well, it wasn't a serious statement

it's the frustration talking

[K-W]

10. Because there wasnt a prominate conesrvative alternative. EOM

[GOPBasher]

11. You ask very good questions.

I wish I knew the answers to those. :shrug:

[Media_Lies_Daily]

14. As far as I know, only the voting machines actually voted in 2004....

...human voters have become irrelevant.

[48pan]

2. My Prediction

If it's O'Connor, * will nominate Gonzalez
If it's Renquist, * will nominate Hatch and choose Scalia for CJ

[DanCa]

3. I keep telling myself

That this is beyond my control and try to stop from stressing over it. How are you guys coping?

[48pan]

5. I'm ignoring it. Why obsess about something...

you can't change? Besides, I'm not to hep on the latest decision of the SCOTUS anyway. If somebody tried to take my house to build a mall I'd be pretty damned mad.

[TheFarseer]

6. tell yourself, if it's Renquist it's not that big of a deal

we trade conservative for conservative.

[DanCa]

9. Thanks guys

I feel a little better.

[Walt Starr]

17. Either way, nothing changes on the court.

It would be business as usual.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

7. 'Evangelicals' and 'quiet'

Two words I thought I'd never see in the same sentence.

[Dover]

12. Interesting. Had dinner with a couple the other night...one Dem the other

Republican (yes they DO manage to live/love together despite the divide). Anyway, it seems the Republican husband, who had once been a staunch defender of the GOP, spent much of this meal complaining about the GOP and in utter disgust of the handling of the Shiavo case (and Jeb's continuing interference), Iraq, and the economy.

Nice to have been able to simply sit back and enjoy my meal, while someone else (in this case a Republican) mades all my salient points for me.
Ahhhh........a very nice dinner.

[iconoclastic cat]

19. And yet, Mr. Republican will still vote for Republicans.

[CatholicEdHead]

13. Many are pushing for a extreme conservative

because the apparently "move left" after they are appointed. Take this eary June Wisconsin Public Radio show with a right wing nut suggesting to do just that.

http://clipcast.wpr.org:8080/ramgen/wpr/jca/jca050603b.rm

"7:00 AM

Joy Cardin - 06/03B

Congressional members have compromised on the confirmation process for President Bush’s judicial nominees. After seven, Joy Cardin welcomes syndicated columnist John Leo, who says Bush shouldn’t respond by nominating centrist judges.

Guest: John Leo, columnist for U.S. News and World Report. “Picking the next Justice,� (Tuesday Wisconsin State Journal)"

[cally]

15. Bauer only has 150,000 on his email list?

That doesn't seem to be that many. Doesn't moveon have close to a million?

[Rainscents]

18. MoveOn has over 3 millions!

[cally]

22. No wonder the RW is always trying to paint moveon

as wacky. They're :scared: That's incredible that moveon has 3 million. Thanks for the info.

:yourock:

[mom cat]

21. So now they are ashamed of their evangelical bretheren!