MIERS: On the "EXTREME end of the ANTI-CHOICE movement"?

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

While everyone else is reading tea leaves about Harriet Miers, a woman named Lorlee Bartos says she doesn't have to. Bartos ran Miers' first and only political campaign back in 1989, and she tells the Dalls Morning News that she knows firsthand about Miers' political views.

"She is on the extreme end of the anti-choice movement," Bartos says of her former client. "I think Harriet's belief was pretty strongly felt. I suspect she is of the same cloth as the president."

-snip-

Bartos tells the Morning News that Miers supported abortion rights as a young woman but then had a "a born-again, profound experience" that caused her to change her mind. Perhaps that's what the president had in mind yesterday when he said that he knows Miers and knows her "heart."

- By Tim Grieve at
http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/index.html?blog=/politics/war_room/2005/10/04/miersabortion/index.html

:grr:

[Jersey Devil]

1. "Same cloth as the President"? So what would that be?

As far as I can recall, whenever Bush was asked about choice he always dodged the question. Sure, he winked to the right wingers who were anti-choice, but has Bush ever come out to say clearly that he thinks Roe should be overturned?

[rodeodance]

2. recall that Miers was WH counsel during the late term abortion debate

also. Per Russert on msnbc today.

[Jersey Devil]

4. That is an entirely different issue than overturning Roe

Roe does not cover late term abortions and there are pro choicers who are against them. It doesn't answer any questions imo.

[pointblank]

3. Does anyone here

seriously believe for one fucking second that Bushie Boy would nominate anyone who WASN'T vehmently anti-choice?

If so, please report to sector 7 for re-education. Thank You.

[Jersey Devil]

6. Of course not, but that is not really the point

She has no track record and once someone with no track record is appointed, for life, and begins to realize the amount of independence they have, the hope is that they begin to express their own opinions rather than those of the people they have been working for.

Ike assumed Earl Warren was like him. JFK assumed Byron White (who voted against Roe among other things) was like him. Bush 39 assumed Souter was like him. With no record, these sorts of things can happen. I am not talking "stealth." All I am saying is that once on their own and no longer beholding to anyone, sometimes they begin doing and saying things that are different from what was expected.

[crispini]

7. "No longer beholden to anyone."

How do you know that will be true of Miers?

I doubt it, for two reasons. 1) Her demonstrated personal loyalty to Bush. 2) There is dirt on her somewhere, and Bush probably has it. Actually, Bush probably CAUSED it. Her law firm has ties to TRMPAC (Tom DeLay's PAC). She was Chair of the Texas Lottery and has ties back to that whole TANG thing and Ben Barnes.

This one smells to high heaven. There is a scandal here somewhere. And the effect of that scandal will be to cause Miers to vote Bushco's way on a crucial vote. Remember the Florida decision in front of the SCOTUS? Naked, openly partisan decision.

What these picks are doing is politicizing the SCOTUS.

[Jersey Devil]

9. I don't disagree with you, simply saying, as Chuck Schumer said

yesterday, "It could have been worse."

Look, we simply do not have the votes to stop anyone Bush appoints. I'd rather take my chances with her then someone like Priscilla Owens.

[crispini]

10. Why don't we unite with the wingers who dislike her

and bring her down not on the grounds of ideology but on the grounds that she's tainted by her shady past? Maybe the wingers could force Shrub to withdraw her nomination?

I am wondering if I really might prefer a winger to someone so clearly in the pockets of Shrubco. I really think she's a "made woman" in the Texas Republican Mafia.^TM

[Jersey Devil]

11. It might wind up the same as sending back a mediocre bottle of wine

and then getting a bottle of Ripple instead.

I have my own viewpoint on these things having seen the heads of colleagues of mine who are lawyers swell up to the size of prize pumpkins after being appointed to the bench. Suddenly, and this happens quite often, they are totally different than the person you knew before they were appointed. Add to that a life appointment (most judicial appointments are for, say, 5 years at a time) and you have a recipe that needs no yeast to swell to tremendous proportions.

[crispini]

12. Ripple ... LOL!

Certainly food for thought. I can see how the realization that "I am a Supreme Court Justice of the United States" would be heady stuff. It would tend to make you think that you really CAN do anything. For a person of sterling character, hopefully that would translate into an opportunity to serve justice and do good, impartially.

Here's one thought, though. With her lack of constitutional scholarship background ... and everything that I've heard about her that says she's a "follower" .... might she not simply wind up as a mini-Scalia? a la Clarence Thomas, who, from what I've heard on the boards, seems to make his decisions by copying off Scalia's paper, so to speak. :)

[Jersey Devil]

14. That is possible, but I think not likely

The "I am a Supreme Court Justice" ego thingy takes over and they begin to think of the "legacy" thing just like a President I think is more likely. Once they decide what they want to do then they have to carefully choose their law clerks who, for all intents and purposes, are the ones who really write the opinions anyway, subject to some tinkering.

It is hard to explain to people but when Mier went to law school the empahasis on legal education at that time was to train people to think as Supreme Court Justices would. Today there are much more practical applications such as teaching them the nuts and bolts of trial practice, real estate closings, etc., but back then all you did was study judicial opinions and essentially write them for your finals and bar exams.

There is no such thing as "judge school". Any intelligent, accomplished lawyer should be able to handle it in my opinion.

[crispini]

15. Interesting.

I feel a bit better.

But my muckracking little heart still wants to drag out all her dirty laundry. :evilgrin:

Nice chatting w. you. :hi:

[mzteris]

5. "Miers supported abortion rights

as a young woman but then had a "a born-again, profound experience" "

Probably that abortion mommy or daddy forced her to have even though she personally didn't want one.

[booksenkatz]

13. Born again experience = menopause

Once you don't have to worry about conception anymore, it's easy as hell to be anti-choice. At least if you're an I've-Got-Mine Repub who defines your political positions SOLELY on your own personal situation and couldn't care less that others may not be as fortunate as you are.

[sam sarrha]

8. "Knows her heart"...apparently that comes from Banging her "Ass"