Kagan may be Obama's Choice, but she will be Right of Retiring Justice Stevens...

[Blackhatjack]

When you think of how many progressive Democrats worked endlessly to help get President Obama elected, you know that the upcoming Presidential Nominations to the SCOTUS were a factor.

Elena Kagan may turn out to be a great member of the SCOTUS, but today she appears more moderate in her opinions than the retiring Justice Stevens who she is replacing.

We always knew Repubs would make it difficult to put a liberal on the SCOTUS. But when the shoe was on the other foot, Repubs succeeded in placing Alito and Roberts on the SCOTUS. Just because it is hard is no reason to drop back and choose a moderate.

Let's hope President Obama understands this and makes the right choice.

[FreeJG]

1. And does this surprise you?

[frebrd]

5. Doesn't surprise me at all. n/t

[WeDidIt]

2. Kagan is an ideal choice

Nominating somebody with clearly liberal policy making or court decisions is political suicide.

[Sebastian Doyle]

4. Because all of the constant pandering to the right wing since 1981 has worked so well

:sarcasm:

[WeDidIt]

16. You need to join reality

You have no fucking clue what you are saying.

[Blackhatjack]

6. Of course you felt that way when Roberts and Alito were nominated, right?

Everybody knew Roberts and Alito were staunch conservatives even if they did consistently pretend to be moderates.

This is where you look Repubs in the eye and say if you try to kill this nominee and do not grant her/him the same deference Dems showed your nominations of Roberts and Alito, we will do exactly what you threatened to do back then --- we will change the rules regarding filibusters and vote them with a majority vote.

I am sure there are many hours of taped comments of Repubs that could be replayed ad nauseum showing that is exactly what Repubs said and did.

[WeDidIt]

15. Conservatives require a much smaller portion of the moderate block

to form a majority.

Conservatives need just over one-third of the moderates to form a majority.

Liberals need more than two-thirds of the moderates to form a majority.

[The Stranger]

11. No, nominating a conservative is political suicide -- and worse, because she'll serve for life.

[WeDidIt]

14. If you consider Kagan a conservative

you have one whacked out definition of conservative.

[CreekDog]

12. What? They are going to call her liberal anyway

Might as well get something out of it.

Deciding what to do based on what the other side will say about it is LOSING.

I say this a lot. :banghead:

[WeDidIt]

13. She would actually be confirmed. n/t

[Jim Sagle]

3. That's the change we got..

[Beetwasher]

7. How So? Please Give Me An Example

How is she further to the right? What would she decide differently? What do you base this assertion on?

Or is this just your gut feeling?

Oh, and just because she's taken cases where she's had to argue a certain point, doesn't mean that as a judge she would rule that way. Lawyers jobs are to argue in favor of their client, regardless of their own personal views on the subject.

[HughMoran]

8. She's a right-winger

There, I've said it ;)

[dionysus]

9. i suppose this kagan deal will be next weeks excuse for a mass diaper fill.

:shrug:

[Blackhatjack]

10. I and no one else 'knows' what kind of Justice she will be on the SCOTUS if nominated

But her record does not indicate a liberal judicial philosophy.

The OP simply compared her to the Justice she is replacing, and no one would suggest she is at or left of Stevens.