This is a turning point. I’m not gonna cry that it’s the end of the world, but I think this is the point from which a lot of liberal reforms are no longer possible because they will be killed by the supreme court. I think this is the final nail in the coffin of a political tradition that started with The New Deal. To see the likes of it again, will require a similar period of crisis. I don’t think that would even do it, though. Our civic tradition and our belief in democracy are not nearly so strong in 2005 as they were in 1905. Those bulwarks barely contained the threat of fascism 75 years ago, I have my doubts as to whether they could do so in the future, given their diminished status today.

I’m disgusted by Byrd for voting for him. I’ve lost all respect for the man. Five years of railing against an unconstitutional regime and he confirms a justice who would rule nearly all of Bush’s violations of the law within the president’s authority. Forty two senators felt strongly enough to vote against the guy, but at least a couple of them didn’t feel strongly enough to filibuster.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 31st, 2006 at 3:44 pm and is filed under Big "P" Politics, electoral politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.