Plausible Deniability and the Confirmation of Judge Roberts

Why are Republicans and their fellow travelers so a'scared of Bush's Supreme Court nominee opening his yapper?

For weeks they've been running ad campaigns to soften the public to the idea of a content-free confirmation and now Republican Senators are openly begging John Roberts to say as little as possible.

The bizarro ad campaign, and rhetoric from Republican talking points parrots, promotes the logic that since Republicans were so nice to give Ruth Bader Ginsburg a free pass, Roberts is entitled to the same rubber stamp. 

But Republicans own the Senate.  They have the votes to confirm anyone Bush desires.  And they know that the Democratic filibuster threat is easily dealt with, if in fact the Democrats ever decided to stand on principle.  So if they have an easy majority, why all the mum?

Republicans, unlike Democrats, can and do actually win state-wide elections in places where their party platform is hugely unpopular.  With all the talk of the Democrats' fortunes being lost with the South many Democrats don't see that the Republicans' success has been grounded in the North.  In fact, Republicans control the government agenda because of five New England Senators from some very blue states.  The defection of Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords reversed power in the Senate and New England could swing it again.

With only 13 states inclined to re-criminalize abortion, the so-called "pro-life" position won't win very many Republican Senate seats.  The Republican Senators from blue states, most of whom declare themselves pro-choice, have profited from never having to confront the abortion issue either on the Senate floor or even in a contested election.

The amoral voters, the ones who gladly take their tax breaks and pretend they needn't worry about the breach of privacy by their government, may actually start to worry.  And in a 51/49 political world, that worry doesn't bode well for Republicans.

Even the most degenerate of the anti-abortion Senators has to know that once abortion becomes a national political fight their power and agenda are gone.  Perhaps permanently.

So, as long as Roberts keeps his mouth shut, as long as he doesn't expose himself as the final nail in the coffin for Roe v. Wade, then blue state Republicans have their cover: they can vote for him with no repercussions.

However, should Roberts hint too strongly at a rightward activist bent then the easy vote becomes kryptonite to the careers of politicians who have benefitted from the abortion issue being off the table.

Roberts' silence can ensure plausible deniability to all Senators, even if he morphs into Darth Vader as Chief Justice.  Republican Senators don't want a fair hearing, they want ignorance.  This is not a fight they can win: not if they have to fight each other.

Comments

this is nothing more than a joke