Samuel Alito is no extremist, but to hear the left wail and gnash their teeth you would think he was the second coming of "Hangman Heydrich" the simple truth is that any judge(except maybe a Ginsburg clone) would face the hostility of the Senate Democrats. The left knows that their philospohy isn't very popular. They have known it for a long time. That's why they try to run as moderates, and try to convince the people that they hold the same values as everyone else. The simple truth is that to run as a liberal, outside of Boston of San Francisco, is a quick way to be handed a loss at the polls. Which is why the left is so in love with the federal judiciary. They can do what they want and they don't have to answer to the voters. I bet Senator Reid wishses the Senate worked along the same lines. That's why they want to stop Judge Alito. Put him on the court and you have four liberals, four conservatives, and one weak minded moderate who can't make up his mind.
What they can't stand is that Alito will be confirmed, even if it is along a party line vote. My only hope is that Justice Stephens retires soon. But this hostility of democracy goes beyond the supreme court. In Maryland Circuit Judge M. Brooke Murdock overturned a law passed back in the 1970's that limited marriage between one man and one woman.(it's a sad commentary on our country that we need laws to spell that out to people) Never mind that the law was passed by the legislature, and the last I checked the legislature was elected by the people to pass laws. Now the Democrats are mad, not because a perfectly constitutional law was overturned by a dim witted judge, no they are mad because this could hurt them in this Novembers elections. Lt. Governor Michael Steele is challenging for a senate seate being vacated by Democrat Paul Sarbanes, and the democrats had hoped to retake the Governors mansion.
But Maryland, like most states, is opposed to gay marriage even if democrats aren't. If this is an issue in november it will hurt the democrats. They are hoping to bury the decision until after November, giving the people of Maryland time to forget about it, and then let the illegal decision become law. This is just more contempt for democracy and the voice of the people.
The far left cheers such decisions, and the judges that hand them down. It doesn't matter if they are illegal or unconstiutional. The cause matters more than the law does. The democratic politicians don't mind such decisions either. What they mind is all the attention they bring, and the fact that it makes them look like the bunch of left wing revolutionary zealots that they are. They are like inmates who aren't sorry for the crimes that they committed, no, they are sorry they got caught.
Let's hope that one of the legacies of President Bush is that he was able to bring some sanity back to the judicary. Some judges who understand the laws and the constitution would be nice. It would also be nice if the judges didn't act like legislators, but then I am probably hoping for too much.
