ChrisWeigant.com

Cue The Sound And The Fury

[ Posted Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 – 16:07 UTC ]

With apologies to Dave Barry for stealing his bit, I've always thought that "Signifying Nothing" would be a good name for a rock band. [That previous sentence, by the way, signifies exactly nothing -- it was what, in the theater world, is known as an "aside."]

Which, in the roundest of possible ways, brings us to President Obama's first nominee for the Supreme Court. But before we actually get there, we must detour 400 years to William Shakespeare, for the original quote. Macbeth, just after hearing his wife is dead (and just before his world's foundations crumble by being told that Birnam wood was indeed coming to Dunsinane), utters the following:

She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

President Obama's pick of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court has been heavily anticipated by the Republican Party, and now that it has arrived, they are about to unleash their pent-up sound and fury by excoriating Obama's choice for being so far to the left that Marx himself would have been astonished and alarmed. Whomever Obama had nominated would have set off almost exactly the same reaction, in my view. Because the Republican Party (and, to be fair, the Democratic Party when it's their turn at bat) just loves a good confirmation battle. It tosses red meat to the base, it raises oodles of party contributions, and generally allows for an enjoyable free-for-all over principles and hot-button issues -- which the media then just eats up with a spoon.

The fact that in all probability Obama is going to see his nominee approved has little to do with the fun of the battle itself. Republicans know they're going to lose this round. They don't really have any prospects of derailing the nominee, but that doesn't mean they won't enjoy trying.

Hence my usage of: "sound and fury, signifying nothing."

Now, some are attempting to downplay the coming storm of pique from Republicans. A White House "senior administration official" was quoted saying the following about their preparations for shepherding Sotomayor's nomination through the Senate: "I hesitate to use the term 'war room,' because we're not expecting a war."

It was not reported whether he or she said this with a straight face, however, or whether loud guffaws immediately followed.

Time magazine sees the situation through the same rosy-colored glasses:

The media and conservative activists might be spoiling for a Supreme Court nomination battle, but the choice of Circuit Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor to fill a high court vacancy is a classic Obama decision that makes the chances of political smooth sailing a near lock.

The article goes on to predict the confirmation hearings will "seem more like a lovefest than a legal firing squad." Obama, in their view, "faces a Supreme Court-pick process that has been drained of the tension and combat that has characterized such moments in the past several decades," because "the social issues that used to fire up the right when it came to judicial disputes have lost some of their power, with the economy in the dumps and younger citizens drifting toward the left."

As if this weren't enough, Time further predicts "there are plenty of smart conservatives who will, by midday Tuesday, have done the political cost-benefit analysis: at a time when Republicans are trying to demonstrate that their party can reach beyond rich white men, what mileage is there in doing anything but celebrating such a historic choice?" The article ends on the following sunny note:

But unless Administration background checkers failed to find what they needed to know about Sotomayor's history, those spoiling for a battle are not going to get one. Most Republicans will squelch their first instinct to go to the mattresses and instead follow the President's pathway: avoid a fight.

The article did not, however, note what color the sky was on the planet where the author lives. Ahem.

Part of the problem in predicting what Republicans will do in the upcoming confirmation fight is that there are Republicans and then there are, well, Republicans. By that, I mean there are the Republicans who will actually be voting -- Republican senators -- and then there is the rest of the party. And Republican senators may indeed not put up as strong a fight as some expect -- mostly because they know it will be a losing battle. They may choose to be fairly reasonable, in the end.

But then there's the rest of the Republican Party. And "reasonable" is not the word I would use to describe today's Republicans. They are simply not going to "avoid a fight" or perform a "political cost-benefit analysis." And they'll be selling ice cubes in Hell before rank-and-file Republicans start "celebrating such a historic choice."

Supreme Court judicial political battles are for the hardest of the hardcore, from either party. Most people don't pay much attention to them, but those dedicated to politics see them as the political equivalent of the Crusades. This time is going to be no different, I would wager. Republicans will be flooding the airwaves for the next few months (by interviews, and by campaign-style ads) with how Sotomayor represents evil incarnate, and must be stopped. Democrats will half-heartedly fight back -- because they know they've already won the real battle.

But the Republicans run an enormous risk by doing so. They will appear to be proving their "Party of 'No!' " status, they will be seen as attacking a Latina, and attacking a woman. All wrapped up in one package. Further alienation from public opinion is the risk they run, with multiple demographic groups.

With the Republican Party already teetering on the brink of total irrelevancy, vocally and fiercely fighting Sotomayor does nothing to pull them back from this edge. Time, in my overworked Macbeth metaphor, may be the messenger who enters with the news that Birnam wood is on the march. Which is the omen the witches prophesied would lead to Macbeth's ultimate downfall.

Alienating Latinos -- or perhaps I should say "further alienating Latinos" -- may sign the death warrant on the Republican Party. There is one state left with a large percentage of Latinos which, up until now, has been a solid Republican state of late. All the other states (excepting John McCain's Arizona, who can be excused for voting for their home-state candidate) with a growing Latino electorate have already flipped to the Democratic column. The one remaining state is a doozy, too -- with a hefty 34 electoral votes. And if Texas goes Democratic, the Republican Party may well have lost the White House for a generation.

Of course, all of that is rosy-colored glasses of a different hue, so to speak. As I said, most people just don't pay that much attention to the Supreme Court nominees. But I have to at least point out the possibility that the Republican Party's hour for strutting and fretting on the Washington stage may be drawing to the point where it is heard no more. While legions of Democrats would loudly cheer "Out, out, brief candle!" if this came to pass, there is another possibility, one that always exists in prognosticating political outcomes.

And that is that I am the idiot telling a tale which will ultimately end up signifying nothing. Only time will tell. So I exit (stage left) for now, and leave you until to-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow....

 

-- Chris Weigant

 

14 Comments on “Cue The Sound And The Fury”

  1. [1] 
    Chris Weigant wrote:

    Extra credit question for Michale: see if you can spot the Star Trek reference in the article.

    Hint: it has nothing to do with the sentence that has the word "planet" in it...

    :-)

    -CW

  2. [2] 
    fstanley wrote:

    I just hope that this nominee has paid her taxes!

    ...Stan

  3. [3] 
    Osborne Ink wrote:

    I think the GOP base will go into collective apoplexia when Justice Ginsberg dies (or resigns, due to ill health).

  4. [4] 
    Michale wrote:

    @CW

    Extra credit question for Michale: see if you can spot the Star Trek reference in the article.

    Hint: it has nothing to do with the sentence that has the word "planet" in it…

    You KNOW how to make me read and absorb every word, don't you! :D

    Because the Republican Party (and, to be fair, the Democratic Party when it's their turn at bat) just loves a good confirmation battle.

    Talk about stealing my thunder!!! :( hehehehe I love it when there is so much hypocrisy to point out. You should read Lanny Davis's column, whining about how the GOP should go with the Up/Down vote they wanted back when it was Bush's nominees. Did the Dems go along with an Up/Down vote back then? I don't think so...

    As to the Trek reference.....

    Macbeth, just after hearing his wife is dead (and just before his world's foundations crumble by being told that Birnam wood was indeed coming to Dunsinane)

    This COULD be a reference to the episode CONSCIENCE OF THE KING (a thoroughly excellent, yet under-rated episode) but I don't think so. That's too general & obscure...

    AHA!!!! My instincts were right..

    While legions of Democrats would loudly cheer "Out, out, brief candle!" if this came to pass, there is another possibility, one that always exists in prognosticating political outcomes.

    If I recall correctly (and I swear I haven't GOOGLED this) "Out, out, brief candle" was what Lenore shouted after she had accidentally phasered her father, Koridan (AKA Kodus The Executioner) to death in the afore mentioned CONSCIENCE OF THE KING episode...

    Or I could just be totally off base on everything. As has been known (on very VERY few occasions) to happen. :D

    Michale....

  5. [5] 
    Chris Weigant wrote:

    Michale -

    Here's a big hint: the reference is from The Original Series. No movies, no subsequent series. Think TOS when you go through the library in your mind...

    :-)

    -CW

  6. [6] 
    Michale wrote:

    So, I am guessing the CONSCIENCE OF THE KING reference was a no-go?

    OK, getting out the Photon Torpedoes for this one! :D

    Michale.....

  7. [7] 
    Michale wrote:

    To get back on topic for a moment (I think I need to "phone a friend" on the Star Trek issue. :D) there are some legitimate concerns with Sotomayer.

    For example, the has a 66% overturned rate. Many of her judicial decisions fly in the face of logic and law.

    There is also the statement she made, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

    Imagine a white GOP male Justice Nominee saying, "I would hope that a wise White man with the richness of his experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a Black female who hasn't lived that life."

    The Left would go absolutely beserk.

    So, what's with the double standard???

    Michale.....

  8. [8] 
    Michale wrote:

    Ooooo Sneaky Sneaky....

    I hadn't recognized the "Tomorrow Soliloquy".

    This soliloquy forms the basis for the Star Trek Episode ALL OUR YESTERDAYS. In the episode, Kirk is thrown into a planet's past. A past that resembles 17th Century New England and the Salem Witch Trials.

    The title of the episode comes from the soliloquy and the soliloquy forms the basis of the "moral" of that particular episode. Namely that, when one gives into irrational fear, one is usually blinded to the reality.

    Once again proving beyond any doubt that there is nothing worthwhile to be learned that cannot be learned from Star Trek..

    Full disclosure... I had to "phone a friend" to get a hit to the relevant connection..

    Michale....

  9. [9] 
    Chris Weigant wrote:

    Michale -

    Yeah, to be honest, I didn't know where the "all our yesterdays" quote came from, but when I was pasting it in I spotted it.

    The penultimate original series Star Trek episode is one of the better ones, where the Enterprisers meet a "librarian" (hence the "library" clue up there...) named "Atoz" (it's a joke... "A to Z"... get it?) on a planet that's about to be destroyed by a nova. All the residents have fled to the planet's past through a time machine.

    It's a great episode, and now we'll all know where they got the title from... learn something new every day!

    :-)

    -CW

  10. [10] 
    Michale wrote:

    If you liked that episode, you should catch the ST Novels, Yesterday's Son and Time For Yesterday.

    Seems that Spock and Zarabeth got jiggy with it and had a son... :D

    Two of the finest Star Trek novels ever written.

    Michale.....

  11. [11] 
    Michale wrote:

    Getting back on topic...

    I had asked before why the double standard with Democrats and Republicans??

    Here is another example:

    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/29/career-lawyers-overruled-on-voting-case/?feat=home_cube_position1

    Mr. Miyar declined to elaborate about any internal dispute between career and political officials, saying only that the department is "committed to the vigorous prosecution of those who intimidate, threaten or coerce anyone exercising his or her sacred right to vote."

    Apparently they only are willing to "vigorously" prosecute when it's Republicans who allegedly engage in voter dis-enfranchisment...

    The hypocrisy is astounding and the acceptance of this hypocrisy, even more so...

    Michale.....

  12. [12] 
    Michale wrote:

    After the 2000 Presidential election, Democrats complained about voter intimidation in Florida by pointing to a police car that had been two miles away from a polling place. The police didn't do anything to anyone, but their presence was deemed sufficient to vaguely intimidate people en route to the polls. In this case, the New Black Panther Party actually blocked access to a poll.

    Unlike the Florida incident, this case involving the New Black Panthers screams out for tough justice. Instead, the Obama administration looks the other way. This all but invites racial violence at future elections.

    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/29/protecting-black-panthers/

    The silence from the Left is deafening...

    Michale.....

  13. [13] 
    Michale wrote:
  14. [14] 
    Michale wrote:

    {chiirrrpp} {chiirrrrpppp}

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