U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is upset about President Obama’s comments that a Supreme Court decision to overturn the health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act, would represent “unprecedented, extraordinary” judicial activism. Senator McConnell said today that the president is trying to “intimidate” the Supreme Court:
“With his words, he was no longer trying to embarrass the Court after a decision; rather, he tried to intimidate it before a decision has been made. And that should be intolerable to all of us.”
Oh, cry me a river.
Senator McConnell is ignoring the right’s decades-long assault on an independent judiciary. Last year, for example, Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich suggested that judges who make decisions he think represent judicial activism should be arrested. Gingrich has also said that judges who engage in what he calls “judicial supremacy” should be impeached.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry also attacks what he considers judicial activism and argues that judges can be held “accountable” by ending lifetime tenure. He even calls the Supreme Court “nine oligarchs in robes.”
Religious-righters have been especially abusive in their attacks on an independent judiciary. Phyllis Schlafly, head of the far-right group Eagle Forum, frequently lashes out at “judicial supremacists.” The 2010 platform of the Texas Republican Party (which has been under the religious right’s control for nearly two decades) attacks an “activist judiciary” and calls for removing from office “judges who abuse their power.”
And few things anger religious-righters more than court decisions upholding a woman’s right to choose to have abortion and overturning laws against sodomy and same-sex marriage. The Texas GOP platform, for example, urges “Congress to withhold the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction in cases involving abortion, religious freedom and the Bill of Rights.” The message to judges, of course, is that politicians might limit their authority if they don’t make the “right” decisions in controversial cases.
If Mitch McConnell is really worried about folks trying to “intimidate” judges, perhaps he could call out some of the folks in his own political camp.
If President Bush (W) said almost EXACTLY what President Obama said nothing happened and nothing was said. However, our president isn’t lilly white. Nuff said?
McConnell is a huge bag of wind; if someone poked a hole in him he’d get down to the size of a Macy’s Thanksgiving balloon.
What ANGERS me is that the Pubs think it is quite appropriate for one of them to say something to or about SCOTUS but if our president says something WHOA! He has to be stopped. Impeach him! Better yet, let’s have a good old-fashion hanging. Hell, the president ain’t white, it’s okay to hang black people, ain’t it?
I try not to watch or read anything about the Pubs because my blood pressure shoots WAY up because of my loathing for them. I would that there was a stronger word than loathing but my thesaurus said there isn’t.
I try to never “hate” anyone but the Pubs just are not a bunch that can be easily loved or even liked.
As a resident of my area of Texas I have NO REPRESENTATION WHAT SO EVER. I have no representation in the state or federal arenas. None, zero, nada. They’re all Pubs and I’ve stopped even trying to talk to them.
I just pray that the idiots who make up the American voters will stop and THINK before they vote again. Put a DEMOCRAT in as president again and give him a DEMOCRATIC house and senate so we can stop this idiotic and selfish thing of bringing the United States to a screeching halt. The Pubs cost us our AAA rating by playing like school kids in a brothel. (Huh?) Come to think of it, that is exactly what the Pubs are: Whores!
Whores roll over and give whoever will pay them enough money and give the client what they want. The Pubs kiss the super wealthy wherever they are told to kiss them. Then they roll over and vote NOT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO SENT THEM TO WASHINGTON but to the highest bidder. Whores!
I’m going to sleep; wake me up when the Democrats sweep into victory.
Many people do not realize this, but Thomas Kinkade’s real name was Samoth Edaknik. Yes, whenever Mitch McConnell opens his mouth it screws my brain and requires me to take more meds. A person can only take so much.
One thing I forgot to mention: Ronald Reagan did EXACTLY what President Obama did. Why is it okay for Pubs to say something and not the Democrats? Gawd, how I loath Republicants.