Is Reid already showing his hand — in Miers favor?

October 3, 2005

The Note reported this morning that “one senior Democratic source on Capitol Hill confirms to ABC News that Democratic Leader Harry Reid signaled to Bush that Miers would be acceptable.” A statement from Reid’s office suggests this might be the case.

“I like Harriet Miers. As White House Counsel, she has worked with me in a courteous and professional manner. I am also impressed with the fact that she was a trailblazer for women as managing partner of a major Dallas law firm and as the first woman president of the Texas Bar Association.

“In my view, the Supreme Court would benefit from the addition of a justice who has real experience as a practicing lawyer. The current justices have all been chosen from the lower federal courts. A nominee with relevant non-judicial experience would bring a different and useful perspective to the Court.

“I look forward to the Judiciary Committee process which will help the American people learn more about Harriet Miers, and help the Senate determine whether she deserves a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court.”

I don’t know about the strategy behind this, but it appears that Miers has not exactly triggered a guns-a-blazin’ response from Dems on the Hill.

October 3, 2005 at 11:30 am

Maybe the Democrats finally pulled a surprise move out of their hat. The political equivalent of a flea-flicker. I think, or rather, my hope is, that they realized they could use the unknown factor to drive a wedge into the existing Republican party split.

Short of a filabuster the Democrats have no way of stopping the nominee, but, if they can split the Republican party, not only will they then control the fate of the nominee, but they get to take the political high-road all the way through to the confirmation vote and, if they’re lucky, drive the wedge deep enough that it festers for, oh, about 13 months.

It’s probably just wishful thinking but the endorsement came so fast (I was still brushing my teeth) that it feels like it had to have been planned in advance.

C-box–unfortunately, I think the split move was from Rove.

He knows Reid scored points with the advocacy groups by opposing Roberts. He also knows that Reid isn’t personally a strong pro-Roe guy, and he probably figured that Reid’s statements about Miers somewhat inoculate her.

I’m almost at the point of opposition for its own sake (as many Democrats are already, I know). If Fitzpatrick starts throwing around indictments, Republicans will run from Bush and the administration will grind to a halt; at this point, why not roll the dice? But I worry that Reid and Miers have now been fused together, and the result will split our unity.

Why are the Dems being quite? Because they finally seem to be smart. Why rip Miers when the Right is already doing that?

The Dems need to keep their mouths shut as much as possible. Let the Right get all tizzied. If the Dems start bad mouthing Miers, the Right can get organized around a “Defeat the Left” banner.

Dajafi, I think Rove gets more credit than he deserves. Obviously both sides have to walk the line between moderates and the base. Our moderates are a lot closer to our base. But Reid being pro-life isn’t going to hurt himself with the endorsement so it doesn’t add up as a Republican plan. Time will tell how this plays out.

As for myself, I’m busy writing in a ringing endorsement for Miers on every right-wing blog out there. Why not add some fuel to the fire? 😉

Now Chatterbox, you know you’re not supposed to tease the wingnuts. They’re very high strung and they get snappy when irritated. If you get bit by one, the bacteria laden saliva will cause festering infection and slowly kill you.

Poke at them if you must, but Be Careful!

But I worry that Reid and Miers have now been fused together, and the result will split our unity.

dajafi, I agree that Democrats’ don’t want to be divided as a general rule, but I have to confess that I don’t think they’ve been united for a couple decades.

Comments are closed.