your village voice

Miers is Good (Trust Us)

Before the diehard conservatives and radical liberals mobilize, let me put this down for the record: I do not have a strong opinion on Bush's nomination of White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the US Supreme Court. As a matter of fact, I think this is one of the few political events where I am uninterested.

But as is commonly the case in Washington, the reactions are unbelievable. Both conservatives and liberals are frustrated with the lack of judicial records to figure out her political and ideological leanings. She is even more cryptic about her viewpoints than new Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. There is a threat of independent opinions in the Republican Party. What ever shall we do?

Enter Michael J. Gaynor of The Conservative Voice. As is common among the blindly faithful, he claims the reason for conservatives to vote for the Miers nomination is because Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich says to. And why does trusty, partisan, retired Newt say to? Because Bush says to:

Newt knows, and dares to publicly state, what some conservative critics of Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers who have never run for public office (unlike Ms. Miers), either do not know or do not admit:

"Conservatives should feel confident with the selection of Harriet Miers to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court for a simple reason: George W. Bush selected her."

Newt recognizes the disappointment of many conservatives with the Miers nomination, how that disappointment has played into the hands of the leftist media, and that, in the case of the Miers nomination, that disappointment reflects disagreement as to personnel instead of fundamental principles:

"Much has been made in the press about conservative unhappiness with the White House on issues such as spending and immigration and most recently with the selection of Ms. Miers. However, while these tensions are not insignificant, the president has stayed remarkably true to conservative principles on every major decision he has made since winning the Republican primary."

Besides the fact that Bush has and will continue to disregard core conservative principles, Gingrich and by proxy, Gaynor both represent the largest strength and ultimate failing of the Republican Party: blind faith in human frailty. It seems by re-routing the strong religious faith and righteous anger of its evangelical base into government leadership, the GOP has created its own version of a holy empire. "Divine Rule."

Regardless of decision-making principles, the principle of "follow the leader" rules supreme. So, as suddenly pangs of individual thought arise from the Religious Right, they are crushed by the "bow down before the one you serve", God-complex of this administration. As long as the Republican Party offers little progress on evangelical issues, it can continue to win elections on these issues. What Republican wants to outlaw abortion, when it could be a key issue in an election if it's still legal?

I may not agree with the issues of the self-proclaimed "Religious Right," but I surely hope they will see through the smokescreen of the Republican Party. In the 20 years of the Republican takeover, more corruption has been introduced than the Democratic Party had in its 80 year rule. Wake up, people!

posted by the prisoner @ 9:29:00 AM