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MAY 3, 2023

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:

OHIO VOTES:  There were primary races in Ohio, and some in Indiana as well.  The big story of the night is that every candidate endorsed by former President Trump won. He clearly maintains his clout in the Republican Party, and the popularity of his policies still appears strong.

The most-watched race of the evening was the Republican senatorial primary in Ohio.  In November the voters of that state will decide who will replace retiring Republican Senator Rob Portman.  The GOP primary winner, endorsed by Trump, is author J.D. Vance, who wrote "Hillbilly Elegy." It will be Vance's job to hold the seat for the GOP.  He is an impressive speaker.  If he wins, he will be an instant star.  And he has Trump behind him. Watch that Senate race carefully.

May 3, 2022     Permalink

SUPREME COURT LEAK – OVERNIGHT:  It's sickening. The president of the United States is refusing to denounce the Supreme Court leaker, who, for the first time in American history, leaked the draft of an upcoming Court opinion.  Nor has any prominent member of the Democratic Party denounced this betrayal of trust.  From reliable pundit Michael Goodwin of the New York Post:

Political surprises generally come in October. This one came in May, in the middle of the night no less.

The shocking leak of the Supreme Court draft decision that overturns the constitutional right to abortion is already achieving its main objective. It is giving Democrats something to run on this fall besides Joe Biden’s lousy record. 

Never mind that the leak was a dirty trick that is probably a crime, with Chief Justice John Roberts calling it a “betrayal,” and ordering an investigation. GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell called it an attack on the Court’s independence, saying it is “yet another escalation in the radical left’s ongoing campaign to bully and intimidate federal judges and substitute mob rule for the rule of law.” 

The widely respected SCOTUSblog writes that “This leak is the gravest, most unforgivable sin” and will destroy trust among the justices and the staff. 

All true — but you’re not likely to see a single Dem denounce the leak or the leaker. Quite the opposite. Desperate times lead to desperate actions and, without batting an eye, they embraced the draft’s contents as an opportunity to rally their dejected supporters around a new flag.

Forget inflation, open borders, the murderous crime surge, Ukraine — look over here at this shiny new object. And get mad as hell.

Even President Biden roused himself to appear before reporters and, although much of what he said was half-sentence-gibberish, he did manage to say clearly the leaked draft “goes way overboard” in demolishing Roe v. Wade.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had a bounce in his step as he vowed to force the Senate to vote on turning the gist of Roe into federal law. “We will vote to protect a woman’s right to choose, and every American is going to see which side every senator stands on,”

Schumer said, then added that the “rights of one hundred million women are now on the ballot.”

There he goes, exaggerating again. Many women oppose abortion, and Schumer probably can’t get a majority of senators, let alone 60 votes needed to break the filibuster, to support his plan. 

COMMENT:  The refusal to condemn leak and leaker will come back to haunt the Democrats.  It will remind voters of how extreme the Democratic Party has become.  It will remind them of the party's indifference to crime, and its contempt for victims. When the leak was first announced, Democrats were jubilant, believing they had been given a chance to energize their base in November.  I suspect there'll be some second guessing on that judgment. Yes, some pro-choicers will probably become more involved in the political battles.  But other citizens, including many women, may well be repelled by the cheap politicization and exploitation of a serious issue.

Some Washington sources believe the investigation will take only a few weeks, and will yield results. I hope so.

May 3, 2022     Permalink

MAY 2, 2022

THE DISGRACE – OVERNIGHT: All news desks were cleared as soon as it happened.  The Politico, generally an online publication of the left, published Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's private draft of a proposed Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

It had never happened before.  In all the history of our Supreme Court there has never been a leak of a proposed ruling. The leak is an insult to all Americans who believe the Court must operate to the highest judicial standards, and not be simply a political football.

It was clear from the leak that the Court, as of now, intends to overturn Roe, the famous (or infamous) 1973 decision making abortion legal throughout the United States.  Drafts, however, are subject to review, rewriting, and rethinking. The secrecy of the draft process protects the Court from mob rule and even threats to the justices.  Respect for that process has been sacrosanct...until tonight.

Clearly, the leak is an operation of the left, an attempt to create mob action against the proposed ruling, perhaps hoping that one justice would be frightened enough to reverse his or her stand, thus leaving Roe in place. And, of course, we immediately saw, after the Politico story, demonstrators appearing at the Supreme Court building to scream in protest.  And we heard the usual suspects at MSNBC and CNN going berserk, predicting the end of civilization as we know it.  All of The New York Times is on a suicide watch.

Of course, there is speculation over the identity of the leaker.  The individual should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.  At least that's what rational people think.  But the criminal is already being hailed as a hero or heroine in leftist circles, a brave soul, the ultimate whistleblower. I wouldn't be surprised if the little star got a ticker tape parade down Broadway.

But who is the leaker? And this should be read as speculation.  The general feeling on the part of sources I trust is that the leaker is clearly on the left, and is either a clerk of one of the justices, or...incredibly, a justice.   Great movie, right?  Only justices and their law clerks have access to drafts of opinions.

There are three liberal justices – Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor.  Recently confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson will join the Court upon Justice Breyer's retirement.  Could the culprit be a clerk for one of these three liberals?

Some authorities say it's unlikely that a clerk is guilty.  They argue that clerks are young, at the start of their professional lives, and would know that, if caught, their legal careers would be over.  

A justice? Could it be?

Most of the speculation I've read tonight surrounds Justice Sonia Sotomayor.  She is known to be a rebel, and has chastised the Court on many occasions. She also has a considerable ego, referring to herself as a "wise Latina" during her confirmation hearings. And she is a militant liberal.

No one believes retiring Justice Breyer would do such a thing.  He is a picture of propriety.  Ditto Justice Kagan.  No, the name Sotomayor is being floated.

Again, speculation, but I thought you'd be intrigued.  We may learn more today.  I'll be following the story.  This is a big one, with implications for the November election.  But we can't be sure what those implications will turn out to be.

May 2, 2022     Permalink