NBC's Pete Williams: Democrat 'More Likely to Appoint' 'Less Ideological' Judge - 'Somebody Near the Middle'
Readers are advised to remove all food, fluids, and flammables from proximity to their computers before proceeding. You've been warned.
NBC News justice correspondent Pete Williams on this weekend's syndicated Chris Matthews Show actually said that when it comes to nominating judges, "A Democratic president is more likely to appoint somebody near the middle who is less ideological" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Which of the two presidents, presidential candidates, the President or Governor Romney, would be more likely to pick centrist judges, ones that could get a good supermajority in the Senate?
PETE WILLIAMS, NBC NEWS JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, saying that centrist is a loaded term, it's usually a Democratic president is more likely to appoint somebody near the middle who is less ideological.
MATTHEWS: Katty?
KATTY KAY, BBC: Well, if you look at Obama's record, he’s put, appointed Elena Kagan who is liberal and Sotomayor who isn’t particularly liberal. So that would lead you to think that he's more of a centrist when it comes to appointing judges.
JOAN BISKUPIC, REUTERS SUPREME COURT CORRESPONDENT: Ditto with Bill Clinton. He put on Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Assuming you took my advice and still have a functioning computer, can you imagine the idiocy and/or bias necessary to make the statements made by Biskupic, Kay, and Williams?
Sonia Sotomayor "isn't particularly liberal?" Based on what?
As for Breyer and Ginsburg, they're two of the most predictably liberal members of the Court - have been for years.
By contrast, Anthony Kennedy, who is considered by far the most moderate and the current swing vote on the Court, was nominated by Ronald Reagan in 1988.
The recently retired (2006) previous moderate swing-voter Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed by Reagan in 1981.
David Souter (retired in 2009), considered by most conservatives as one of the worst justices ever appointed by a Republican president, was nominated by George H.W. Bush in 1990.
Potentially the second worst nomination by a Republican was John Paul Stevens (retired 2010) who was appointed by Gerald Ford in 1975.
As such, in the last 37 years, there have been four justices appointed by Republicans that have turned out to be moderate or liberal.
By contrast, all of the justices appointed by Democrats during the same period have been liberal thereby making Biskupic, Kay, and Williams 100 percent wrong on this matter.
How pathetic.
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— Noel Sheppard (@NoelSheppard) June 9, 2012
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Comments
Find Roberts
Submitted by Jimbo on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 3:24pm.
Shouldn't Roberts be in that picture?
That is exactly what I was thinking
Submitted by Dave. on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 3:34pm.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Roberts
Submitted by HudsonRiverGirl on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 6:17pm.
After Roberts kaka rulings this past week nothing will surprise me. NOTHING
Arizona illegal immigration ruling made NO sense
Lying about your military record, NO PROBLEM
O-care ruling.....PURE KAKA
Progressive Scale
Submitted by Jimbo on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 3:39pm.
This cements my opinion that the term liberal is quite subjective when being discussed in liberal circles. I believe liberals, partiality in the media elite, have a wide band that they measure someones "progressiveness" on. It seems to me that what they believe to be a "true" liberal fits the definition of a socialist, and an ulta-liberal fits the description of a communist. With various shades in between. Anything to the right of a socialist is considered a "centrist".
Conversely, their wide band of measurement for liberals does not extend to conservatives. If you are right of center, then you are a fascist. Very little room for anything else.
So I take it that Pete Williams' 'center' is situated somewhere
Submitted by Dave. on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 3:37pm.
...betwixt Stalin and Mao.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Pete's "center"
Submitted by Tugboat Phil on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 5:06pm.
is somewhere between shyte & Shinola, but he still can't tell which is which.
I have a great caption for that photo
Submitted by Dave. on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 3:41pm.
LOL - Unfortunately, I cannot post it on a family site like NB.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
the wise latino is moderate?
Submitted by ohio granny on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 3:53pm.
The wise Latino is a moderate who shows empathy? Sure would hate it if she were considered a liberal !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ginsburg was not an ACLU attorney? Sure would hate to see her as a liberal !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What in the world is this guy smoking? I think he is just stupid and/or ignorant like most libs/dems are.
PETE WILLIAMS, NBC NEWS
Submitted by tcm14 on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 4:04pm.
PETE WILLIAMS, NBC NEWS JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: ...a Democratic president is more likely to appoint somebody near the middle who is less ideological [you know someone like Fidel Castro or Josef Stalin, somebody mainstream and not too extreme]
Huh?
Submitted by oldfart on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 4:39pm.
Choke, choke, hurl.
Only a Democrap would say that.
So why don't Kagan and Soto have to wear lobster bibs?
Submitted by SickofLibs on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 4:52pm.
.
I am sure Williams went on to
Submitted by gopsteve on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 5:07pm.
I am sure Williams went on to list all the times Dem appointees voted with the right!
Is math education that bad in the UK?
Submitted by Galvanic on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 6:55pm.
KATTY KAY, BBC: Well, if you look at Obama's record, he’s put, appointed Elena Kagan who is liberal and Sotomayor who isn’t particularly liberal. So that would lead you to think that he's more of a centrist when it comes to appointing judges.
Okay, let's break this down . . .
Liberal (Kagan) + "Not particularly" liberal (an overly generous description of Sotomayor) = centrist
Go figger.
I'd like to see conservative guests on the network news, CNN, and MSNBC to challenge the liberals to name the last time that one of the four liberal justices broke from the pack and voted with conservatives on a 5-4 decision on a major case.
Or to simplify the question, who was the last Democrat-appointed SCOTUS justice to be considered a "swing vote?"
Gotta remember she is from
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 7:24pm.
Gotta remember she is from the UK where a conservative would be considered liberal here.
Problem is, most of the
Submitted by Chris Norman on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 7:56pm.
Problem is, most of the "conservative" guests when they do appear on these shows are either of the phony type who won't disagree with the liberals or else genuine but not clever enough to come up with a sharp response like that. And that's how the MSM likes it.
I agree, Chris
Submitted by Galvanic on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 8:17pm.
Most liberal hosts are not skilled in debate; they are unprepared for questions like that.
I think it's embarassing that few GOP politicians are that intellectually agile. Gingrich certainly is, but few shows are interested in having him on since his failed candidacy for that reason.
George Will is another, but his appearances are limited primarily to This Week on ABC.
Galv,
Submitted by Chris Norman on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 8:47pm.
Most of the "conservatives" you see on these shows are the bland types who permit the liberals to frame the issue and can only muster the most feeble defensive responses. No one would be better than these feebs...
The MSM doesn't want to deal with intellectual agility
Submitted by Galvanic on Mon, 07/02/2012 - 9:58am.
CORRECTION: In my previous post, I meant to write "aren't intellectually agile" vice "are . . ."
The 'conservatives' that the MSM brings on are usually Republican politicians or GOP 'strategists,' and not all Republicans are true conservatives.
Seeing a picture like this,
Submitted by Chris Norman on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 8:02pm.
Seeing a picture like this, of the people who now hold sway over our nation, you realize with a sick feeling - we are so screwed...
Stupid
Submitted by Curly on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 8:19pm.
Pete Williams is drunk on stupid!
Looking at those three ...
Submitted by MelvinBonzarelli on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 9:01pm.
Looking at those three could turn the most macho male gay as a goose.
Maybe that's what happened to Barney Frank. I have read that when Barney first went to Washington, he couldn't keep his hands off of the ladies, married or single. After a closed door get-together with Kagan, Ginzberg and Sotomayor, Barney stumbled out of the room, foaming at the mouth, and was arrested by the police two days later in the men's room at the Port Authority Bus Terminal for exposing himself to every man who entered.
I want to see gender test results for those three
Submitted by Dave. on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 9:16pm.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Mind Reader
Submitted by Jimbo on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 9:35pm.
This might get me put on the no fly list, but the hell with it. I like to drive.
I would like to pretend for a moment that I can read minds of the three in that picture. From Left to right....
Sotameyor - I just love my new celebrity status! Would anyone like my autograph? I heard there was a free buffet. Anyone know where it is?
Ginsburg - Where am I and how did I get here? Boy, this 4X4 up my backside is becoming very uncomfortable. I wish someone would remove it before I die. So in other words, please hurry!
Kagen - I didn't recuse myself..... na na na na na! Isn't Sonya a cutie?
Somebody near the middle.
Submitted by GregE on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 9:32pm.
Middle of what? Someone's buttcrack???
Is the Constitution on the Left or on the Right? Or is it in the Middle? It's none of the above. It's THE Constitution, PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!
If the MOST liberal person possible was put on the SCOTUS, yet could look at a bill and say "personally, I absolutely love that law and would give my left foot to have it.............but, Constitutionally it cannot and should not happen."...........I would say that person belongs on the SCOTUS, period.
We always hear, the "conservative side" or "liberal side" of the Court. No, it's those who look at the Constitution and all Amendments, and ingrain themselves deeply in trying as best they can to determine the Original Intent of the Articles. That is neither liberal nor conservative. It's Constitutional. Those who don't do that, instead searching for a way to misconstrue the words to best fit their view, have no place on the Court, and there are those there that fit into it...........Ms. Ginsburg.
She's right
Submitted by Jimbo on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 9:44pm.
Ms. Ginsberg is right on the money with her words. It's a shame she doesn't follow them.
It is true - the constitution should come with a black and white interpretation. Unfortunately, we all have our perspectives and interpretations, some more liberal about what was "meant" by the words on the document and those that take a more conservative approach with the literal meaning of the prose.
Regrettably, the problem does not stop there. Many if not all judges legislate from the bench. When they do that, they will be doing it through either a conservative lens or a liberal lens. Or, perhaps a judge will cast a deciding vote on an argument that was never actually made.
So in a perfect world, it is true - it should not matter. But we are living in a world that is far from perfect. As we were hammered farther down the slope to socialism on Thursday.
Agreed
Submitted by GregE on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 9:52pm.
No one will get it right everytime. No one can. But the Originalist makes every attempt to get it right based on the intent. That is what a Justice should do. Heck, even two Originalists sometimes rule differently on the same case. And human nature itself makes that extremely difficult to keep personal philosophy out in a situation where intent cannot be clearly found. Views will come into rulings at times, sure, but every effort should be made to go for intent. Ginsburg, for instance, doesn't seem too interested in the intent, and should not be on the Court.
Hey
Submitted by GregE on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 9:53pm.
You ever hear anyone in media throwing a fit about Ginsburg being on the "left wing" of the Court? Nah, she's middle of the forkin' road.