I Didn't Do It

In a triumph of obviousness over imagination, Harriet Miers pulled out of the SCOTUS race a little while ago, citing in her official statement the fact that nobody likes her and vowing a new dedication to going and eating worms. The announcement heeled to yesterday's announcement by the President that he wouldn't be coughing up any documents that the Senate wanted, because she was his damn lawyer and he had to protect future presidencies from the vagaries of that damned legislative branch.

This time? I didn't do it, I wasn't anywhere near that train wreck. The other kids did it, I was off doing my homework. Which my dog ate.

Regular readers know that I urged just going ahead and confirming the dried-up old Nazi, because anyone GWB names to replace her will be far worse (see entire list of rumored nominees in those quiet days before Chief Justice ModernMajorGeneral keeled). We're definitely talking about a Scalia clone here (Irish division), which is what the fascists have been insisting on as proof positive that they run the show and don't give a flying fuck about what half of the country thinks. The alternative, in the event that Laura interrupts GWB's drinking binge enough to convince him that the nominee should not have a Y chromosome, will be a Nazi slattern named Edith or Priscilla. And you just see what happens if we try to knock out one of them. God forbid the man actually comes up with a slightly brown Edith or Priscilla, or we'll be racist obstructionists, in addition to being sexist obstructionists of the policies of this administration noted for its dedication to advancing women in government.

Regardless, the probability that the next nominee will be kinder and gentler stands at zero. The probability that the next nominee will enhance Democrats' electability more than Miers would have would stand at less than zero, if that were mathematically possible.

There are those who tire of my advocacy of the strategy of hoping that we don't get sent to the showers before around August 1, 2006, who pout that we must resist at all hazard the forcible takeover of our government's most moderating influences by fascists and religious zealots.

No. All that should be done before that date is some subtle development and low-grade dissemination of a dominant Democratic meme. That meme should include some airing of grievances, to be sure. But it must include an answer to those who (mostly rightly) tell us that we lack a central set of cogent and distinctive policy messages, messages that go beyond "these people are crooks" (and again, that message is not to be despised).

What should be in there? Beats me. I'm not a policy wonk. Universal health care, a coherent plan for ending our involvement in Iraq, a restoration of some sense of progressiveness in the Tax Code (along with a rejection of the Orwellian notion that regression is progressive). All presented in ways that are, if not bulletproof against snipings about socialism, at least capable of being sustained by the Starbucks-swilling preppy fucks that we run as Democratic candidates at the local and state levels, even in the face of remorseless non sequiturs by the fascists and their ilk.

You mark my words, this bitch's withdrawal will soon be as much our fault as Rove and Libby getting busted for perjury technicalities, and as much as or more than the Hammer getting busted for politicizing crime.