Why do we bother with the Supreme Court nominee hearings?

Okay, folks, I’m getting on my soapbox here.

I’m done with the cat and mouse games that are played out with the U.S. Supreme Court nominees. The senators who question the nominees drone on and on in their pontifications, thinking they are going to catch these folks in a contradiction. Meanwhile, the nominee is going to be specifically vague, even if there is some written statement from 20 years ago that indicates a position by the nominee. Hey, who hasn’t changed his mind about something in 20-years?

Some people and commentators seem to be surprised that Samuel Alito isn’t just spilling his guts there on the stand. Hey, here’s a media alert: judges tend to be smart and politically savvy. Unless they really know somebody, like Harriet Myers did, they never would have gotten where they are. And, unless they get trapped like Robert Bork, they will work their way through things. Yah, I know what’s at stake. If the nominee is young, he or she will be seated on the court for up to 30-years, until dying or retiring. This person will have a great amount of influence on the laws of the country and therefore on society in this country. But unless the nominee really says something of a boneheaded or controversial nature, they’ve got the job.

And by the way, I figure if you vote, you can have a say about things like this. This is a generalization, but your vote and the candidates elected tend to reflect the overall views and the mood of the country. If more conservative candidates are elected, the government tends to be more conservative. If you didn’t vote (and so many do not bother voting at any level) then you really don’t have a lot to say about the issue. That’s what I don’t get. I vote every time the doors at the polling place open. My wife and I discuss the candidates and issues. We don’t always agree, but we try to go into the booth informed. Yet, it amazed me the people who don’t bother or will tell me, “Oh, I forgot!” If you didn’t vote, it’s because you didn’t want to.

If you are dead and you voted anyway, you must live in Memphis, but that is a different story altogether and you should be getting a note or phone call from former congressman Harold Ford Senior.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now.