Memo To Conservatives: We Are Helping The Other Side. Pass It On.
“[A] politically weak Bush was unable to pick a nominee that would appeal to his extreme right-wing base. Already this morning conservatives are up in arms over the nomination.” — DNC.org
Since news of the Miers nomination broke this morning, the MSM and the blogosphere have been on fire over the subject.
And in a most unfortunate twist, many conservatives are finding themselves on the same side of the political bed with liberals — and someone is stealing the sheets.
The Democratic Party is openly celebrating the conservative infighting, and promptly using it to their advantage. From the looks of it, it might even be suggested that some conservatives have written the Democrat’s newest talking-points. Figuratively, of course.
On the DNC homepage, one of the “lead stories” proclaims, “Conservatives Red-Faced Over Miers”
Posted on the site’s blog, Jesse Berney does little more than offer quotes from some of the major conservative websites, including ConfirmThem, The Corner, and RedState.org.
In an update, Berney adds: “Conservative blog Ankle Biting Pundit has a roundup of right-wing reaction to Miers’s nomination.”
That’s the post. Nothing more. Nothing else needed, actually.
Think about it: In their lead story about SCOTUS nominee Harriet Miers, the DNC’s official website has found it most convenient to simply use conservatives’ own words against themselves — or, rather, the President.
Read the over 100 comments left by mostly liberals. Talking points sounds vaguely familiar.
They’ve jumped all over the label of “cronyism” and are using it to muddy the waters. As CNSNews reports:
The word “crony” popped up Monday on a number of Democratic websites, after President Bush nominated Harriet Miers to replace Sandra Day O’Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Bad thing is: we were also finding it very early on the posts of many of our fellow conservatives.
CNSNews continues:
As the morning wore on, press reports were playing up conservatives’ dissatisfaction with Bush’s nomination of Miers.
Most Democrats and liberals were taking a “wait-and-see” attitude, demanding that the Senate Judiciary Committee thoroughly explore and expose Miers’ views on the issues.
As a result of conservative cricisms against the President’s decision, Democrats and liberals have been able to sit back and even take the high road. “Wait-and-see,” indeed.
On this evening’s Hannity & Colmes, in a discussion of the Miers nomination, Alan Colmes capitalized on the position by asserting (and we paraphrase): “Well, no, it’s not us … it’s not liberals. It’s people in your own party … it’s conservatives that are mostly upset.”
By expressing their discontent, many conservatives have given our liberal opponents political ammo and they’re not hestitating to use it. Anything you say can and will be held against you.
Just goes to show that conservatives aren’t as shrewd as some like to paint us. As a party, we don’t walk in lockstep and we don’t always agree with one another. We speak our minds and sometimes chastise our own — even at the consequence of political loss or self-inflicted wounds.
UPDATE:
VP Dick Cheney speaks with Sean Hannity:
Well, I just thought [UI] Sean from Bill’s partner there at Weekly Standard from Fred Barns urged that the conservatives hold their fire here, that the President obviously knows her very well and has confidence in her and that people shouldn’t jump off a deep end here.
PoliticalTeen has audio
Patrick Ruffini kicks off the Coalition of the Chillin’
PoliPundit suggests, “Everyone take a deep breath”
Blogs4Bush reminds us, “Smell the roses…life is great!”
Sister Toldjah notes Miers’ “conservative credentials”
Pirate’s Cove is chillin’
La Shawn Barber is way chill: “Couldn’t care less”
PoliPundit has “second thoughts”
Big Lizards offers another “memo” to Republicans
Michelle Malkin’s opinion remains unchanged and unchilled
TraderRob calls her reax a “fit of vapors” — and he’s fan!
(y’see the problem with infighting?)
VodkaPundit highlights “another angry conservative”
Malkin cites Rick Lowry’s op-ed on the “diversity” factor:
“. . .[T]here are dozens and dozens of women on appellate courts, on state supreme courts, and on law-school faculties whose qualifications would be beyond question. There is no reason to go to a nominee who might have been on the pioneering edge 15 years ago, when she was first woman head of the Texas state bar, but has since been surpassed by women who have reaped the benefits of decades of greater opportunity.”
“No reason?” We disagree. As suggested yesterday, Harriet Miers comes from a different era and, thusly, brings a different — traditional (read: conservative) — perspective.
Unlike women who have “surpassed” her by “reaping the benefits” of “greater opportunity” (read: affirmative action), Miers will not come to the bench with built-in sympathies for government social engineering. Others might, especially if they’ve benefitted.
Glass ceiling? Miers broke thru by having intelligence matched with ambition. And it’s doubtful that she now believes only the latter should entitle anyone. That’s a good reason for us.
Furthermore, what are dissenting conservatives hoping to accomplish by publicly chastising the President?
The nomination has been made. The wheels are in motion. Is anything to be gained by criticizing?
It’s like, for example, when a good friend does something you may not like; disappoints you or flakes on a date: do you confront them? In front of others? Other friends? Probably not, because: (a) you know it’s not going to bring anything, (b) only compromises the friendship and (c) make you look like a jerk.
Politics is no different. And President Bush is still a good friend — don’t let our enemies think otherwise.
As Mark Noonan concludes: “I don’t like 100% of what the GOP does, but the alternative is Democratic disaster.”
Don Surber cuts to the chase: “Grow the hell up”
UPDATE II:
Mark Tapscott has another “memo” on the subject
MyVastRightWing has a Cotillion round-up
Cao says don’t be “so absolutely hysterical”
Euphoric Reality tells everyone, “Quitcherbitchin’”
The New Editor is “underwhelmed” by blogosphere reax
Funfact: A3G reveals that Miers has a low bar
FOXNews: Rush Limbaugh on the Miers nomination
PoliticalTeen has the video
UPDATE III: (10/5)
Mark Noon is still chillin’:
“Everyone does need to chill - leave the freaking out over Bush actions to the lunatics on the left. We need careful and considered debate by serious people about real issues. There is much to debate in the Miers nomination and other actions of the Bush Administration…but lets not make it a slam-fest which only delights our political opponents here at home and our national enemies overseas.”
Exactly.
Our post was picked up by NationalJournal’s Hotline
(And the DNC blogger is happy to get the attention)
UPDATE IV: (10/7)
Four days later, and it’s only gotten worse…
Baldilocks gives us a “View From the Cheap Seats”
[T]he paid pundits on the right are, for the most part, rending their garments and tearing out their hair over the nomination.
All the while our enemies relish the scenes of our self-immolation.
I used to think that Ms. Coulter used her legendary vitriol as a tool to get out the conservative message; something that I thought she believed in. Now I suspect that her vitriol is merely a character flaw, wielded against anyone who doesn’t toe her mark in the manner that she sees fit.
And we thought we were the only ones. Egad.
Read the full post here, as Juliette explores some possible reasons for why the President chose “someone like” Harriet Miers.
We suggested in original post that “politics is a game. Let’s play it.”
Juliette concludes: “the president is only playing the hand that he has been dealt.” Evidently, it’s a straight hand in a crooked game.
BeldarBlog explains why Miers is “one in a million”
RELATED:
Perspectives: DNC.org vs. RNC.org
Harriet Miers: Supreme Court Nominee
October 3rd, 2005 at 9:31 pm
Consigliere Harriet Miers ‘The Originalist’
I agree with Hugh and reserve my judgment. Conviction driven, gutsy decisions like this nomination, deserve respect and the benefit of the doubt, which the Bloggosphere has almost unanimously denied the President. Ed Morrisey update: ” I would urge al…
October 3rd, 2005 at 9:46 pm
What the hell? I mean, first they want a moderate, then they criticize Bush for it? It seems that they are just being assholes to me. Honestly, the hypocracy just outrages me. I hate democrats man.
Goggalor
The Young Conservatives
October 3rd, 2005 at 9:48 pm
The Overreaction From The Right
I just want to say that I think too many blogs on the right completely overreacted to Bush’s pick, though some seem to be calming down a little from their initial reactions. There is legitimate reason for concern when we don’t know anythi…
October 4th, 2005 at 7:11 am
Piranhas in a Teapot
I find it dismally intriguing how the right is cannibalizing itself over the nomination of Harriet Miers. At this point in time, whether she is an originalist, textualist, activists or any other assorted ‘-ists,’ everyone should just take a moment to…
October 4th, 2005 at 8:22 am
Sometimes the right in their zealous conservatism can be worse than the left. Bush has been stellar in his judicial appointments and I have no reason to believe otherwise now.
October 4th, 2005 at 9:10 am
Who is Harriet Miers?
This is my obligatory Harriet Miers post. I’m having trouble generating enough interest to write about the Supreme Court nominations. I honestly couldn’t care less that George Bush picked yet another crony for an important job, a lifetime …
October 4th, 2005 at 9:53 am
[...] California Conservativem, in a similar vein, is concerned that some conservatives are so quick on the trigger they have written the opposition’s talking points. [...]
October 4th, 2005 at 10:07 am
Its too early to go crazy right now
I do trust bush after, like traderrob said, his previous stellar picks in the judiciary. As for the democrats, in order to make them happy, I was pushing for Bush to nominate John Ashcroft ;)
October 4th, 2005 at 10:19 am
Ashcroft, huh? Now that’s something that would take the game to a whole new level…
*heh*
October 4th, 2005 at 10:27 am
Taking a Deep Breath
Okay, now that I’ve had a chance to get some perspective about the nomination of Harriet Miers, I’ve come to the realization that I got caught up in the negative feeding frenzy lead by some of my favorite conservative bloggers. So I stayed off the ne…
October 4th, 2005 at 10:45 am
Coalition of the Chillin
For those who are not ready to jump ship, and want to take a calm reasonable analysis before jumping the gun with so many other conservatives over Bush’s pick of Miers for Supreme Court, why not join…
Keep in mind, this doesn’t me…
October 4th, 2005 at 12:41 pm
For gosh sakes folks, lighten up!
Bush is not going to put anyone in there with whom he is not comfortable. He KNOWS this gal, it’s his person. If Dusty Harry (D. Nv) likes her, so what?
I do agree with Rush Limbaugh in that we are putting off a fight with the Senate Dems that is going to have to be fought sooner or later. It is very possible that W does not trust a certain Senator from Pennsylvania to lead that fight. Be-that-as-it may, it’s going to have to be fought eventually.
In the meantime, cool it on the criticism, please!!!!
MontereyJohn
October 4th, 2005 at 1:51 pm
10 Reasons I Like Harriet Miers
My gut instinct told me support Harriet Ellan Miers.
My friend, Daisy CutterÂ’s reaction was Daily Kos and Chuck Schumer like her, therefore we should not. Why should I listen to Schumer or Daily Kos? Or for that matter, Dan Balz?
Ten reasons I …
October 4th, 2005 at 2:22 pm
Miers is Not the Issue; Weak-Kneed Senate GOP Is
California Conservative notes the glee with which the Left is greeting the anger and disgust on the Right with the Miers nomination.
October 4th, 2005 at 2:44 pm
In other words, if the President makes a rotten choice that we’re all ashamed of we BACK HIM on it because we help the other side? So we support because if we don’t it helps the other side? Don’t we have standards too?
October 4th, 2005 at 6:53 pm
Key blog quotes about Harriet Miers
Miers Derangement Syndrome?
Truer words never spoken, in this simple statement:
This may be a moment when the right blogosphere discovers something that our friends on the left have come to terms with (or not) over the last several years - bloggers a…
October 5th, 2005 at 7:26 am
So the “standards” are–because she’s not “something-er-other-enough” we throw in the towel on the whole thing and let the Democrats take control…? This woman is more of a conservative than a democratic president would ever pick…and we won’t know if this was a mistake until LATER.
What’s the matter with trusting the president? Having faith in his judgement? Particularly his personal judgement?
Bush didn’t make this decision on his own, he has a whole cabinet of advisers–and more. He carefully considered this nomination, interviewing her several times before making the decision, poring over the records of 15 candidates.
Why can’t people cut Bush some slack and give him the benefit of the doubt? You’d think we were liberals or something! People are hysterical like the libs were over New Orleans and Katrina!
I’m ashamed at the way people are behaving–it’s embarrassing! This most certainly is starting to look like a house divided, and UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL.
This isn’t serious enough an issue to let the democrats win…Bush would have to turn into Clinton for that to happen for me…and he’s far and away from the military-hating defense budget-slashing commie/terrorist sympathizing aspirin factory bombing adulterous cigar-smoking hogie eating draft dodger Clinton.
October 5th, 2005 at 9:46 am
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October 5th, 2005 at 12:26 pm
[...] Got my first-ever mention in the Hotline today (subscription required). It quoted some conservative blog who was put out when I discussed the strong and immediate opposition to Miers on the right. [...]
October 8th, 2005 at 10:37 am
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October 8th, 2005 at 4:59 pm
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October 9th, 2005 at 2:32 pm
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October 10th, 2005 at 7:08 am
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October 12th, 2005 at 3:13 pm
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October 23rd, 2005 at 4:43 pm
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