If President Obama nominates Judge Diane P. Wood to the Supreme Court, conservatives plan to attack her as an “outspoken” supporter of “abortion, including partial-birth abortion.”
If he nominates Judge Sonia Sotomayor, they plan to accuse her of being “willing to expand constitutional rights beyond the text of the Constitution.”
And if he nominates Kathleen M. Sullivan, a law professor at Stanford, they plan to denounce her as a “prominent supporter of homosexual marriage.”
Preparing to oppose the confirmation of Mr. Obama’s eventual choice to succeed Justice David H. Souter, who is retiring, conservative groups are working together to stockpile ammunition. Ten memorandums summarizing their research, obtained by The New York Times, provide a window onto how they hope to frame the coming debate.
The memorandums dissect possible nominees’ records, noting statements the groups find objectionable on issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, the separation of church and state and the propriety of citing foreign law in interpreting the Constitution.
While conservatives say they know they have little chance of defeating Mr. Obama’s choice because Democrats control the Senate, they say they hope to mount a fight that could help refill depleted coffers and galvanize a movement demoralized by Republican electoral defeats.
“It’s an immense opportunity to build the conservative movement and identify the troops out there,” said Richard A. Viguerie, a conservative fund-raiser. “It’s a massive teaching moment for America. We’ve got the packages written. We’re waiting right now to put a name in”…
Now, Abortion and Same Sex Marriage are in the same category. They don’t really represent something specific for a lot of people. They’ve become buzz-words for some version of "our way of life." I know that there are people who hold very strong beliefs about Abortion, but the terms still strike me as having the same codified meaning that Segregation had in times gone by – convenient troop rallying terms.
I don’t know if it works the other way? Do Democrats have prepared lists of talking points for all potential Supreme Court Judges when there’s a Republican President? Are there buzz-words like Abortion and Same Sex Marriage? Do Democrats maybe even use the same buzz-words themselves? Is it "a massive teaching moment for America?" Did we "hope to mount a fight that could help refill depleted coffers and galvanize a movement demoralized by … electoral defeats"? I wouldn’t doubt it…
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