Making It Easy
Obama’s glacial pace in making federal court nominations is not, strictly speaking, an example of the kind of thing Krugman is talking about today. Making a couple dozen more nominations to the lower federal courts would not be a base-energizing move (nominating someone like Pam Karlan to the Supreme Court, maybe.) But allowing a lot of vacant seats on federal courts as the GOP is poised to make huge gains in the Senate is still bad on the merits — bad for the functioning and fairness of the criminal justice system, and bad for the application of federal law. And while this is an area in which Obama’s power is shared with an institution in which Republicans have a de facto veto, it’s still true that 1)he could make it harder for them, and 2)even with the Republican obstructionism he almost certainly could have gotten more nominees confirmed if he had made more nominations.
Among those of us on the left who haven’t been very happy with the Obama administration, there’s been a substantial amount of difference about how surprised we are by its inadequacies.
I’m usually in the “not very surprised” camp. I voted for Obama (who was clearly the lesser evil), but I expected the kind of toothless centrism that led me to leave the Democratic Party and become a registered independent in the mid-1990s.
But I am truly surprised at stuff like his mishandling of judicial appointments. Whatever Obama’s legal agenda is, it isn’t served by allowing vacancies to linger.
Back in 2008, two of the things I liked about Obama and his team were that they were: 1) very managerially competent (Rahm is an asshole and a “New Democrat,” but he had a reputation for getting things done); 2) brilliant at political messaging. One of the main reasons I was glad that Obama beat Clinton in the primary is that his campaign seemed to excel at these things.
I’ve come to the painful conclusion that I was wrong about this.
Agreed.
It would be one thing if he were just a centrist. But too much of what he does is just stupid. Firing Shirley Sharrod, escalating in Afghanistan, and this are just plain stupid.
Don’t we need federal judges? They aren’t a luxury. I assume they perform a vital function. And that’s to say nothing of the political aspects. Just stupid.
Exactly right. What did Obama *think* was going to happen at the midterm election?
In my area, nominations of judges and U.S. attorneys have been glacially slow. And they’re not confirmed yet.
– And exactly right on mgmt. and message, too.
I do really wish that someone would point out to Obama rather forcefully that constantly shitting on and dismissing the people who actually voted for you while pandering to people who would not vote for you if you were the second coming of christ is a bad political move.
The Dems got stuff done, stuff that we should hear more about, but Obama has failed in various areas as Krugman notes.
The treatment of Dawn Johnsen pissed me off. He’s right — where’s the strong labor voice? In fact, where is ANY strong left voice, just ONE, in his Cabinet that is out there continuously to remind progressives why they should be glad? The courts thing is also simply moronic.
I realize he thinks the courts should have a smaller role, but his use of ideology when voting against Alito and Roberts (which Republicans love to throw in his face, including Mr. “Let’s Amend the Constitution” Graham) suggests he realizes their importance. So why in the hell doesn’t he pick some underlining to be in control of making sure more slots are filled?
It’s like some Mad TV “Lower Expectations” bit.
Read in my local paper that the candidate that Jim Matheson put up for US Attorney of Utah, and now they’ve been discussing a Republican candidate with Sen. Hatch. I don’t think they learned a single thing from the Clinton administration’s dealings with Hatch.
That should say that Matheson’s candidate has been rejected by the White House.
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