Here we go.....
Today's papers are crowded with dire warnings about the coming battle over the next Supreme Court nominee: all sides, says the New York Times, may toss $100 million into the propaganda battle.
Well, yeah, the stakes are pretty high. But for Democrats and other progressives -- who start the Supco war at a decided disadvantage -- does it really make sense to spend that kind of cash on the nomination fight?
No.
Let's assume for a moment that in the 2006 term, Justice Rightwing joins with other conservatives and overturns Roe v. Wade. As virtually everyone points out, that decision would throw abortion back onto the floors of state legislatures everywhere. Instead of one massive pro-choice/pro-life argument, you'd get fifty.
This is bad news if you're an abortion rights supporter in Middle America, where Republicans and conservatives are ascendant. But they're ascendant for a reason: Democrats here have ignored state capitols for years. While Republicans have organized -- primarily in the churches -- Democrats have ignored recruiting, network-building, fundraising, and all the other boring-but-important work of politics. Kansas Democrats can't even find an opponent for Sen. Sam Brownback! Missouri Democrats -- easily the dominant party for the last half of the 20th century -- are vanishing in the 21st. The party is in shambles.
Democrats and liberals have gotten away with this because the courts have served as a last-gasp backstop, and because the courts have assumed powers that legislatures used to use (more about that later in the week.) That's why the coming Supco war will be so expensive and brutal.
Relying on judges, though, is a nasty form of crack cocaine -- very addictive and ultimately harmful. After all, what judges give, judges can take away (Kansans: if the Supreme Court can tell the legislature it isn't spending enough for a "suitable" education, how long will it be before it says some districts are spending too much for a "suitable" school?)
Bad outcomes are bad enough, but in the political world the ultimate effect is even more troubling, if you're a Democrat: your party crumbles because you've placed all your bets on unelected judges and none on the statehouse.
What would happen if all the leftist interest groups abandoned their fight against the next nominee and used that energy to elect state legislators? Not only would the state-by-state abortion argument be closer, but Dem legislators would be around to fight out a long list of other issues: Medicaid cuts, school spending, and other social concerns. And, those legislators would grow into governors, senators, and congressmen and women, too.
Republicans learned this lesson, years ago (in part after losing decision after decision in the Warren Court) and built a political farm system that, among other things, turned Missouri into a Red state. Democrats, gearing up for the "nuclear option" over the Supco nominee, might be better advised to scare up a hand grenade or two first.
- - - - -
Okay, this is my first attempt in blogger-world. Regular visitors may remember a similar column when I worked for, ahem, a Kansas City television station. Real old-timers may remember my column for the New Times in Kansas City.
It'll take some time, but it's my plan to post here regularly for awhile, so I can keep my mind exercised while refocusing my work. And blogs are the future! Or, part of the future!
I'll loosen up eventually. For now, let's hear from you.......
Dave Helling
Well, yeah, the stakes are pretty high. But for Democrats and other progressives -- who start the Supco war at a decided disadvantage -- does it really make sense to spend that kind of cash on the nomination fight?
No.
Let's assume for a moment that in the 2006 term, Justice Rightwing joins with other conservatives and overturns Roe v. Wade. As virtually everyone points out, that decision would throw abortion back onto the floors of state legislatures everywhere. Instead of one massive pro-choice/pro-life argument, you'd get fifty.
This is bad news if you're an abortion rights supporter in Middle America, where Republicans and conservatives are ascendant. But they're ascendant for a reason: Democrats here have ignored state capitols for years. While Republicans have organized -- primarily in the churches -- Democrats have ignored recruiting, network-building, fundraising, and all the other boring-but-important work of politics. Kansas Democrats can't even find an opponent for Sen. Sam Brownback! Missouri Democrats -- easily the dominant party for the last half of the 20th century -- are vanishing in the 21st. The party is in shambles.
Democrats and liberals have gotten away with this because the courts have served as a last-gasp backstop, and because the courts have assumed powers that legislatures used to use (more about that later in the week.) That's why the coming Supco war will be so expensive and brutal.
Relying on judges, though, is a nasty form of crack cocaine -- very addictive and ultimately harmful. After all, what judges give, judges can take away (Kansans: if the Supreme Court can tell the legislature it isn't spending enough for a "suitable" education, how long will it be before it says some districts are spending too much for a "suitable" school?)
Bad outcomes are bad enough, but in the political world the ultimate effect is even more troubling, if you're a Democrat: your party crumbles because you've placed all your bets on unelected judges and none on the statehouse.
What would happen if all the leftist interest groups abandoned their fight against the next nominee and used that energy to elect state legislators? Not only would the state-by-state abortion argument be closer, but Dem legislators would be around to fight out a long list of other issues: Medicaid cuts, school spending, and other social concerns. And, those legislators would grow into governors, senators, and congressmen and women, too.
Republicans learned this lesson, years ago (in part after losing decision after decision in the Warren Court) and built a political farm system that, among other things, turned Missouri into a Red state. Democrats, gearing up for the "nuclear option" over the Supco nominee, might be better advised to scare up a hand grenade or two first.
- - - - -
Okay, this is my first attempt in blogger-world. Regular visitors may remember a similar column when I worked for, ahem, a Kansas City television station. Real old-timers may remember my column for the New Times in Kansas City.
It'll take some time, but it's my plan to post here regularly for awhile, so I can keep my mind exercised while refocusing my work. And blogs are the future! Or, part of the future!
I'll loosen up eventually. For now, let's hear from you.......
Dave Helling
posted by Dave H. at 9:41 AM
4 Comments:
Welcome to the blogosphere. Good to see you reporting in KC again when good journalism so hard to find.
Greetings Dave!
Sorry to be so slow to find you, takes so long to bounce around between all of the KC area bloggers these days!
Welcome to the blogosphere! I'm not a news blog, but if you ever need a laugh, stop by for a read.
Best wishes to you, look forward to reading you regularly.
Great to see that you are still active. My wife and I thought you were one of KC's best - especially when it came to politics. Fair and knowledgable - good luck with the Star, they could use the help. Aside from Kraske, the bench isn't to deep.
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