Judge This!

About this judge confirmation thing, I mean it has really caused a lot of argument and spite and hatred and I really don’t know what all the fuss is about. Like, I was talking to a friend of mine who is a quite thoughtful conservative, and he was saying how he admitted that the woman accusing the judge gave really credible testimony or something like that and I just started laughing and he says what and I say so what and he goes like I don’t get you. So I say look whether this woman was credible or not is irrelevant to the whole thing and I can’t believe you conservatives keep falling for it. And he says but you – and I’m kinda rude and cut him off and say being credible is the lowest bar to get over, well maybe right after being sentient because like I told him anybody can be “credible”, man, with a little practice. It’s all what they call subjective, you know, just street theater that doesn’t prove a damn thing. I’m a liberal, after all. Well, he says, all the left believes she is telling the truth because of that credibility, and I say okay what is it you don’t understand about politics? So he says well then you agree with me that this is all a delay tactic using character assassination as a political tool?

And I say well of course it is, and he kinda backs up all of a sudden and stutters a little bit, you mean y-you agree with me he says and I say well duh, it’s obvious to anyone watching that we have a character assassination of the first order going on here, but don’t you see, it is a delaying tactic. Uh yeah, he says, so you’re saying your okay – and I break in again, I really hate to be so rude but my conservative friend is really thoughtful and all but it‘s kinda like a really slow thoughtfulness, if you know what I mean, and he takes a while to see where I am going sometimes, so I say well I admit that does raise an interesting philosophical question but the Democrats believe that it would be a disaster for this guy to get on the Supreme Court, I mean they really believe it is, like, Armagideon – and he stops me and says you mean Armageddon? And I say, well, I guess so is that like the battle at the end times sort of thing? You know I’m not very religious and all and he says, uh, yeah, so the Democrats think it’s all right to destroy a man’s good name because the stakes are so big? Well of course they do, I say. What is one man’s life compared to the whole world? I mean, they believe the whole damn world will come apart if this judge sits on the Supreme Court. Do you believe that, he says, and I say well the question is do they believe it, and he says but what about you and I say hmnn, well I’m a liberal you know and he says what does that mean and I tell him well that means I believe in the western tradition of the rule of law and the Constitution – and then he breaks in on me which is kinda rude but, you know, sauce for the goose – and he says that’s the question, isn’t it, because like I told you he is a thoughtful conservative and he gets things, you know, and I say yes, is it all right to do things that might be a little bit outside the liberal tradition if you are, like, honestly saving the world for liberalism? And he says so they throw away the presumption of innocence so they can save the Constitution and I say sure because after all they’re politicians not philosophers.

But he says, it isn’t the end of the world, it’s just a supreme court nominee, and I say, c’mon man, it‘s the end of the world to them and he says but it isn’t and I say hey I can’t judge someone’s world view and he asks why not and I say because I’m a liberal, we just don’t do that. You can’t blame them for wanting to save the world, you know, to them this poor guy is just collateral damage and all that and then my friend says like civilian casualties and I say exactly. And I’m sure they don’t believe any of it, and they probably think he’s a pretty good egg and all and after they’re through with him, I imagine they’ll extend the hand of friendship and let him coach girls’ basketball or something, and he says why are you sure of that and I say because they’re liberals that’s what they do. But he says what if they don’t, what if it turns out they really believe all this “street theater” and then I say well then they wouldn’t be liberals, would they?

So then my friend, who like I say is a thoughtful conservative, starts rubbing his chin and I try to be real patient because some of his thoughtfulness is a little slow, like Christmas used to be when we still had Christmas, not that I or my family were particularly religious but you can’t have what used to be called Christmas without an angel on the top of the tree, can you? And he finally says to me it does raise an interesting “philosophical question” and I say yeah and he says well what do you think, is it all right to waterboard a scuzbag terrorist to save the world? And I said well I’m a liberal … but he throws up his hands and walks away.

It is an interesting philosophical question, isn’t it?