I want to focus on the panel discussion, with former Trump advisor David Urban, former Pence and Trump aid Alyssa Farah Griffin, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), and former Obama advisor Stephanie Cutter. One topic was the upcoming Biden nomination of a Black woman to the Supreme Court. (And, I'll confess, I didn't even know that CNN SOTU had a panel now. Shame on me for not paying attention.)
Rep. Blunt Rochester was "beyond thrilled" with Biden's plan. She was at the debate when Biden made the commitment to do that, and she anticipates he'll pick someone who's very qualified.
But, also, I really thought back to when I was ending high school and President Reagan announced that he was going to appoint a woman to the Supreme Court, and how excited I was then. This moment, I think, is long overdue. And I feel like, for all the little girls out there, for all of the -- for everybody, this is a big deal. I'm not going to say another word in the middle there, but this is a big deal.
Farah Griffin was asked to compare Biden's promise to that of president Trump's promise to put a woman - but not a black woman - in RBG's seat. I hoped that she would admit Trump had exactly zero intention of nominating a Black woman, so there was no reason for him to say it, but she didn't go there.
Rather, she said she didn't "really understand the strategy," noting the undoubtedly "highly qualified" nominee would be called "somebody who was there because of affirmative action." And we know, already, that the Rs plan on using that in their messaging, if not in their vetting.
I think the bigger thing here is, Joe Biden's struggling with African-American voters. And it's surprising. Last year, in April, he had 83% support. Now he's got about 64%. I think he's hoping this is going to give him a bump. But I think he's misreading the tea leaves. I think it's much more it's economic policies that are resulting in this, not simply who he is nominating to the bench.
Talk about misreading the tea leaves! It's not that Biden thinks the SCOTUS pick is more important than the things Farah Griffin mentioned; rather, it's the promise he made, at the South Carolina debate, and how that promise got him the support he needed to win the primary. In fact, Biden placed first in every county in the state, and took nearly 49% of the vote, compared to That Guy from Vermont's just-shy-of-20%. Keeping that promise is hugely important, no matter what the polls show.
Cutter tried to pretend it wasn't a political decision at all; Biden had another reason, she said.
I think he's making this decision to ensure that the Supreme Court represents the people that it is supposed to serve. And we have never had a black woman on the court. And that's a tragedy, you know? So, this is a historic moment. And it's a shame that people can't see the importance of the moment. He's not making this choice because of politics. He's making this choice to ensure that the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, represents all Americans.
Urban was incredulous - as was I - and continually spoke over Cutter's attempts to explain herself.
Steph, did you say that without laughing? He didn't -- this is not a political pick? All Supreme Court picks are political picks... They're political. It's completely political. And it's his right. He can -- it's well within his right to do...But to say it's not political... Joe Biden wouldn't be president if it weren't for black women... Joe Biden wouldn't be president but for black women... He wouldn't be president. So, let's -- it's his pick. It's his pick...
You can watch this entire segment here.
After reaching bipartisan consensus that elections have consequences and Biden can pick whoever he wants, they moved on to talking about the women on the short list, only some of whom have been identified. Farah Griffin mentioned what she considers "kind of the open question" - what kind of person will he pick?
...if he's going to go with one of the more moderate ones who in the past has gotten Republican support at lower court levels, or if he's going to go with a very progressive left, and that -- left-leaning judge... Is this a justice for the entire country or for the leftmost flank?
And when has that ever been a question with Republicans nominees, I wonder?
My favorite part, though? Cutter wrote an op-ed for the NY Times, in which she stated
Thanks to President Donald Trump and the former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, there is a new set of rules in place for Supreme Court nominations that all but guarantees Democrats will succeed, unless, of course, we mess it up.
Oh, how many times I've said that myself over the years! The Democrats are their own worst enemy, always. And yes, they could easily mess this up - does anyone doubt that?
Cutter said that with the Amy Coney Barrett appointment, which took a mere 8 days from the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg to her Rose Garden, COVID super-spreader nomination party, and only a month more to her swearing-in, the Rs set the stage for speedy confirmations, while also being criticized for "not having a deliberative process." They couldn't, really - they were too giddy, remember?
I don't expect President Biden and Senate Democrats to move that quickly. But we need to take some lessons from that. It is -- we should move quickly, so that this nominee doesn't get tarnished by somebody like Senator Wicker, or we know that a lot of this conversation in the Republican Party is going to be about affirmative action and undertones of racism. We need to be careful and not tarnish the nominee. Let's move quickly. They are incredibly accomplished women. We should do our jobs, vet, deliberate, but get it done. Do not drag it out.
She's right. Do NOT drag this out.
Biden needs to get with Senators in his own party to talk about his options, and they need to have quiet conversations with their colleagues on the other side of the aisle, too. And Biden is welcome to reach across the aisle himself, too.
And I'll get flack for this, I'm sure, but members of the House need to sit this one out. The last thing - the absolute LAST THING we need, is for the fractured Dem caucus to start their usual infighting and filling the airways with their complaints about who Biden picks. If they do that, they'll provide all the ammunition the Rs need to stonewall the nomination, hold it up, and fill the airwaves with their own special version of claptrap.
And, the Dems also need to get in front of what else is on their agenda, and how they can do more than one thing at a time, and then they need to do something, starting with the looming budget deadline. Separate from the benefits to Biden - putting his stamp on the budget and government agencies, or whatever - the Dems need to show they can prioritize, and lead.
Yep. Democrats will succeed, unless of course, they mess it up.
See you around campus.
