In a ostensibly straight-news write-up on the politics of the coming confirmation of Justice Breyer’s successor, Politico reporters Meridith McGraw and Hailey Fuchs write:
The conservative movement has, for decades, prioritized Supreme Court fights over nearly all other forms of political battle.
But a survey on Wednesday of some of the top officials and activists in that universe indicates that they aren’t planning a vicious political fight over President Joe Biden’s pick to replace retiring Justice Steven Breyer. At least not yet.
“At least not yet.” Now, that’s the line that really gets me.
Forgive me for laughing into my afternoon bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios, but you’d have to squint pretty hard at the last 40 years to paint conservatives as the aggressors in the Supreme Court wars.
Was it conservatives who went “scorched earth” over Robert Bork or Clarence Thomas or Brett Kavanaugh? Did NR spread conspiracy theories about Sonia Sotomayor’s religious beliefs? Of course not — but the venerable Washington Post and New York Times did everything in their power to turn Amy Coney Barrett into a Handmaid’s Tale-style boogeywoman. Were 164 conservatives arrested in a riot-in-all-but-name at Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s confirmation hearings? Of course not — but Capitol Police did arrest 164 mostly peaceful protesters at Kavanaugh’s 2018 confirmation hearings.
Don’t worry; I’m sure McGraw and Fuchs will update us when conservatives are gearing up to pounce! on whomever President Biden decides to appoint to the High Court.