hat we now consider stupid and dangerous ideas of the past, progressives see as useful in the present.
Even liberal historians usually label as disastrous two decisions by the Franklin D. Roosevelt Administration: the adoption of the Earl Warren-McClatchy newspaper inspired plan to intern Japanese-American citizens and the Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937—better known as FDR “court-packing scheme.”
The latter was a crazy scheme to remake the Supreme Court, given that Roosevelt wanted no more judicial interference in the implementation of the New Deal. And yet he had no recourse until slow-coach judicial retirements opened up new appointments of compliant progressive justices. In the interim, the convoluted proposal would have allowed Roosevelt to select a new—and additional justice—to the Supreme Court for every sitting judge who had reached 70 years, 6 months, and had not retired. And in theory, he could pack on 6 more judges, creating a 15-member court with a progressive majority.
The embarrassing plan properly died.
But progressives once again are advocating something like it, now that they fear Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee might cement a 5-4 hard conservative majority—and with a possible third appointment opening up in the next 30 months. Democrats nonchalantly talk of the Kennedy slot as a “swing” vote, which in these supposedly dark times must for now be institutionalized. read more
Progressives. Boldly forging a trail to history’s worst ideas.
Socialism.
Wind power.
Rail.
As I understand it, the SCOTUS’s primary (if not sole) function is determine the Constitutionality of a thing….. Pretty cut and dried if you ask me.
“Speaking the truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act.” Geo. Orwell
VDH always nails it, whatever his topic.
Interesting small bit: VDA lives in, or just outside, Devin Nunes’ Congressional District.
Good people in the valley.
https://nunes.house.gov/district/interactivemap.htm
Nunes’s seat is more than safe in the mid-terms.
VDH: “Yet 19th-century nullification is the font of the current “sanctuary city” law adopted by nearly 500 American cities that declare federal immigration statutes null and void within their jurisdictions. No matter that such liberal cities would have been the first to call insurrectionary any conservative city that declared federally protected abortion rights, gun laws or the endangered species act impotent within their city limits.”
VDH is a gem. He lost a daughter and it seemed to have greatly effected his output for a while.
Here’s a taste of his brilliance: Our popular culture is one of Pajama Boy, Mattress Girl, and the whiny, nasal-toned young metrosexual with high-water pants above his ankles and horn-rimmed glasses who “analyzes” on cable news. Is it any wonder that millions sympathized with the heroism of Benghazi’s middle-class defenders rather than with the contortions of the far better-educated, smoother, more sensitive, and wealthier Rhodes scholar Susan Rice, novelist Ben Rhodes, or former First Lady Hillary Clinton?
Who was it that actually quashed FDR’s attempt to pack the court?
I have heard of the attempt, but how was it actually stopped?
Who or what stopped him from doing it?
‘progressives’ don’t know history, weren’t taught history
… why would we expect them to apply the lessons of history?
I can’t begin to count the number of times I have sent email to friends with the subject line reading: VDH nails it and then offering a link to his latest article
FDR made a run at further packing the court by increasing the number of justices,IIRC even his VP opposed him and shut him down
“We are in bad times, with much worse to come.” VDH’s last line in his article. Count on it. Osmidgen set this up for us with his followers’ derangement at our refusal to accept his Fundamental Transformation. It’s going to get much worse. Just watch them react to Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s last croaking nonsense as she is dragged out of the Supreme Court by her heels.
All
VDH was a professor at what State College.
Hint they have had great football teams for over 40 years; crushed SC in a bowl game in SoCal ~20 years ago. got “Jail Bird” smith fired!
hint 2
actually mostly in Clovis
@Crackerbaby:
I respectfully disagree. Constitutional review was and is not mentioned in the Constitution. The Supreme Court was intended to be the appellate court for disputes in law between States and between other entities and the central govt. It was in the infamous case of William Marbury v. James Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803), wherein SCOTUS arrogated to themselves the extra-constitutional power of constitutional review.
I miss VDH… since I abandoned NRO