If GOP Foghorn Leghorns such as Cruz, Graham and Hawley had stopped interrupting Judge Jackson long enough to let her fully answer their questions, they might have been surprised by what they heard.
Judge Jackson hardly came off as a “flaming liberal with a leftist agenda” during Day One of her confirmation process. Quite the contrary. In fact, she frequently sounded like John Roberts or even Antonin Scalia. She spoke of judicial restraint, justices “staying in their lanes,” respect for precedent and a desire to dig deeply into the minds and intentions of the Framers.
I’m never “disappointed” by the likes of Cruz, Graham and Hawley, although Tuesday’s performances were notably clownish, even by their clown standards. They obviously came to the hearing only to grandstand, pontificate and pander, intent only on getting the sound bites they wanted to check off their lists.
And Judge Jackson never stumbled. So much for the Three Stooges.
But John Cornyn pissed me off.
John Cornyn is not an idiot. Which makes his Tuesday incoherence and dishonesty inexcusable.
It was as if the GOP Culture Warriors divvied up their subject matter. Graham never uttered a single word that had anything to do with the purpose of the hearing. So he got the “deflection, distraction and whataboutism” assignment. Check.
Cruz and Hawley then pitched the opener and nightcap of the “soft on crime” and “friend to child pornographers” doubleheader. Embarrassing. For them, I mean. Check. Throw in a little impertinent drivel about “CRT.”
But it was Cornyn who pegged the Stupid Meter. His chosen tangent about same sex marriage made no sense, logically or Constitutionally.
Cornyn voiced the position that same sex marriage rights should be left to the voters and legislators of our 50 states, rather than be considered a federal Constitutional rights issue.
Uhh…what? What?
The Pretzel Logic put forth by Cornyn would make even Steely Dan blush. Cornyn said the Constitution makes no mention of marriage. But it clearly lays out the right to assembly and association. That would include marriage.
Cornyn then asked Judge Jackson a ridiculous, binary question about whether marriage is a civil or religious institution. The answer, as it is for most matters, is “It depends.” Some folks consider marriage as a secular agreement. Others view it as a religious sacrament. And a whole lot of couples would answer, “It’s both, you blustering blowhard.”
Same sex marriage rights should be determined by popular vote? We don’t “vote” on matters involving basic citizen (and human) rights. That’s why we have a Constitution. And that’s why we have a Supreme Court.
We essentially took a “vote” on slavery in 1860. Slavery won the “vote” in the states that forged the Confederacy. How’d that work out?
What makes this all the more disgusting is that Cornyn is not a stupid man. He’s a dishonest one. That makes his buffoonery all the more deplorable.
Vote on same-sex marriage rights? You say same-sex marriage violates your religious convictions?
How is it violating ANYONE’S religious convictions? That would make sense only if the government were forcing an individual to marry someone of the same sex. I’m pretty sure that’s not the case.
Nobody’s violating anyone’s religious convictions. Courts are merely prohibiting people from imposing their religious convictions on others.
That’s not “persecution.”
Rejected.
