According to the news channels, the Obama administration is vetting Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval for the Scalia seat on the Supreme Court.
This makes no sense. Maybe it is a ploy to show that the Republicans won’t even interview a fellow Republican.
But what if they did? Sandoval is a conservative. He vetoed modest gun control legislation. He supports charters and vouchers. He would tilt the Court to the right for many years.
Is this a joke?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This would be a horror scenario. Once again Obama would show his real character, like his nominees from Big Pharma to run the FDA and the CDC. There are many excellent potentials who are moderate Dems…this is one more time he would woo Wall Street.
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Obama doesn’t care! When will people realize this?
Go Bernie.
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It’s not a joke. Obama is a conservative. So is Hillary. I keep telling people and they don’t believe me. I really hope Bernie makes it.
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Give Obama credit for Kagan and Sotomayor. But a rightwing Republican?
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Yes, Diane, give him credit.
And give the chef at your local restaurant for giving you three very excellent meals and and two that contained lethal botulism . . . . .
Give him credit . . . .
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Well said. Being a Democrat in Obama years has felt so much like that: two or three excellent meals, lots of optimism — and then a lethal dose of botulism…
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If Obama nominates him or one of the other corporate names I’ve heard, he will have no support from me and I suspect many others. I will join with the Republicans in not allowing him to put someone on the bench. A 4-4 split is better. The country is simply spinning out of control into complete corporate corruption. It will also hurt Hillary when she bleats, “what about the Supreme Court” as a ploy to get us to vote for her. Which I will not do.
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so you’d rather vote for any of the Republicans or sit at home and give it to them? I suggest that you (and others who feel unhappy about not getting the perfect candidate) pick the lesser of two poor choices, BUT GO TO THE POLLS!
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Oh I plan to go to the polls. But Hillary is not the “lesser” of two evils – she will be by far the most effective of the evils. If Bernie doesn’t get the nomination, I will vote for Jill Stein, even if that means President Trump. If people don’t want the only candidate available who offers change, I can only assume they enjoy the pain and want more of it, and I’m afraid a lot of people are going to get what they want.
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Vote Bernie!
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Typical Obama, “reaching across the aisle” and placing your arm in a pool of hungry Nile crocodiles. He owes the GOP NOTHING, he should select a true liberal or a real moderate, at the least. Nowadays, moderate means a right leaning corporate suck-up.
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Obama us a preppy lawyer. He gives teachers the EAGLE!
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It is weird to see John King who is in the position of Secretary of DoE. That speaks loudly and clearly that administrators is being bought out and controlled by invisible power of global corporate.
The best thing, that all conscientious educators can do, is to endlessly educate and remind high school students about the true meaning of democracy and bloodshed fight in the past of 200 years in America. Most of all, all colored people and second generation immigrants shall treasure the true compassion in social service regarding PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM.
I hope that everyone will pull together to speak up for oneself in order to sustain and to improve the true democracy for all of 99% from blue collar to white collar, from poverty to upper middle class, and from illiterate to genius. We shall not live in the 18th century where there is in lieu of royal with snobbish officials, but there will be only GREEDY corporate with malicious officials who can be submissive but educated addicts or con artists with FAKED DEGREE or dropped out school background. Back2basic
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CBS news seemed to write the Sandoval suggestion off as an idea that was floated, not necessarily by the Obama administration. And, If I remember right, a Republican described it as just a ploy.
Of course, in a typical presidential election year, the smallest things get magnified. Though given the sheer nuttiness this time around (latest example, Trump “loving the poorly educated”), I think we’re in for a really bumpy ride.
Actually, Trump made a very disturbing comment at the same rally Monday in Nevada where he found the love for our least educated. A guy had heckled him and was being escorted out of the venue. The media keyed in on Trump’s urge to “punch the guy in the face”. But what I found really bizarre was Trump’s hint that the crowd should take matters into their own hands, like vigilantes. “I love the old days.” Trump says. “You know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this? They’d be carried out on a stretcher, folks.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctZhvRY3TxI Comment is at about 24 seconds into the clip.
Yup, the bad old days -but this time around amped up 24/7 on high speed social media, with the FBI just itchin’ to get a permanent peek inside all our phones…and our heads.
Vetting Brian Sandoval? I think I need to vet my own brain to see if I’m ready for the next eight months, and what might lie beyond. Obama nominating someone to the high court?…. Imagine President Trump making that call….
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I am wondering why you do not take a position on the Presidential race when you take positions on other political decisions. It is clear to me that the only candidate who understands and will act on our shared concerns about public education is Bernie Sanders, and he deserves the support of all of us in NPE.
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Hello Ann P. Cronin!
NPE refuses to make an endorsement.
It’s their political strategy, but I think they are in denial that following the power trail no longer works any more to any real extent in this country. It’s out of vogue, no matter which party you vote for, unless you hold the same values as they do, and Hillary does NOT hold our values.
But NPE is what it is, and so be it.
Just put your energies into supporting Sanders and don’t worry so much which groups make or do not make endorsements. NPE is but one of hundreds of organizations, and while is it in full development and going well, it is not one of the most powerful groups that stands to render an endorsement at this point. Still, consider it an ally, but consider other groups to possibly be more like-minded with your own stragey plan in getting Sanders elected.
For example, CORE of the CTU is endorsing Sanders and openly rejected the AFT’s endorsement of Hillary.
And if you are not happy with NPE’s strategy, then don’t consider it internecine quarreling at all. It’s just one of those critical points where allies are not going to intersect 100%. There is a style known as “militarism” and it’s just not going to find its way into certain organizations.
I have not yet heard back from Robin, but maybe she will be able to make the time to respond to this issue.
Meanwhile, back to making phone calls for Bernie!!!!!
Ann, what are you doing to get him elected? Merely curious, nothing more.
Ann, my address is artwork88@aol.com, so feel free to chat about Sanders if you wish.
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Call me naive, but I think this is actually turning out brilliantly.
Obama’s best game is the rope a dope – he has done it exceptionally well on a number of occasions and Republicans never come out looking good. The story is that Sandoval is being vetted, not that he is actually going to be selected. The story is leaked in the middle of the week. Almost immediately, the Republicans lined up to shout “WE SAID NOBODY!!” – seriously, they did. They were floated a name from their own party who is fully qualified and Hispanic – and without any hesitation, they reiterated that they intend to ignore ANY nominee.
Perhaps Sandoval is a jurist that Obama would like on the Court, but I don’t think so if for no other reason than his veto of the gun measure. I do think that Obama is playing the extremes of Republican obstructionism for the public to take a good look at.
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This is an excellent summary of the situation. While I don’t doubt that the eventual nominee will be to the right of Kagan and (especially) Sotomayor, this is a chess move. Bush nominated an egregiously unqualified Harriet Miers knowing that once she withdrew, it would be difficult politically for Democrats to oppose a qualified nominee, even a very conservative one.
If the GOP is hell bent on stonewalling the process, it behooves the president to make them look as obstructionist and jihadist as possible. I doubt that Sandoval will be the nominee, though: too much of a risk that the GOP would call that bluff.
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Ah, yes, Obama and his eleven dimensional chess abilities. He’s only appeared to be so conservative for the last 7 years. We mere mortals can’t appreciate how he’s just used his jujitsu to really be a stealth liberal in disguise to get past Republican obstructionism. It’s been brilliant, really.
Or something like that.
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I don’t know anything about Obama the 11th Dimensional Chess Player. I do know that one particular gambit that he appears to enjoy quite a bit is to let the opposition get themselves looking good and ridiculous and then end up suffering the public opinion consequences. He did it several times with the fiscal cliff fights. He did it in the 2008 campaign when he did not respond in kind to the McCain campaign’s increasingly ridiculous attacks. He looks to be doing it here.
Whether or not he makes good enough use of the advantage gained by roping the dopes is another question altogether, but the man has never been the type likely to nominate a liberal Scalia – so I don’t bother hoping for one. I’ll be satisfied enough with someone who will put the brakes on the Roberts Court’s determination to chuck precedent at every opportunity. Sandoval would be wretched for that, but I don’t think Sandoval will be nominated.
If I am wrong on that, I pledge to eat some crow right here.
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Agree, Daniel
Sandoval must be a trial balloon
For what purpose I don’t Know
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Do you think Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan are conservatives?
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Considering that Obama didn’t have to worry about Republican obstructionism at the time they were confirmed, they are both much further right than they needed to be.
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I realize that my views are not mainstream, but I no longer see the political spectrum as conservative versus progressive. I see it as globalization (Clinton, Bush, etc.) versus economic protectionism (Sanders, Trump, me, etc.). Obama is not a lib or a con; he is a globalizer. He seeks to establish a new world of global competition without barriers, as exemplified by free trade agreements. This competition will (oversimplifying only slightly) aid Wall Street and trample Main Street. Workers lose rights and jobs, supposedly becoming more productive.
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Can you list the names of some much-further-left candidates who would have been confirmed? Thanks.
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Getting a rightwinger confirmed would be a blight in Obama’s record
Better to confirm no one
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Left Coast Teacher,
One of the 4 economists who criticized Bernie’s economic plan, in a publicized letter, is Laura D’Andrea Tyson. She’s on the Board of Directors for Morgan Stanley and ATT. She is affiliated with the
Haas School of Business at the Univ. of Calf.
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The danger to the GOP is this:
If even a right wing moderate gets on the court, it will sway the court on their social issues even if they retain some corporate sway.
However, they probably see that based on their past statements they either need to reject it and appear completely obstructionist, or, if they take Obama up on the appointment, not only does the court sway to the left of Scalia, but, the Democrats bash them over the head as being truly bi-partisan and having the will of the country at heart, where the Republicans wanted to play politics with the nation’s highest court and weren’t looking for the most qualified nominee like the democrats, they wanted someone who agreed with their political viewpoints which the court is supposed to be above (hence the lifetime appointments).
That gambit could cost them the senate and/or the presidency if the Democrats get a complete victory where they lose some control of the court but then anticipate getting 2-3 more justices in the next presidency.
The long game here is the next president will shape the court, and this appointment will shape it for maybe one term. I don’t like Sandoval, but, I don’t think it’s about the politics of the nominee – it’s about the democrats clearly labeling the Republicans as hypocrites or obstructionists no matter what they do.
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Linda,
Thank you.
LCT
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LCT,
“Globalization vs. economic protectionism.” Respectfully, I disagree. Lincoln warned us of the ever present danger of the divine right of kings. Last week, a board member of Facebook, falsely claimed that India was better off under colonialism. He was angry at Indian regulators, who opposed a monopoly market for a Facebook product. Globalization, on the supply side is, exploitation of labor, including children and, the avoidance of health and safety precautions. On the demand side, it’s a market to enrich the new kings, from Wall Street and Silicon Valley.
IMO, Americans want democracy and labor’s compensation, for its productivity gains. The international commerce kings want to get richer.
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With the next Presidential election coming up in less than a year, I cannot believe President Obama would do anything that would hurt the Democratic nominee so horribly. It would be especially disastrous for Clinton if she’s the nominee. A lot of Democrats are already suspicious of her as being too far to the right, and something like this would basically kill her candidacy, and deliver the country to the GOP for the next 8 years.
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Remember that Obama has always been a centrist, neoliberal democrat. This has never been hidden. Very clear, very legible, very broadcast. Also recall that Obama put Social Security on the table in his attempts to be taken seriously by Republicans. His stewardship of the Trans Pacific Partnership is the ultimate proof of his ACTUAL positioning on the political spectrum.
So many folks on the left and many on our side of the education war (well a war suggests two roughly equivalent sides fighting….so lets say slaughter) have some real confusion about Obama and many “democrats” and are kind of constantly shocked at actual policy that these folks support.
So, for clarity’s sake:
Being left/progressive on social justice issues and identity politics is one thing (and important for sure), but it is NOT the ultimate litmus of being progressive. It’s ECONOMIC justice and issues where progressivism is actually discerned. The neoliberal economic agenda is and always has been a conservative economic agenda. This is the agenda doubled down on by Bill Clinton and Obama (and will be again by Hillary). It’s a now totally ubiquitous thing….go left on social issues to convince people they are “real” dems, but then support technocratic neoliberal economic policies that actually undermine everything. This is why us teachers get so confused. The neoliberal, Obama, Cuomo, reform-minded Ed policy is neoliberal economic policy and we think its social policy. So we get befuddled.
Now the court pick: of course he’s considering a conservative. Obama has shown a long and strong history of going to great lengths to get the republicans to work with him. He also is at bottom a neoliberal. To you and me the Supreme Court cases based on individual rights are super important. But to folks like Obama, it’s the cases surrounding economic (neoliberal and conservative) issues that are the ones that count. So of course he is thinking of a conservative.
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Obama is vile, plain and simple.
He is not a progressive for the populist masses and never will be. Look at his polices and voting records as President and as a Senator.
Vile, vicious, and not looking out for the GOP or democrats . . . .
Not for the rich or the poor . . . . Not for the Latinos or the Blacks.
Definitely not for the middle class.
He’s looking out for . . . .
Obama.
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Actions speak louder than speculated motives or words.
Dr. Califf, a big Pharma supporter, was nominated to the FDA. Holder, was Obama’s choice for DOJ…not one prosecution of Wall Street Bankers. Mary Jo White, Wall Street insider, appointed as head of the SEC. Duncan and King nominated for D. of Ed.
Nomination for Health and Human Services, former president of Gates and Walton Foundations.
During the 2012 election cycle, Pres. Obama looked visibly shaken and performed poorly, during the first presidential debate against Romney. I commented at the time, that he looked like a man who had just been told, who owned him.
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He’s also anti Union. Hopefully his name is being floated just to gauge response. His nomination would just be wrong!
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Not a joke, but the true Obama.
All those who are still saying, “Oh, he couldn’t do what he wanted to do.” will maybe now stew in their words. Obama is, and has always been Penny Pritzker’s man. This, along with all of his other say one thing and do another filth, has brought us as a nation to Donald Trump.
There is another choice, one that can begin to lead the way to a far better path.
Must see Michael Moore’s new film, Where to invade Next. Walk out with a very real sense of how backward we are in this country.
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“Leaving his Mark”
Three-card Monte, that’s the game
Played for money and for fame
Sleight of hand and twist of fate
Demo clan will take the bait
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Plunderbund reported today on information from Progress Ohio, citing state audits that show, “Ohio taxpayers paid a firm, IQ Innovations, $6.6 million for curriculum services for ECOT, an on-line charter school”. Also cited, a related whistle blower case involving Ohio State University employees, who had a financial oversight role.
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The Atlantic has a good discussion out this morning that walks the layman thro the political rationales, points, counterpoints of a [theoretical] Sandoval nomination.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/02/the-case-for-and-against-appointing-brian-sandoval-to-the-supreme-court/470907/
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One of the 4 economists who wrote the letter criticizing Bernie’s economic plan, is on the board of 4 corporations and, is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, which is funded by Gates and the Waltons.
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I responded that a Democrat must be appointed. Why would Sandoval be a good choice. Not for me or the middle class.
I’m so disgusted with all this willingness to respond to the right.
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Economist Austan Goolsbee, who signed the letter criticizing Bernie’s economic plan, is a board member of the Lumina Foundation. At Badger Democracy, there is a post titled, “ALEC, Higher Ed. and the Lumina Foundation”.
At the Freakonomics website, controversial free market economist, Steven Levitt, refers to Goolsbee, as a good friend. Levitt referred to Roland Fryer as being like a brother. Mercedes Schneider has a post about Roland Fryer that describes his view of urban students vs. his view of his own children, in suburban schools.
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Roland made some big $$$$ in DC at the behest of Michelle “stay away from my children Kevin” Rhee-Johnson.
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Steven Levitt has the brain of a Rheesus monkey.
He epitomizes the know-nothing economist who believes he knows everything about every subject.
He was taken to the cleaners by climate scientist Ray Pierrehumbert for his error-filled chapter on climate change in Superfreakonomics, but instead of admitting his errors, he simply claimed Ray had intentionally “misread” (and therefore misrepresented) his words.
Pierrehumbert’s response to Levitt’s response makes it clear that Steven Levitt is not simply stupid but also dishonest.
He’s a typical U of Chicago free-marketeer.
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I don’t think it is a joke—just more evidence that Obama is not a progressive and/or liberal democrat—-proof that he wears his disguise as a Democrat well. When G. W. Bush left the White House and Obama moved in, there was little to no change.
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One would hope…but he’s a real DINO. See Bill Press’s book: Buyers Remorse.
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Obama’s biggest donors in 2008 were from Wall Street. Obama himself said he most admired Reagan. I knew enough not to vote for him in 2008 or 2012 (I voted for Cynthia McKinney in 2008 & no one in 2012).
Obama continued and increased the Bush bailout of Wall Street but did ittle for Main Street; refused to prosecute the Bush administration torturers and war criminals as he was bound to by law; increased the illegal drone wars; waged ilegal war on Libya; overthrew the elcted government of Ukraine and continues to provoke Russia and China; has done very little about the racist U.S. incarceration system, promotes the fiction of “clean coal” as well as offshore and Actic drilling when we should be keeping all fossil fuels in the ground; and has wasted higher and higher amounts on military and omnicidal nuclear weapons spending while our infrastructure continues to deteriorate.
He has been more of a conservative Republican than President Eisenhower was. So why should his possible pick of a conservative Republican as SCOTUS justice surprise anyone?
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By now we know Sandoval has withdrawn his name. I’m not sure it was an off-the-wall nomination at least in concept. Obama’s only chance of affecting court makeup before he leaves (tho not assured) would be by dialing it back toward center with a somewhat moderate Republican. Sandoval for example is centrist on social/ family issues. And if Republicans refused to engage, that could swing some presidential/ senate etc votes away from Trump (because it underscores true obstructionism, as opposed to not engaging with a liberal nomination). The fight for Obama at this point is to get another Democrat in office– there is nothing he can do to convince progressives he’s not a Dino no matter who he nominates.
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Yes, Gov Sandoval withdrew his name.
Moderate? Only by the standards of extremists like Cruz and Rubio.
Opposes any gun control.
Opposes federal funding of abortion.
Opposes labor unions.
Supports vouchers even though Nevada’s constitution bans them.
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From a DFER mailing I received on Clinton vs Sanders on education, it’s clear DFER backs Clinton:
http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/dfermass/mailings/24/attachments/original/Annotated-K-12-Clinton-v.-Sanders1.jpg?1456345379
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Economist Alan Krueger (Princeton), who signed the letter criticizing Bernie’s economic policies is on the board of the MacArthur Foundation. In 2015, MacArthur gave $25 million for digital-media-based learning.
Gates referenced it when describing $500,000,000 from 12 foundations for the same purpose.
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