I have very complicated feelings about Donald Trump right now | Washington Examiner

Trump didn t simply tarnish the GOP brand in certain circles that s a very temporary thing, and Republicans of all stripes had done plenty to tarnish the brand on their own. Trump habituated Republicans and conservatives into conspiracy-theorizing, into lib-owning as the highest undertaking, and into defending corruption and abuse of power.

Yet Trump brought about the end of Roe. That is something every prior Republican decidedly couldn t do or refused to do.

The majority in Roe included five Republican appointees. The majority in 1992 upholding Roe in Planned Parenthood v. Casey included five Republican appointees. Pro-life voters were told endlessly to elect Republican presidents and senators in order to overturn Roe, and again and again, after Souters and O’Connors and Kennedys, this proved folly. Even George W. Bush, the closest thing to a religious Right president, didn t give us two reliable votes against Roe.

It took, of all people, Trump to give us a majority more wedded to the Constitution than to abortion.

via www.washingtonexaminer.com

I call this a pretty brave column. Timothy Carney.

I remember arguing vociferously against the nomination of David Souter with an important WH official. Alas, I went unheeded, as was often the case. I have since enjoyed some of his pronouncements from retirement, however. I also opposed Justice Kennedy, who was obviously a squish; a nice man, but not the crispest chip in the bag. I did not have the chance to oppose the Lady of Rattlesnake Gulch, bless her heart. I did hear Nina Totenberg lamenting the passage of these dear old Conservatives from the public stage this morning. Originalism and the Federalist Society — ideas really do have consequences it seems, and so do elections.