Stirewaltisms: A Supreme Break for Biden

Plus: An outbreak of decency, Newt Gingrich’s target audience, and the mailbag.

By
70

A SUPREME BREAK FOR BIDEN 

Sometimes, a Supreme Court vacancy can be a huge political advantage. Sometimes it can be a burden. But sometimes, it can be a vacation. And a getaway has to sound pretty marvelous to President Biden right now.

Let’s start with the obvious stipulation: Nobody yet knows for sure what the political ramifications will be of the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer. Presidents can make bad picks, candidates can have hidden problems, and events can change the context for a nomination. But as it is, this should be a welcome distraction for the beleaguered Biden, though probably not something that will much change the trajectory of this year’s elections.  

If there is such a thing as a provenance for a Supreme Court seat, this is primo left-wing property. Some of the biggest progressive judicial heroes stand in line behind Breyer: Oliver Holmes, Benjamin Cardozo, Felix Frankfurter, and Harry Blackmun. This makes the pick easy in one way. Especially since a new progressive to replace Breyer won’t change the ideological balance of the court, there’s no case to be made for a moderate. 

Keep reading with a free account
Create a free Dispatch account to keep reading Get Started ALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT? SIGN IN
70
By
Comments (70)
Join The Dispatch to participate in the comments.
 
  1. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    “ “Old songs now represent 70 percent of the U.S. music market, according to the latest numbers from MRC Data, a music-analytics firm. … But the news gets worse: The new-music market is actually shrinking. All the growth in the market is coming from old songs. …The current list of most-downloaded tracks on iTunes is filled with the names of bands from the previous century, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Police. …The leading area of investment in the music business is old songs. Investment firms are getting into bidding wars to buy publishing catalogs from aging rock and pop stars. The song catalogs in most demand are by musicians who are in their 70s or 80s (Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen) or already dead (David Bowie, James Brown).””

    As one of those young people fueling this boom I say, “Good! The old stuff is better than most of what’s coming out now! David Bowie is better than most of what’s been put out in my entire life (yes I know he had albums within my lifetime but his best stuff was maybe 20 years before my birth). Same with Zeppelin! The Velvet Underground! The Who!

    “ At least until the tide of letters slackens, let’s crowdsource this sucker. I hereby initiate the Stirewaltisms cutline contest! Readers should send in their proposed cutline for the picture that appears at the top of this newsletter to STIREWALTISMS@THEDISPATCH.COM. We will pick the top entrants and an appropriate reward for the winner even beyond the glory and adulation that will surely follow. Be hilarious, don’t be too dirty, and never be cruel. Include your full name and hometown. Have fun! ”

    I see what you did there! Nice one.

    Collapse
  2. Avatar photo
    Graps

    I'm torn. On the one hand I want to create multiple email/phone/smarter-than-me-watch alerts for when Chris posts a new missive so I can immediately soak it in without a moment's waste. But then I also want to save each reading for when I need a laugh. Which medicine do I choose?

    Collapse
  3. Avatar photo
    Earl King

    Terms like males and females are absolute but whites, blacks, working class, soccar moms or suburban females.....I think I’m seeing class as a better classification, rather than job description and skin color. But I could be wrong.

    Collapse
  4. Avatar photo
    Will Bates

    Can we all just agree that Newt Gingrich is a terrible human being that has no place in American politics or public-facing life?

    I kinda woulda though we accepted that after the ethics scandals, tax evasion, and Marianne Ginther incident.

    That anyone could consider following him says a lot about our Trumpish society.

    Collapse
    1. Avatar photo
      The Bell Tower

      I mean…. Trump is the leader.

      Collapse
      1. Avatar photo
        Fighting Armadillo

        Undoubtedly, but we would never have gotten to Trump without Gingrich. It’s the standard revolutionary spiral, with each one being worse than the one before. Gingrich pioneered nasty, no-holds barred ideological warfare and showed how it can lead to some success. But to knock off the pioneer, the next guy has to be even nastier and more outrageous. So he was.

        Collapse
  5. Avatar photo
    The Bell Tower

    Meanwhile, Acosta is still recounting old war stories about the horrendous tragedy of having his press pass revoked. Good on Biden to set the right tone and for Doocy to resist the swan song of the artist formerly known as Sean Hannity.

    Collapse
  6. Avatar photo
    David M

    Well done Chris. I appreciate your views and writing style.

    Collapse
  7. Avatar photo
    John D. Wright

    I don't know. There are valid group dynamics but I agree we should never translate those dynamics to any individual in the group. They are just trends. Still trends do matter if they really are trends. Of course, make sure you get the facts straight on trend analysis. I don't see it as bad though.

    Collapse
  8. Avatar photo
    C C Writer

    "C-SPAN thespians." Yeah, that's a very useful term. Gonna remember it.

    But as for "whoever could have missed it," I miss things like that on purpose. I don't watch Fox anymore. I don't watch any TV news anymore. I was generally aware that something along those lines had happened but I didn't care to dive into the details let alone whatever the social media might make of it. I live in real space and would prefer not to have The Dispatch expect me to do otherwise.

    Collapse
  9. Avatar photo
    Matt J

    It's nice that Biden was able to de-escalate things between him and Doocy. To paraphrase one Arthur Fleck, sometimes it seems like everyone just yells at each other. To recognize you got too heated in the moment and apologize later - well, it's the kind of grace you'd hope a president would have.

    Collapse
  10. Emma

    Thank you for not making the black woman thing about "wokeism" it's tit for tat. Damn right he better. He owes black democrats women.

    Collapse
    1. Avatar photo
      JohnM.

      Yes, he does. Especially after he filibustered and voted against Janice Rogers Brown — twice!

      Collapse
Load More