By Sherman R. Frederick
Battle Born Media
If you’re in your 20s and you’ve never seen American hypocrisy in full bloom, you are in for a magnificent display.
Every single member of the Senate and the House of Representatives — including all of our own Marin political luminaries — will be doing flip-flops on whether a president should be able to fill a vacant spot in the U.S. Supreme Court with an election pending.
It was just four years ago when Justice Antonin Scalia died and lame duck President Barack Obama tried to squeeze in his nominee, Merrick Garland.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said then: “The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.”
Now comes the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
President Trump faces re-election on Nov. 3. He’ll name a replacement to Ginsburg this week and McConnell says, unlike Garland, that person will absolutely, 100% get a vote.
Spectacular back bend, no? But wait, everyone’s doing it.
If Nancy Pelosi were consistent with her 2016 views, she’d support the latter-day McConnell position. Back then she said: “The American people expect the United States Senate to do their job and give Judge Merrick Garland a fair hearing and timely vote.”
So the same with our very senior senator, Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. “To jam through a lifetime appointment,” she told the San Francisco Chronicle, “particularly to replace an icon like Justice Ginsburg — would be the height of hypocrisy.”
I appreciate the ancient one’s optimism, but, au contraire, Dianne. In American politics the “height of hypocrisy” is never, ever, reached. There are always new heights to hit.
Swirling in the same Votex of Hypocrisy are Marin’s resident congresscritter, Jared Huffman, and County Supervisor Damon “Hold My Beer” Connolly who in 2016 put their hands over their hearts and said: “The Senate has a duty to the American people to have a full hearing on the president’s nominee.”
No rhetoric these days about duty to the American people from Connolly and Huffman.
Let’s be honest. There is no higher moral ground here. This is purely a power play with both Republicans and Democrats flipping positions.
Enjoy the spectacle, boys and girls. It will be amazing.
THE HAPLESS PAC 12
The PAC 12 will play football this year. First games are scheduled for Oct. 31. But it must be pointed out that the leadership in the conference has been nothing to write home about. Virtually every other major conference moved to proceed before the PAC 12 and are safely playing now.
You might spin it by saying the PAC 12 was just being careful. But that would be incorrect. People who watch the conference closely say the leaders were simply asleep at the switch. The PAC 12 could have — and should have — made this call weeks ago.
I hope prep football follows suit. It’s time.
BACK TO THE OFFICE
After months of working from home, here’s what it’s going to be like when the boss says be at work and in your cubicle by 9 a.m.
ONE MORE THING
— Being 20 in the 70s was more fun than being 70 in the 20s.
— Jim Carry will play Joe Biden when Saturday Night live resumes in October. The rumor is that the inspiration for the casting took place right after a viewing of “Dumb & Dumber.”
— I said to my wife, “let’s go out for dinner tonight.” So she came back with the usual “I have nothing to wear.” I said “just wear what you wore last time we went out, you looked beautiful.” So there we were in the local steak house, me in my jeans and t-shirt, and her in her wedding dress.
— J.F.K, Charles de Gaulle, Indira Gandhi. Why are so many world leaders named after airports?
— This sign was supposed to say “Mask Up Utah.” My Mexican friends know otherwise.
I’ll let myself out and look forward to seeing you next week. In the meanwhile, channel your inner 60s-self. Always question authority. Stay safe. Mask up.
Sherman R. Frederick is the founder of Battle Born Media, publisher of intensely local community newspapers in Nevada and California, including the Novato Advance, the San Rafael News Pointer, the Mill Valley Herald, the Ross Valley Reporter, the Twin Cities Times, the Sausalito Marin Scope and the Pacifica Tribune. He may be reached at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)
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