10/05/2005
More on Miers
Video tribute to the Miers nomination...Bush's very own Golden Girl.
Is Miers being rewarded for covering up Bush Vietnam dodge?
Prior Miers entries after the jump...
>links from October 3...
Documents have surfaced that allow a view into Bush SCOTUS pick Harriet Miers views on gay issues. The picture painted by the documents is not crystal clear, but shows that she doesn't look like the Scalia or Thomas conservatives might have hoped for...
When Miers was running for Dallas City Council she filled out a questionnaire from the Lesbian/Gay Political Coalition of Dallas saying she supported increased AIDS funding. She also answered "yes" to a question that asked "Do you believe that gay men and lesbians should have the same civil rights as non-gay men and women?"
On the flipside, Miers opposed repeal of the Texas sodomy statute, which the Supreme Court overturned years later.
Miers may support gay adoption.
Louise Young, Lesbian/Gay Coalition of Dallas on Miers appearance at 1989 coalition meeting: "Usually, if you bothered to come, you wanted our endorsement. She came to talk to us anyway. I thought that was very odd. She didn't seem like a right-wing nut or anything like that."
>links from October 2...
Bush chooses Harriet Miers as next SCOTUS pick.
Longtime confidant of Bush has no judicial record.
Early comment from Sen. Chuck Schumer: "We know even less about Harriet Miers than we did about John Roberts and because this is the critical swing seat on the court, Americans will need to know a lot more about Mier's judicial philosophy and legal background before any vote for confirmation."
In his speech, Bush announced that Miers has been involved with an organization called Exodus Ministries. Early word is that this is not the ex-gay group Exodus International but another group that works with ex-offenders.
Frum on Miers — the ultimate loyalist: "She once told me that the president was the most brilliant man she had ever met."
But how loyal? Miers gave $1,000 to Gore in '88 primary. Donated Republican ever since.
GWU Professor Turley: Miers "an amazingly bad choice". Video.
Legal Times profile (via Wonkette) says Miers is obsessed with birthdays, has dated Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht "over the years," is a "nit-picky micromanager who failed upwards at the White House" based on her inability to make a decision or delegate.
Bush has called her a "pit bull in Size 6 shoes."
In 2004 when she was Deputy Chief of Staff for policy, Miers did a Q&A with the public regarding various Bush administration policies.
William Kristol: "her selection will unavoidably be judged as reflecting a combination of cronyism and capitulation on the part of the president."
Conservative peanut gallery not happy. Right Wing News: "Disaster, Thy Name Is Harriet Miers: George Bush’s decision to appoint Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court is bitterly disappointing. Miers is a Bush crony with no real conservative credentials, who leapfrogged legions of more deserving judges just because she was Bush’s pal."
Democratic Strategist Bob Beckel "relieved that he didn't pick people that would have been from our standpoint quite unacceptable..."; Minority Leader read "happy" with the pick; Schumer: "This is a good first day in the process to replace Sandra Day O'Connor."
The 60-year-old virgin...
Posted 2:30 PM EST by Andy Towle in Current Affairs | Permalink
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Harriet Miers needs to lay off the eyeliner. She looks a bit like an aging Goth chick in the picture on CNN just now.
Posted by: Brian | Oct 3, 2005 9:46:40 AM
Our lives & liberties are on the line here and all Brian can comment on is her make-up? People, this is serious!!!
Posted by: Tommy | Oct 3, 2005 10:11:13 AM
If neither the Right nor the Left is happy, then maybe it's not such a bad choice after-all. And as a non-lawyer, I fail to see her NOT being a judge nor an academic as a bad thing.
Posted by: Ted B. | Oct 3, 2005 11:10:24 AM
I don't know Tommy - if we're gonna get screwed, at least she could be cute like that dreamy John Roberts.
I'm sure she'll do a heck of a job.
Posted by: david | Oct 3, 2005 12:01:54 PM
You'd think after getting so publicly busted for the disasterous effects of his cronyism with Brown and whole FEMA debacle, Bush wouldn't try to pull this nonsense anymore. I hope he gets a serious smackdown from someone for this.
Posted by: MT | Oct 3, 2005 1:17:55 PM
I'm loving it! I haven't been this happy as a Democrat since Clinton won his second election. Bush couldn't have picked a worse qualified person to fill the Supreme Court... just like he couldn't have picked a worse person to head FEMA, and so on,and on, and on. This guy is like that kid on the playground who only picks his friends to be on his kickball team. Hysterical! And the best part is that all the right-wing conservatives are FURIOUS! They now FINALLY see Georgie the way the rest of us have seen him for years. There's now talk of a CONSERVATIVE filibuster on this nomination instead of a Democratic one. Maybe I shouldn't be taking joy out of such incompetence, but all liberals have got to be happy that he didn't pick a strong conservative activist like we had feared.
Posted by: Robert | Oct 3, 2005 1:21:21 PM
Who really cares anyway? Let's get to the important stuff like whether or not Kenny Chesney is gay.
Posted by: Andy W | Oct 3, 2005 1:43:19 PM
She looks like she slept in her makeup.
Posted by: Tipsy McStaggers | Oct 3, 2005 1:44:15 PM
What an effing hag...
Posted by: Tipsy McStaggers | Oct 3, 2005 1:45:05 PM
EXODUS MINISTRIES!!!! When Bush announced her nomination this morning, he rattled off a list of charitable groups and foundations that she worked for. Exodus Ministries was one of them. Surely, I thought..that can't be THE Exodus Ministries..the rabidly anti-gay ministries. It's been a few hours and I haven't seen a mention of that...am I mistaken?...is it a different ministry? Jesus Fucking Christ
Posted by: PSMike | Oct 3, 2005 1:55:59 PM
and of course as soon as I posted I saw that you had mentioned it.... this site is the best
Posted by: PSMike | Oct 3, 2005 1:57:33 PM
Early reports are that her Exodus Ministries is NOT that Exodus Ministries. It's one that works with ex-cons. Perhaps she can help DeLay, Abramoff, Safavian when they all get out of jail in four or five years. LOL. As for her make-up and being a hag, grow up for crying out loud. Even better, let's put your picture all over the media and criticize how you look.
Posted by: Michael J. | Oct 3, 2005 2:10:30 PM
But she's just so damned ugly Michael J.
Posted by: Tipsy McStaggers | Oct 3, 2005 2:17:46 PM
It's not that she's up for a seat (or whatever) on the Supreme Court that's at issue here. The real tragedy is her hairstyle. We need the Condoleeza Rice stylist brigade to get started on her. It's a formidable task indeed.
Posted by: Tipsy McStaggers | Oct 3, 2005 2:32:24 PM
I really have to question this thing about "A bulldyke in size 6 overalls". Is that supposed to be a compliment?
I think she's somebody the Dems can get behind, because the Republicans don't seem too happy about her. It's a little sad that the best candidate for the job needs to be somebody that one side hates enough for the other side to like.
IMHO, style wise, she'll fit in with the supremes just fine. Compare Harriet to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It's a dog eat dog contest for last place in that beauty contest.
Posted by: Jay Croce | Oct 3, 2005 5:28:46 PM
Read back the malicious, appearance based venom in these postings, Towleroad readers. You'd think one's appearance is definitely a true measure of a person - perpetuating the symbolic violence through which gay culture runs itself. Truth told, we're not half as fabulous as we tell ourselves - even if fabulous had some credibility outside of our sycophantic purrings. I'm no fan of Bush, his croynism and the lack of a judicial record, but nailing someone simply because of their look is why we're called "shallow" and "bitter".
Posted by: resurrect | Oct 3, 2005 10:45:46 PM
Many times a president has nominated a person to the SCOTUS or an ambassadorship knowing that the person stands no choice of confirmation. In the resulting battle the President submits another name (the name of the person he actually wants) to sooth the ills and appears to appease the Senate. Is this such a case, and who is waiting in the wings that Bush really wants confirmed? The real nominee could be even scarier and even more to the right than the unknown Miers.
With a lack of a record on many positions many conservatives and democrats alike are afraid of her nomination. She has a lot of questions to answer to gain confirmation for sure. If Bush was looking for a woman to appoint with no judicial experience why did he not appoint his wife Laura? She’d probably have been just as qualified and probably a lot less of a longshot.
Posted by: Roger | Oct 3, 2005 11:31:45 PM
Resurrect, I would strongly disagree with you... As a communications professional and expert in the field, I can tell you that there is a great deal that can be learned from a person's personal appearance and public demeanor. Much of the previous analysis of Ms. Miers has been quite accurate, caddy yes, but accurate. What the previous observations have lacked is "analytical depth." Though this is not the correct forum for a detailed analysis, here is my "Prêt Porte" impression of Ms. Miers.
Outwardly, she seems to have a strong streak of Tammy Fay Baker running through her veins: over made-up, bad hair, the gushing... all too reminiscent. Add in the running streaks of mascara from excessive crying and the visual comparison would be uncanny. Based on that observation alone, I draw this conclusion: Ms. Miers is the "a typical" Trinity Broadcasting Texas Homespun Christian Tart. If found to be accurate (and I strongly believe that it will be), this is a person that the gay community should be quite worried about, her loyalties are likely to lie with "Jée•süs" and not the constitution. We all know how that stereotype implies trouble in regards to her likely rulings while on the bench. She is not likely to be a supporter of our civil rights or the constitutional recognition of our equal standing under the law based on the14th Amendment’s guarantee of Equal Protection. That should concern everyone amply.
Bush is many things, none of which are good, but in this nomination, he has revealed his true underlying nature as an evil genius, something he rarely if ever openly displays publicly. This nomination, for those who grasp Bush's true cunning, fits perfectly with his "Mayberry Machiavellian" persona. Ms. Miers is a Trojan horse dressed up in a bad 1980's Sears & Roebuck suit, masquerading as a personal attorney, but is, in reality, an avatar for Bush’s Christian Dominionist derived, homophobic, hate-mongering ideas.
Posted by: Robert In WeHo | Oct 4, 2005 12:30:17 AM
As much as I'd like to rail against this "hag", as one of you so rudely suggested she is, I have to say that her history in Dallas (where I live) is very supportive of the Gay community and issues that face us. She met with Gay leaders, she supported legislation to bar sexual orientation from being an issue in regards to Adoption, and she was a key player in granting Travis County (where Austin is) the right to register civil unions with same sex partners.
There's not a lot out there about Ms. Miers, but what I know of her in Texas says that she's not the staunch conservative the Right was expecting.
Let's take a step back and allow the confirmation hearings to dredge up any true issues, and let's NOT focus solely on her makeup and wardrobe...she's up for a court position, not an Oscar. Anyone taken a look at Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Sandra Day O'Connor lately?? 'nuff said ;)
Posted by: Wayne | Oct 4, 2005 11:41:22 AM
First of all, I'm with Wayne. I'd hope we could actually wait for documented statements from Miers' previous work and for the hearings so the woman can speak for herself rather than jumping to "conclusions" based on appearance or demeanor.
Also earlier in the string folks were freaking out about Exodus Ministries. Exodus International is the ex-gay group, NOT Exodus Ministries, which is a Dallas group that works with indiviudals returning to their families from after prison. The confusion over this is understandable, but perhaps we should make a quick fact-check before perpetuating misinformation.
Posted by: Kurt | Oct 4, 2005 12:16:17 PM
Bush has now nominated a judge who did pro-bono work in a landmark gay rights case and another who supports full civil rights and AIDS education programs in a southern city.
You guys must be apoplectic. That can be the only explanation for why you've taken to attacking her appearance. How sad.
Posted by: Mitch | Oct 4, 2005 1:48:50 PM
I can't stand the sight of her.
Posted by: Tipsy McStaggers | Oct 4, 2005 2:16:44 PM
Everyone needs to read Molly Ivans' column today. Miers days of being a "moderate" ended after all of the afore mentioned "pro-gay" positions she took. Miers is now a full fledged bible touting Dominionist who believes that unless you follow her religion to the letter, you're going to hell and that the only real law is Biblical scripture. According to Ivans, Miers "zealous" beliefs endanger the stability and relative internal peace this nation has managed to maintain in the area of religion due to the separation of church and state. Ivans suggests that Miers is exactly what I feared, and Bush himself confirmed it in his news conference this morning, Miers believes as Bush believes and WILL NOT be changing her mind as time passes. Ivans provides specific information about Miers religious views and the risks to peace and prosperity that her views represent.
Here's the link:
http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=19701&area=ivins
Posted by: Robert In WeHo | Oct 4, 2005 3:36:09 PM
Oh for God's sake... can't anybody take a joke? Some of you boys need to take a Xanax.
To make you feel better, I'll agree she has no experience as a judge. I'm also concerned about her membership and active participation in a bible-thumping evangelical Christian church in Dallas that actively opposes gay rights and reproductive freedoms. But come on... you didn't expect Bush to nominate a liberal, did you?
And her eyeliner DOES make her look like a goth chick.
Posted by: Brian | Oct 5, 2005 12:13:41 PM
I love the aging eyeliner look. I'm not going to fault Miers for imitating what looks so hot on Iggy Pop.
But, I'm not going to support a Supreme Court nominee who is nominated for only having done partisan and corporate work.
Posted by: Blake | Oct 5, 2005 2:43:05 PM