Battle for the Court

An interesting article by E.J. Dionne about the effect of special interest groups on the nomination of our next Justice.

I must disagree with Dionne's belief that special interest groups contribute positively in the debate over the next Justice "because these groups tell the truth about how important this battle is for the future of our country." The nomination of the next Justice is extremely important, and the narrow-minded special interest groups should not be responsible for disseminating information regarding the potential candidates. Special interest groups often resort to distortion and half-truths to advance their agenda at the expense of public knowledge. This is no way to have an open and honest national discussion about the future of our country. The news media needs to be the catalyst in this debate.

I fully realize that this is a futile argument to make. Many people do not spend time reading or watching the news and will have no perspective on the nominations other than watching advertisements. In an ideal world 60 second clips would not have influence over American domestic policy, but this is not the case. Special interest groups are here to stay, but their magnanimity need not be exaggerated. The political debate would be much better off without them.