Of course, by definition, a Republican is a fucking idiot, and I don't doubt that Hatch is more of an idiot than anyone else in his party. In fact, most people would probably tell you he's LESS of an idiot.
But what he said on Hardball tonight (I'm on semester break and can't sleep so I watched the re-broadcast at 3 a.m) gives him a chance to edge out Lindsay Graham as today's Trojan-Enz boner of the day. MSNBC doesn't have the transcript up yet, but here's what he said, in case you missed it (my words, not his, since I don't have the transcipt)
"I think its terrible that all the Democrats on this committee asked so many questions about abortion today. It's terrible that Roe V Wade is driving so much partisanship today in the Senate, and it's terrible that such a critical issue is decided by men in robes who don't have to stand up for re-election. Things like that need to be decided by elected officials and not by men in robes who have a life-time tenure. And the reason the Democrats want it this way is that if they put Roe up to a vote of the people (or of their representatives), they'd lose."
First of all, Hatch apparently hasn't looked at any opinion polls lately, because a clear majority of Americans support Roe.
But secondly, and more importantly, Hatch fails miserably to undertand the basic reality that there are a hell of a lot of basic rights that people in this country might not have if said rights were in the hands of voters.
Like what?
Like equal rights for African-Americans as Mathews's other guest, Dick Durbin pointed out. And as Durbin pointed out, the right to equality in schools was established by the Supreme Court in Brown V Board of Ed, not by any voters, who certainly would have voted, at least in some parts of the country, to keep the schools segregated..
You guys can go to the Harball website and read the transcript when they put it up, and see exactly what Hatch's words were, (I'd imagine it'll be up shortly), but Hatch then strongly implied that the only reason there is now unanimity among intelligent Americans regarding Civil Rights is that Congress followed up on the Court's decision by passing the Civil Rights legislation of the mid '60's.
Now, OF COURSE that legislation was, as Hatch said, the most significant passed in the 20th century. No one, not even Rush Limbaugh or Bill Bennett, would deny that. But what Hatch was saying is that it wouldn't matter that the Court ruled to de-segregate the schools unless Congress had re-affirmed that decision, and unless such a decision reflected the views of the American people.
I still can't believe I just heard a U.S. Senator say that, let alone one who commands such respect from people on both sides of the aisle.
And I can't fucking stand it when Hatch, Bush, and all these other right-wing nut jobs keep talking about "activist judges" who "legislate from the bench."
If the justices in Brown V Board didn't "legislate from the bench" when they granted black children equal rights in schools, than I don't want to hear any of this bullshit about the justices on the Supreme Judicial Court in Massachusetts being "activist judges" for granting gay people equal rights, and I certainly don't want to hear Hatch or any of these other fuckwads say, if more courts grant gay couples equal rights, or if and when they continue to uphold a woman's right to chose, that these issues of basic rights should be up to the vote of the people.
Thankfully, Orrin Hatch didn't write the Constitution. Hopefully, he'll be out of the Senate fairly soon so people won't have to listen to this nonsense.