I am an unabashed moderate with strongly held, but diverse viewpoints. While others like me exist, we have no one viable political party to support that accurately reflects our views. An oversimplification would be the old adage that I am socially liberal and fiscally conservative. In these tough economic times, the fiscal side of things seems to come to the forefront while the social side gets placed on the back-burner. I suspect that is why Independent voters are currently trending towards voting Republican in November. President Obama's pick of Solicitor General Elena Kagan has the potential to turn that equation completely on its head.
If there is one political bloc that I cannot stand more than any others, it is the Religious Right. For the first 15+ plus months of the Obama Administration they have been effectively marginalized mostly due to the financial crisis our country has been facing. As I recently told my Libertarian friend, the one obvious benefit of the Tea Party movement has brought on our political landscape is that it has marginalized the Theocratic wing of the Republican party. Nobody really seems to care what they have to say these days which I think most of the people on this site would agree is a good thing. Their response to this pick, however has rekindled my disdain for them:
It's time we got over the myth that what a public servant does in his private life is of no consequence. We cannot afford to have another sexually abnormal individual in a position of important civic responsibility, especially when that individual could become one of nine votes in an out of control oligarchy that constantly usurps constitutional prerogatives to unethically and illegally legislate for 300 million Americans.
I think Andrew Sullivan nails it:
The days are past when this could be brushed under the rug. Let's have an honest debate, can we? The way to counter prejudice is through truth - not avoidance. For the right to oppose Kagan merely because she is gay - if she is - would be one more step toward their self-destruction. By staying mum, the Obamites may be playing yet another rope-a-dope. I just cannot see how in 2010, ambiguity is an option. I mean: who would claim that John Roberts' heterosexuality is somehow private? It is a demonstrably reported fact that there would now be no Protestants on the court - just Catholics and Jews. Why is this not an invasion of privacy, if asking someone about their sexual orientation is?
No matter what I think about tax policy or other conservative viewpoints I tend to be sympathetic towards, it sickens me that people can say this kind of thing in 2010 and not be universally condemned. As a moderate (and sane) individual, this is not a team I want to be associated with. Republicans are going to have to walk a very fine line in their opposition to her because I, and I suppose a good deal of other independents, will not stand for any countenance of this bullshit line of attack.
She was my preferred choice even before her official selection was made because above all else, Elana Kagan seems like someone who respects all opposing viewpoints and is known for her careful consideration of all issues at least from what I have read. This is in keeping with one of my very favorite character traits of our President, that despite many of the absurd things that have been flung his way, he still holds true to he belief this country needs more people like her in positions of authority and less ideologues.
This pick has the dual effect of reinforcing my positively held beliefs about President Obama, while presenting a real problem for Republicans. It also has the potential to highlight the areas that I believe are positives for the Democratic Party with independents while taking the focus off of areas where independents are more likely to disagree with Democrats.
I am not suggesting that President Obama nominated Solicitor General Kagan as some kind of cynical trap directed towards the Religious Right because of rumors and innuendo about her sexuality. On the contrary, I believe this is a politically courageous pick in spite of them. Her nomination is a historic breakthrough for civil rights in this country because in my opinion, not too long ago, even mere rumors would have been enough to scuttle her potential nomination. This is just one of multiple reasons I feel that Elena Kagan is a fantastic pick by President Obama.