Holy cow, what a shock -- John Roberts is more popular among liberals than among conservatives:
CBS News) Most Americans are unfamiliar with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts or have no opinion of him. However, in the wake of Roberts' decision to side with liberals on the court and uphold President Obama's health care law, a new CBS News/ New York Times poll shows that the conservative justice is more popular among liberals than conservatives.
Among Americans overall, 73 percent have no opinion or are undecided about Roberts, according to the poll, conducted July 11-16. Fourteen percent have a favorable view of him while 12 percent have an unfavorable view.
Among self-identified conservatives, just nine percent have a favorable view of Roberts, who was appointed to the high court by President George W. Bush. Twice as many, 18 percent, have an unfavorable view. Among liberals, 13 percent have a positive view of Roberts while 8 percent have an unfavorable view. Twenty percent of moderates approve of the chief justice.
What a bunch of ingrates we are, huh? Just because Roberts voted to give the government breathtaking new power, we're sulking like little kids who just had their Happy Meals stolen. There is one shocking part to that story -- well, maybe it's a baby shock -- the fact that the vast majority of Americans (73 percent) are unfamiliar with Roberts or have no opinion. I know most people don't follow news in general and politics in particular as much as I do, but such ignorance of someone who can affect American life so much is appalling.
Meanwhile, I think Antonin Scalia just told a little fib:
Some media and blog reports -- citing sources with specific knowledge of the deliberation process -- suggested strong tensions among the court's conservatives over Roberts' vote, which some commentators perceived as political expediency.
But Scalia said it was wrong to question Roberts or other court members personally for their legal conclusions.
[. . .]
Scalia added he was dismayed at the criticism of Roberts, suggesting those who may have leaked information were not entirely privy to the internal discussions over the health care decision.
What Roberts did was a betrayal of bedrock conservative principles, and the reasoning he used to justify his vote employed some of the most twisted, shamelessly dishonest logic ever heard from the court. How could Scalia and Clarence Thomas and Samual Alito and even the not-always-consistent Anthony Kennedy not be royally pissed and disinclined to hide it at least for a few days?
I mean, come on. I'm a distant observer, and it's been weeks now, and I'm still so mad about it I can't stand it.
