Our perfect constiitution? What should we be teaching ourstudents?

[Sanford Levinson]

Miguel writes:

Miers's nomination was
yanked because the president's support is eroding.  
 
I think this is slightly misleading if it suggests that Bush was responding to something that be called "majority public opinion" that the nomination was utenable.  There is no such evidence of that's being the case.  Instead, he responded to the screaming of "his base," which by no plausible construction of contemporary public opinion represents a majority.  There are two polar approaches that an unpopularl president can adopt:  One is to start appealing to the "great center" and appeal to their sense of fair play, etc., by demonstrating a willingness to change what are thought to be defective policies, etc.  This is Bill Clinton basically.  Consider his willingness to sign the so-called Wefare Reform bill.  The other is to hunker down and play to the base, relentlessly, hoping that the opposition remains inept and dispirited enough (and that so-called "moderates" within the Repubican Party continue to murmur but never to change their votes).  The latter is clearly Bush's strategy, and I suspect, in the short run, that he'll get away with it.  
 
sandy
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