A question, apparently, to be asked. The MAGAverse threw itself into a foamin’ at the mouth frenzy last week when Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined with Chief Justice John Roberts and the “Unholy Three”, aka “the Bitches”—Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Katanji Brown Jackson—to briefly check the Musk Trump administration’s attempt to claw back $2 billion in foreign aid money that had already been committed for expenditure during the Biden administration. This ruling, in Department Of State v. AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, could well be little more than a bump in the road on the way to cancellation of the disbursals,1 but when the little Donnies of the land want their candy, they want it NOW! And they don’t want some, some woman denying their will!
“DC Draino”, whoever the fuck he is, rages that “Comrade Amy”, as we may as well call her, fails even to look respectfully at Our Glorious Leader, while Mike Cernovich, whoever the fuck he is, rages that “She is evil, chosen solely because she checked identity politics boxes. Another DEI hire. It always ends badly.”
Ross Douthat, adopting his favorite posture as the “thoughtful” Trump whore, strokes his chin thoughtfully and opines that
D.E.I. aspersions aside, I don’t think it’s crazy for Barrett’s critics to suspect that her vote was connected to her personal identity, not just her jurisprudential philosophy — that the mom of seven with kids adopted from Haiti and connections to charismatic Catholicism might take a dimmer view of the president’s cuts to foreign aid than other conservative justices.2
Yeah, it’s not an “aspersion” to point out that Amy and her husband have adopted kids from, you know, Haiti, is it, Ross? Nor is it “wrong” to suggest that Amy, you know, likes foreigners, especially, it seems, those from, you know, shithole countries like Haiti! Nor is it wrong to suggest that it was this, well, neurosis (my word), rather than the sacred text of the Constitution—not to mention the sacred body of Donald Trump—that led Evil Amy to her woke apostasy and downright treason to America!
It’s “funny” that Ross, like the unrestrained Amy haters, makes no mention at all of the fact that Amy’s apostasy would have had no effect if CJ Roberts hadn’t voted the same way! Why is it all Amy’s fault? Why isn’t it Big John’s? Why isn’t it his fault that Big Donnie’s right to do anything he damn pleases is being trampled on? Why isn’t it his family and—I guess—“non-charismatic” Catholicism—that is being inspected and examined for “flaws”? Why is it the woman who’s always being picked on? Is it because the MAGA types have their heads so far up their asses they can’t even see how stupid they are? I think the question answers itself.
Special Josh Blackman Afterwords: The Wrath of Josh!
I’ve read several overviews of the MAGA meltdown over Amy’s outrage, but none of them have mentioned the very special meltdown of special AV non fave rave and South Texas Law School Professor Josh Blackman, which is a pity, because Josh’s fulminations take “crazy” to a whole ’nother level, to wit:
I'll lay down the marker. I think Justice Barrett should step down. I don't think she actually enjoys this job. I can't imagine her family actually prefers the swamp over South Bend. I don't think she enjoys being the focus of the political storm. And I am fairly confident she does not like President Trump. Look at this video! [Referencing the same clip that so offended “DC Draino”—because great minds think alike!]
Yes, Josh, like so many on the right, is a paid-up member in both the Thought and the Face Police. In fact, he’s even keeping an eye on CJ Roberts’ body language. Now, Roberts is a man—probably—but is he manly? Hell no! At the Joint Session address where the cameras caught Amy dissing the Prez, Josh also spots the way Roberts “scurried away” as quickly as he could from His Orangeness after shaking His hand—and we can bet that that handshake was more flaccid that Roberts’ prose. Let’s all remember the words of J. D. Vance: “the real enemy is within!3
The thought of a “No Amy” Court is so alluring to Josh that he can’t help falling into a reverie:
And if Barrett steps down and is replaced by someone in the mold of Justice Thomas or Alito, then Chief Justice Roberts will be sidelined for the foreseeable future. His shenanigans only work when he has a fifth vote. Roberts may see fit to step down as well. I don't think he really wants to be here either.
Well, if Amy steps down, or if the Chief Justice steps down, who would replace them? Who indeed?
Special AV Afterwords: There’s Something About Amy!
I find it particularly funny that Amy is taking so much crap on the right for voting the wrong way, because I’ve been trashing her for voting the wrong way as well, because, really, there is something about Amy! Whether she goes “left”, as she most spectacularly did in Trump v. Anderson, dissenting from Roberts’ abysmal 5-4 decision gutting the 14th Amendment’s provisions prescribing the election of individuals guilty (like Donald Trump) of sedition, or right, as she most spectacularly did in Trump v. United States, when she joined in Roberts’ abysmal 6-3 decision handing His Corruptness a gilt-edged get out of jail free card, good forever!, Amy always finds a way to distance herself from her fellows, as though she were somehow “purer” than they—brandishing a “purity” that I find indistinguishable from hypocrisy.
State v. AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition is the second recent Supreme Court decision in which Roberts and Amy joined with the three Democrats to win one for simple common decency, though neither case was one of much moment. (Go here for my discussion of the first, Trump v. New York].) Is it possible that both John and Amy are beginning to realize that Donald Trump is as bad as I say he is? Well, if Josh Blackman can dream, so can I!
1. AV non fave rave and quotidian Trump kiss ass Jack Goldsmith, aka Mr. Disengenuosity, explains the many in and outs of the case, in what I hope is an “honest” explanation—or, at least, as is his wont, selectively so.
2. Isn’t it just a bit “thick” that Ross, who is not even a lawyer, takes it for granted that he somehow “knows” what the “correct” decision in State v. AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition should have been and that Barrett’s wayward vote somehow “must” have been twisted from the true by her “personal identity”, which apparently directs her to be unconstitutionally kind to people who don’t look or talk like Ross Douthat. Apparently, we need a Court composed entirely of Latin Mass Catholics like Ross to get it right.
