I would abolish the judicial confirmation hearing. There is no good reason for nominees to appear live before the Senate Judiciary Committee. But here's the key point: these are neutral principles and should apply whoever controls the Senate or the White House.
That is where hearings can serve a purpose, not necessarily because of the substance of the hearing itself, but rather the spotlight it puts on the nominee that leads to further inquiry (whether by staff or press)
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And remarkably, senators managed to gin up political controversies over nominees before the hearing reared its ugly head in the late 1960s. The live confirmation hearing was born in racism and has never recovered from its original sin.
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The hearing has always been about coercion of and pressure on nominees. It has never been more elevated than that.
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It is a tradition we really ought to rethink. That was one of the principal arguments of my book. I have never lost an argument in public so completely and orderly. I stand by my position.
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After this age of Trump..there is much that has to be in the re-think pile. Sadly, it probably won't be and life will go on in the world of division.
End of conversation
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