Author Heilemann in '10: Garland is Obama's "best progressive hope" to tilt SCOTUS left

While analyzing the field in 12010--the last time there was a Supreme Court vacancy--author John Heilemann in New York magazine saw the man President Obama nominated this morning to succeed Antonin Scalia, Merrick Garland, as "the best progressive hope."

Concerning the third front-runner, however, there has been precious little hubbub. The candidate in question is Merrick Garland, a Bill Clinton appointee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Garland is well known, well respected, and tremendously well liked in Washington legal circles; even Republicans have nice things to say about him (which has both advantages and disadvantages, about which more shortly). Yet Garland also happens to possess certain qualities that are, shall we say, politically suboptimal. He is white. He is male. And he's 57 years old—compared with, say, Kagan, who at 49 offers Obama a chance to leave his mark on the court for perhaps an additional decade.

Three strikes and Garland’s out, you say? Well, you may be right. But that would be a real shame—because the case for making him one of The Supremes is, in fact, compelling. For Obama, who is said by some of his advisers to be more keen on finding a liberalish version of John Roberts than a hard-left incarnation of Antonin Scalia, Garland's juridical rigor, even temperament, and intellectual firepower should be attractive. And although he is more centrist than many of the other short-listers, his consensus-building skills might make him, paradoxically, the best progressive hope for staving off the court's ever more conservative tilt.

Chiraq: 4 dead and 9 wounded in Election Day shootings

Abandoned home in
Englewood

Why aren't the Chicago anti-Trump rioters protesting the daily carnage in America's third largest city? Four people were shot to death Tuesday as voters headed to the polls for the Illinois Primary--and at least nine others were wounded.

Is this what Mayor Rahm Emanuel calls "Chicago values?"

Two of the murders occurred in the notorious Englewood neighborhood on the South Side, where the recent Spike Lee movie Chi-Raq was set.

I seriously doubt that Tuesday's violence has anything to do with Election Day--but on the other hand, street gangs and politics do mingle in Chicago--it is one of the dirtiest and most most vile secrets in Chiraq.

It's easy to see why Chicago is so intractably messed up.

Related post:

(Photos) The abandoned homes of Chicago's violent Englewood neighborhood

(Video) Hillary Clinton: "We didn't lose a single person in Libya"

In a town hall meeting on Monday Hillary Clinton said something completely outrageous. She said, "We didn't lose a single person in Libya."

What about the four Americans murdered in Benghazi while she was secretary of state?

Obama nominates Illinois liberal to replace Scalia on SCOTUS

Chicago-area native Merrick Garland was named as President Obama's choice to replace the late Antonin Scalia on the US Supreme Court.

Garland talked a good conservative game about how judges need to follow the law instead of making law as he spoke at a Rose Garden ceremony just now.

Don't believe him. Garland is an activist not a jurist. Why else would have Obama selected him?

TrumpTuesday: Wins in NC, IL, and FL; Rubio quits

Charlotte, North Carolina

Political newcomer Donald J. Trump is having another great night. The Republican frontrunner has won the Illinois, North Carolina, and Florida primaries. Trump not only won all of the Sunshine State's delegates but he forced Florida senator Marco Rubio out of the race on this Ides of March.

Not to be overlooked--the real estate tycoon also won today's caucuses in the Northern Mariana Islands.

Trump and Ted Cruz are essentially tied in Missouri and John Kasich bagged his first win in his home state of Ohio. Look for the tattered Republican establishment to line up behind the Buckeye State governor. However, the bosses didn't help Jeb Bush or Rubio, did they?

Don't forget: Use Marathon Pundit when shopping on Amazon--it costs you nothing extra!

Here's yet another friendly reminder that when you need to purchase something from Amazon, click on an Amazon ad on this site and shop from there. Or click here. It costs you nothing extra and I get a tiny commission. It's a great way to say "thank you" to me for my blogging.

(Video) WGN's Steve Cochran reacts to Hillary being late for interview

A dozen years ago I was on Steve Cochran's WGN Chicago radio show when he handled afternoon drive-time duties.

I was not late.

Hillary Clinton was tardy this morning and he was quite annoyed.



Clinton--who grew up in the Chicago area--is facing a surprisingly tough battle in today's Illinois Primary against openly-socialist candidate Bernie Sanders.

Breitbart: Chicago anti-Trump riot much worse than reported

My friend Warner Todd Huston reports on Breitbart.com that Friday's riot at the cancelled Donald Trump rally in Chicago was worse than the media tells us. A mob ran through the a parking garage near the UIC Pavilion--where the Republican front-runner was supposed to speak--and smashed windows of cars with Trump stickers on them.

Also, the old friend of mine who attended the aborted rally reached out to me on Sunday after giving his account of the melee on Friday--he told me that he forgot to mention that protesters were throwing rocks at him as he walked to his car. Fortunately he was parked on the street and not in that garage--and the leftists' missiles missed him.

Second City Cop has more here and here on this stain against free speech in America's third-largest city.

My post at Da Tech Guy:

Obama’s anti-free speech ’08 campaign set the tone for Chicago attack on Trump

Related posts:

• Exclusive: An eyewitness account of the Chicago Trump rally from a new Trump supporter
• No free speech in Chicago: Leftist mob forces postponement of Trump rally

3 cops shot on Chicago's West Side

Abandoned homes in East
Garfield Park

About 90 minutes ago three Chicago police officers were shot in the violent East Garfield Park neighborhood on Chiraq's West Side. None of the injuries are believed to be life threatened. One person, possibly a suspect, is dead.

Related post:

(Photos) Abandoned homes in Chicago's violent East Garfield Park neighborhood

Hillary caught on hot mic speculating on Christie's motive in endorsing Trump

Hillary Clinton is a classless act.

The former First Lady was chatting during a commercial break with Chris Matthews during an MSNBC town hall when a hot microphone picked up their conversation.

From the Washington Post:

The subject quickly turned to Christie, and Clinton wondered: "Why did he support him?"

Matthews explained that Christie and others who support Trump "want a future" politically.

"Did he have a debt?" Clinton mused.

Of course it never occurred to Clinton that Christie might see Trump as the candidate best suited to clean up Barack Obama's mess.