May 16, 2018

"At one point in Betsy West’s and Julie Cohen’s new documentary 'RBG,' NPR correspondent Nina Totenberg claims that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg 'was doing something that was incredibly important to American women.'"

"At the end of 'RBG,' I was still struggling to figure out what Totenberg meant when she said 'something.'.. . West and Cohen certainly believe that Ginsburg is a significant figure, but the evidence they present is ultimately unconvincing.... Throughout the documentary, West and Cohen seem uninterested in undertaking a complex analysis of Ginsburg’s life and work... Various interviewees mention that Ginsburg has a unique ability to cross the political aisle and work with justices who hold opposing views. As proof, they point to her longtime friendship with the late, very conservative justice Antonin Scalia. For many of the interviewees, this is nothing short of a miracle. One of the interviewees claims that Ginsburg is an extraordinary individual because most liberals 'do not have friends who are right-wing nutcases.'...  For West and Cohen, however, Ginsburg’s legacy... is manifested in the pop culture productions Ginsburg has inspired.... West and Cohen seem particularly enamored with Kate McKinnon’s impersonation of Ginsburg; they show the same SNL skit three times during the documentary. Towards the end of the film, West and Cohen screen the sketch for Justice Ginsburg herself, and they ask her what she thinks about it. Ginsburg finds McKinnon’s acting humorous, but concludes that the impersonation doesn’t reflect anything about her at all."

Writes Amir Abou-Jaoude at The Stanford Daily.

The movie "RBG" has a 94% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

ADDED: Here's the one negative review listed at Rotten Tomatoes, from James Berardinelli: "RBG isn’t worth the time and effort of seeking out in a theater unless you’re a die-hard RBG fan. Little in the film can’t be found in Justice Ginsburg’s Wikipedia entry; it functions more as a straightforward (and sanitized) biography than a probing or intriguing examination of one of the nation’s most influential judicial voices."

But you shouldn't look for a movie to be what it's not trying to be. I get the sense, even from Berardinelli, that the movie isn't trying to enlighten us about the work Ginsburg has done, but that it is examining the popular culture, the effect of the idea of Ginsburg on people: "In assessing Ginsburg’s current role on the Court and how she has become a larger-than-life figure to young, socially liberal voters, RGB finds its soundest footing. It shows dozens of memes, talks to several influential under-30 figures, and puzzles over how a tiny, seemingly meek old woman could have become a hero to her granddaughter’s generation."

Here's the poster:



Is there any serious inquiry into the human psychological need for heroes and icons and the adoration of the dissenter?

135 comments:

MadisonMan said...

All this worship of RBG makes me wish for her demise. I don't like that aspect of my personality, it's small-minded. But worship of a government bureaucrat -- and that's what RBG is, essentially, really really grates on me.

Jake said...

They have to distill her into a caricature of their own design to appreciate her. It’s the myth of RBG that mandates appreciation, not her actual self. Kinda sad that even her most ardent supporters are unable to provide her a worthy testament.

Curious George said...

"that Ginsburg has a unique ability to cross the political aisle and work with justices who hold opposing views. As proof, they point to her longtime friendship with the late, very conservative justice Antonin Scalia."

Laughable. You'd think that our resident dullard #IngaKnew typed that.

rehajm said...

Cult figure to these people.

rehajm said...

A place holder. A seat warmer.

Hillary was supposed to pick the next one(s).

Gahrie said...

What a shame. The person who deserves a movie about their inspirational life is Justice Thomas.

Gahrie said...

Ginsburg never crossed the aisle and worked with Scalia. She just wasn't a bitch while she opposed him.

Oso Negro said...

I can’t wait until she retires or is retired by nature and Trump appoints a Constitutional conservative to take her place.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Ginsburg is an extraordinary individual because most liberals 'do not have friends who are right-wing nutcases.'

Ah, here we have the "Gorillas in the Mist" type of story about Republicans/conservatives. For contrast, compare this with the other two typologies, "Republicans Pounce" which is used to disguise Democrat malfeasance and "Extinction" in which a progressive writer waxes eloquently about how demographics are going in such a way that soon all the white knuckledraggers will be gone and the land can be ruled by women and "people of color" forevermore. (Ruy Texeira is an expert in the latter, and everyone at the NYT the former.)

Bob Boyd said...

If you don't have friend who is a right-wing nutcase, you are missing out.

chuck said...

Scalia also befriended Kagan. I think Scalia's ability to put aside politics is much under appreciated, and indeed, putting aside politics is generally regarded as a fault by the left.

Caldwell P. Titcomb IV said...

For me RBG will always be a typo for RGB.

Sprezzatura said...

May 15 episode:

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510317/its-been-a-minute-with-sam-sanders

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

'do not have friends who are right-wing nutcases.'..

Perhaps calling anyone who is to your left a "nutcase" as you look down your totalitarian nose, doens't help with the understanding. But you know - progressive leftists are so very tolerant.

mockturtle said...

Why don't they at least wait until she's dead? Maybe the wanted to but it just didn't happen soon enough.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

RBG is a reliable leftwing vote. That's it. That is as far as the left can take it, and for that, RBG is a leftwing deity.

mockturtle said...

Scalia also befriended Kagan. I think Scalia's ability to put aside politics is much under appreciated, and indeed, putting aside politics is generally regarded as a fault by the left.

Bingo! Conservatives--even 'right wing nutcases'--are far more inclusive than diehard libs who can politicize a slice of bread.

Sebastian said...

"Ginsburg is an extraordinary individual because most liberals 'do not have friends who are right-wing nutcase.'"

More proof the Them Decade never ended.

Most of Them won't rest until all deplorable nutcases are gone.

Chuck said...

This is a really great blog post, Althouse. You really nail stories like this one.

Scalia was a man of great and wide interests outside of the law. He loved writing, so he befriended Bryan Garner. He loved duck hunting, so he befriended Vice President Cheney and other hunters. And he loved opera and dining, so he befriended Justice Ginsburg.

DanTheMan said...

>> right-wing nutcases

To lefties, this is a pleonasm.

Rick.T. said...

Lady parts and abortion.

rehajm said...

Is there any serious inquiry into the human psychological need for heroes and icons and the adoration of the dissenter?

The current crop of youth also value and crave the relationships with their grammas.

Chuck said...

Gahrie said...
What a shame. The person who deserves a movie about their inspirational life is Justice Thomas.

Yep. Well said.

Gahrie said...
Ginsburg never crossed the aisle and worked with Scalia. She just wasn't a bitch while she opposed him.

We know so little about how any "deals" are made inside of SCOTUS judicial conferences; I suppose we cannot actually say that we know that Ginsburg "never" worked with Scalia on any compromise, but to your excellent point, there is absolutely zero evidence of Ginsburg ever reaching any sort of compromise majority with Scalia or the other conservatives on much of anything. And accurately, Althouse raises that same question. What is the evidence of that grand statement that RBG was a great compromiser? Is that a minor point, or is it very nearly the purported theme for the entire documentary?

WisRich said...

Yet, liberals will curse her name if she dies while Trump is in office and he appoints her replacement.

gspencer said...

From my readings about the Scalia-RBG friendship it was largely if not entirely one-way. Scalia, practicing his Christian spirit, did the outreach which was accepted if not particularly welcomed. She never took him to the opera or on hunting trips.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Ugh. The Leftists that I find most despicable are the Twee Fascists. Look at the cute little old lady (never mind that she’s as Establishment as they come) speaking Truth to those gauche right-wingers!

Give me Antifa any day.

Bilwick said...

RBG: just another State-shtupper.

tim in vermont said...

I could do her job just as well as she does. It's dirt simple to predict how she will always vote, and for legal reasoning, I would always write "Because." Not sure what the difference would be.

buwaya said...

It used to be the point of a bio-pic to make a big deal of concrete acts, because after all this is the nut of it. Who cares especially about person x otherwise?

Consider a very old movie, "Madame Curie", 1943, with Greer Garson. The work is the plot. Even as it is not inherently action-packed or cinematically spectacular, it is the core of the thing. These people went through a great deal of trouble, and it shows that trouble, and it shows, to the extent that movies can, its result. Per aspera ad astra indeed. Let us see that aspera.

It should be possible to do the same in some legalists biopic as there is the inherent drama of courtrooms, even if you have to manufacture a false scene to get the telling words out.

A Clarence Thomas biopic would indeed be very interesting. Since he is silent in oral argument that would be an recurring trope that could be used creatively.

Humperdink said...

She's known as DVG (aka Darth Vader Ginsberg) in our household.

She was and is an enabler/defender/proponent of Dr. Kermit Gosnell and his ilk. That will be her lasting legacy in my eyes.

Henry said...

I really liked her poems about death and that thing with feathers.

Oh wait, who?

Ann Althouse said...

If you think there should be a Clarence Thomas movie, why don't you make one? The RBG documentary sounds pretty low budget. Is it that no one with high-level skill wants to make movies that cast a conservative in a positive light? Well, why is that?

Static Ping said...

On the plus side, if the movie is boring RBG can get in a nap, which she was going to do anyway.

Lewis Wetzel said...

RGB is a great justice, if you believe law should be made by judges. Ginsberg has never hesitated to say "congress got this wrong. They should have done it this way."

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

For me RBG will always be a typo for RGB.

Few people know that CMYK was actually Justice Black's nickname!

Chuck said...

Ann Althouse said...
If you think there should be a Clarence Thomas movie, why don't you make one? The RBG documentary sounds pretty low budget. Is it that no one with high-level skill wants to make movies that cast a conservative in a positive light? Well, why is that?


It's such a great question. It has occurred to me frequently over the last 10-20 years. Remember that Citizens United arose out of the production of a conservative-funded documentary production.

I wish I had an answer to your question, Althouse.

YoungHegelian said...

From the poster: "Dissenter". Dissenter from what?

Could RBG have a more standard East Coast elite CV? Upper classes are one thing; upper classes that take it as a delusional point of pride to deny that are they are the upper class are another.

Sorry, NPR. RBG is "The Man".

Henry said...

@Mike. LOL. Especially the K being so apropos.

Chuck said...

gspencer said...
From my readings about the Scalia-RBG friendship it was largely if not entirely one-way. Scalia, practicing his Christian spirit, did the outreach which was accepted if not particularly welcomed. She never took him to the opera or on hunting trips.


That's not my understanding; it is however my understanding that after the death of Ginsburg's husband, the four of them did a lot less together.

buwaya said...

There is an ideological sorting of professions and avocations. Or perhaps it is a sorting by psychological type, which predisposes to certain ideologies.

This goes way back I believe, and can be spotted throughout history.

Which explains why movie-makers tend not to be conservative.
Artists patrons certainly can be conservative. A conservative Medici can pay a fiddler or three, and call the tune, regardless of what the fiddler thinks. But thats what it takes.

Larry J said...

While I can't find a reference online, I recall an interesting moment from her senate confirmation hearings. One old Republican senator - perhaps Jesse Helms - asked her if a business didn't have any minority employees, would that be proof of discrimination. She replied that it was. He then pointed out that her law office did not have any minority employees. She turned even paler than usual. The senator then said that he would still vote for her confirmation on the basis that, lacking any serious evidence proving a nominee was unfit, it was customary to approve the president's nominees.

Those days are gone.

Jupiter said...

Let's just remember that if she did not have a twat, no one would give fuck zero about Ruth Ginsburg.


"Sir, a woman's preaching is like a dog's walking on his hinder legs. It's not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all."

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

You did answer the question, Chuck. The makers of Citizens United had to spend years fighting for the right to SHOW their damn documentary because leftists activists and our own government wanted to censure them. They had to fight all the way to the Supreme Court, and even now you hear progressives shouting about overturning Citizens United because for the Left NOTHING is EVER settled law (except Roe of course!) and they will litigate you to the ends of the earth to defeat you, bankrupt you, smear your name, declare your "art" out of bounds, and make sure the signal is sent to all your like-minded troglodytes.

Yeah, can't imagine how that would act as a disincentive to make a movie with a conservative viewpoint. Can you?

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Thank you, Henry.

Michael K said...

he person who deserves a movie about their inspirational life is Justice Thomas.

Thomas is the target of so much hatred on the left that it probably has not occurred to anyone. Maybe when he retires but racial animosity seems to be increasing.

When his book came out, I bought copies for my kids and asked them to read it.

buwaya said...

Conservatives tend to be, well, blacksmiths.
That would be the archetype.

The nature or content of what "conservative" means or contains would vary by circumstances of time and place.

Michael K said...

The makers of Citizens United had to spend years fighting for the right to SHOW their damn documentary

"The Path to 9/11" was never put out in DVD or shown again until, finally, Hillary seemed to pass from the scene.

Disney kept it as secret as the Khalidi tapes of Obama's speech about his radical Islamist friend.

n.n said...

RBG can take credit for the racial genocide in South Africa, and the only progressive (i.e. racism, sexism, selective-child) constitution, which is a first-order forcing of a dysfunctional convergence, including apartheid, abortion, rape-rape, and diversity (i.e. color judgments).

Michael said...

God save us from heroes and hero-worshipers.

DanTheMan said...

>>"congress got this wrong. They should have done it this way."

You assume she thinks about Congress at all.
How quaint.

buwaya said...

The other conservative archetype is the warrior.
There is ancient self-selection into this role in civilizations where this is optional.

When it comes to blood the conservative faction, whatever that means in its time and place, usually has the advantage of having a core, at least, of superior fighters. You see this especially in revolutionary situations. The "liberal" side wins, when it does, through superior numbers and logistics.

The minstrels that sing of the warriors, when they do, are another matter entirely.

Chuck said...

Mike said...
You did answer the question, Chuck. The makers of Citizens United had to spend years fighting for the right to SHOW their damn documentary because leftists activists and our own government wanted to censure them. They had to fight all the way to the Supreme Court, and even now you hear progressives shouting about overturning Citizens United because for the Left NOTHING is EVER settled law (except Roe of course!) and they will litigate you to the ends of the earth to defeat you, bankrupt you, smear your name, declare your "art" out of bounds, and make sure the signal is sent to all your like-minded troglodytes.

Yeah, can't imagine how that would act as a disincentive to make a movie with a conservative viewpoint. Can you?


Mike, I think you are getting your facts badly wrong. There was never any censoring of the Citizens United documentary outside of the narrow window that was proscribed by the BCRA, pre-election.

Now, please don't get me wrong. I was against McCain-Feingold. I still think that one of the great Senate floor speeches of our time was the one that Mitch McConnell gave in opposition to McCain-Feingold. "You're lookin' at the plaintiff..." he said. I think that Citizens United v. FEC was a great and an important decision. But the stricture on the broadcast of the documentary was only temporary, under BCRA. The film was not otherwise censored by law.

buwaya said...

But Chuck, the film in question under Citizens United was meant to be shown during the Democratic primaries of 2008, and was indeed censored during the period in which it was meant to be politically relevant.

It is still censorship when you stop banning free speech after the election.

Robert Cook said...

The tendency to want to create heroes out of our public servants is pernicious. One doesn't interact as an equal with heroes or criticize them; one simply adores them uncritically. (Or, conversely, to others they are devils, and are hated uncritically.)

What decisions or opinions has Ginsburg rendered that have substantively changed contemporary jurisprudence?

My uncle was attending Harvard Law School during the time Ginsburg was there. He didn't know her, but given that she was one of only a few females at Harvard Law at the time, he was well aware of her and remembers her.

Gahrie said...

The senator then said that he would still vote for her confirmation on the basis that, lacking any serious evidence proving a nominee was unfit, it was customary to approve the president's nominees.

Those days are gone.


For the Left, those days have been gone since Judge Bork.

RBG was confirmed 96-3.

buwaya said...

Robert,

It is human to make heroes out of leaders, or leaders out of heroes, if circumstances permit. Human nature is what it is.

"Public servants" are a modern idea. One can certainly argue that the modern bureaucratic cursus honorum that advances these people into leadership does not correctly select for the qualities that human nature requires of a leader.

Gahrie said...

What decisions or opinions has Ginsburg rendered that have substantively changed contemporary jurisprudence?

None really. Her biggest impact is her leadership of the Left wing of the court, which gives her the power to assign opinions/dissents. She has been rather successful in keeping the four Leftwing judges a unified force.

Robert Cook said...

Buwaya,

Yes, I agree, and it is an unfortunate aspect of human nature.

Chuck said...

buwaya said...
But Chuck, the film in question under Citizens United was meant to be shown during the Democratic primaries of 2008, and was indeed censored during the period in which it was meant to be politically relevant.

It is still censorship when you stop banning free speech after the election.


Wait just a minute; I agree with you. I already agreed with you! I said that I never liked the BCRA; and I said that I loved the opinion in Citizens United.

By restricting the film during the time that was relevant for electioneering, Citizens United's First Amendment rights were violated. And after the election, the film lost much of its relevance. The Court understood all of that. I agreed with that. What I said was that after the proscribed electioneering period, the film was no longer barred by operation of law. And after Citizens United the operative section of the BCRA was no longer the law.
;-)

William said...

When I see a woman of RBG's age and infirmity trudging into work, my heart breaks. And not just her. How long before we institute some kind of pension program so that these elderly justices can retire with grace and dignity? I know many here will argue that she should have put a little aside when she was younger, but the point is she didn't. It's so sad to see her trying to sit up straight and not let her snores interfere with the smooth functioning of the court.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

The film was not otherwise censored by law.

Boy I've never seen "otherwise" carry so much progressive water before! So it was only "censored" long enough to make it's impact nil. Great! I'd just like a few - say, three - examples of progressive documentaries being "otherwise censored" for comparison. There must be some, right?

Drago said...

"Adam Schiff republican" Chuck: "Wait just a minute; I agree with you. I already agreed with you! I said that I never liked the BCRA; and I said that I loved the opinion in Citizens United"

LOL

wink wink

Chuck said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
William said...

It has always been thus. From Homer to Neruda, the poets celebrate the asshole. In the movie version, Achilles is played by Brad Pitt and Hector by Eric Bana. That's the way it goes. John Milton and Andrew Marvell thought that Cromwell was just terrific. Napoleon was favored by Goethe, Byron, Heine, Kant, Beethoven et al. All great works of art celebrating the great heroes of humanity should come with the warning that great artists are generally wrong in their judgments about who the great heroes are.........Just now I'm reading a book about Goya. He did a pencil portrait of Wellington. In the sketch, Wellington has the fifty yards stare of someone with PTSD. Goya was a great artist, but I can't help but compare that sketch with the portraits David and others did that celebrated Napoleon's grandeur.

Nonapod said...

I guess this is movie is preparation for her death, canonization, and ascention to heaven in the great Liberal Church. Yea, for Saint Ginsburg the Confessor laid down with the Lion (Scalia).

Amadeus 48 said...

"Is it that no one with high-level skill wants to make movies that cast a conservative in a positive light? Well, why is that?"

That is a really good question, and if politics really is downstream from culture (as Andrew Breitbart used to say), it is one that needs an answer.

A movie about Clarence Thomas would be a story about a man who rose from humble beginnings, benefitting from an education in religious institutions which saw him as a child of God. As he grew, he encountered prejudice, slander, insult, and betrayal. He also discovered loyal and true friends (Sen. John Danforth, John Bolton). He has been an influential member of the Supreme Court (See Jan Crawford Greenburg's book on Thomas).
Since every story needs villains and dupes, Joe Biden, Anita Hill, Jane Mayer and Jill Abramson offer themselves. We'd even have a high-tech lynching, and a profile in courage (Sen. Alan Dixon).
There's a story to tell here as lurid and life-affirming as any TV drama.

Birkel said...

I look forward to reading all the articles about "the Ginsburg seat" on the Court and how President Trump needs to keep the ideological balance of the Court by nominating a Liberal woman.

And all the follow-up stories about how President Trump laughs and laughs and laughs

Original Mike said...

I’m just thankful she didn’t move to New Zealand. I really like New Zealand.

Michael K said...

Amadeus, there used to be movies made about real heroes like Madame Curie and Dr Ehrlich, or Audie Murphy, but they were made by the entrepreneurs who built the movie industry, most of them Jews who came up from poor backgrounds.

Movies today are made by corporations like those that own Dick's Sporting Goods. The executives are like the NBA leaders who cancelled tournaments in North Carolina because transgender bathrooms had not been made law.

There are rare small entrepreneurs today but not many making movies and not many that are not leftist "auteurs," like Spike Lee for example.

jimbino said...

RGB finds its soundest footing

should read

RBG finds its soundest footing.

and

West and Cohen seem particularly enamored with Kate McKinnon’s impersonation of Ginsburg

in English would read

West and Cohen seem particularly enamored of Kate McKinnon’s impersonation of Ginsburg.

Roger Sweeny said...

puzzles over how a tiny, seemingly meek old woman could have become a hero to her granddaughter’s generation.

About as obvious as why old Southern pol Sam Ervin became a hero to anti-Nixon people during the Watergate hearings.

narciso said...

I just don't think citizens united prescribed the right remedy to the problem, which was the solution to a problem no one thought was so,

Bay Area Guy said...

RBG is a nice lady, and has fulfilled her dream to make America more leftist.

But, she hasn't authored any remarkable, landmark SCOTUS opinions. She's just a reliable leftwing vote, masking her political aspirations with a respectable judicial veneer.

Marcus said...

Birkel said...
I look forward to reading all the articles about "the Ginsburg seat" on the Court and how President Trump needs to keep the ideological balance of the Court by nominating a Liberal woman.

And all the follow-up stories about how President Trump laughs and laughs and laughs

Maybe it will be leaked that he said, "It doesn't matter (her SCOTUS votes). She's dying anyway."

hawkeyedjb said...

"Hero?" Why is Justice Ginsberg a hero? What has she done that is heroic? She is accomplished, in the manner that all judges at that level can be called accomplished. But hero? She has done the job for which she was hired: to be a reliable vote on the court for the Democratic party's program. Heroic, to me, would be if she had ever stepped out of line and voted differently than expected.

narciso said...

well that is considered the rest is crimethink, you know the drill,

narciso said...

she also prefers the south African constitution, which allows for wholesale confiscation, over the American,

hombre said...

Am I simply dreaming that this woman is more partisan and feminist than judge? Has she ever departed from the agenda?

Isn’t this adulation just another example of female adolescents of all ages lacking insight and worshiping mediocrity?

Larvell said...

There's nothing wrong with "enamored with." Assertive pedantry, on the other hand, is often frowned upon.

traditionalguy said...

RBG is a perfect example of a ideologist who is stubbornly stuck in automatic opposition to WASP traditions. Whatever the issue, and wherever the case decision seems headed, she will find a way to sabotage a traditional approach. She is like the sole voter against war with Japan on December 8, 1941. She is against the necessary response... because... she has that power to one up Americans.

Amadeus 48 said...

My friend who clerked for Justice Brennan told me that RBG was put on the Court to tame her friend Nino Scalia and to make him stop being mean to Sandra Day O'Connor, to whom he was rude in the justices' conferences. That part pretty much worked.

Chuck said...

Amadeus 48 said...
My friend who clerked for Justice Brennan told me that RBG was put on the Court to tame her friend Nino Scalia and to make him stop being mean to Sandra Day O'Connor, to whom he was rude in the justices' conferences. That part pretty much worked.


Baloney. Sure, Clinton wanted another woman on the Court. So they picked one who came out of the ranks of the ACLU, was a 110% solid liberal, and who had already been confirmed to a Circuit Court of Appeals. And, who was the right age and could reliably occupy the seat for decades.

Hyphenated American said...

I wonder why liberals won’t compliment Scalia fir befriending a hard-leftie like Ginsburg.

Bilwick said...

YoungHegelian, I had the same reaction when I saw "dissenter." I thought: Dissenter from what? Isn't she a lockstep member of the "liberal" Hive? I guess it's that need "liberals" have (and by "liberals" I mean of course "tax-happy, coercion-addicted, power-tripping government sniffers and State humpers") to portray themselves as rebels while in reality being today's Tories.

Matt Sablan said...

"As proof, they point to her longtime friendship with the late, very conservative justice Antonin Scalia."

-- Wouldn't better proof have been where she was part of a 6-3 majority voting against the other liberals, or a 5-4 where she was the sole break from the liberals/swing votes?

Matt Sablan said...

"What is the evidence of that grand statement that RBG was a great compromiser?"

-- It is the common lie given to enhance left-leaning politicians credibility. Much like how Obama was a "great compromiser."

Bilwick said...

I just had a terrific idea: the Ginsberg movie on a double bill with "Little Pink House," the dramatization of the malodorous Kelp decision, in which Granny Dissent sided with the majority of the court to okay the theft of someone's home. They should also have an epilogue to the latter movie showing that Trump and RBG were on the same side in that decision.That should explode a few heads.


rehajm said...

Rotten Tomatoes is like the WaPo fact checker in that the results seem out of wack with what reality would provide.

Bilwick said...

I meant "Kelo" decision but Big Brother Auto-Correct decided I meant "Kelp."

Robert Cook said...

"she also prefers the south African constitution, which allows for wholesale confiscation, over the American,"

What? You've never heard of civil asset forfeiture?

We're no slouches at wholesale confiscation.

narciso said...

so says haklyut board member and moderate finance minister trevor manuel,

Jim at said...

I've never understand the idolatry and celebrity worship of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Has she authored any ground-breaking opinions? Has she done anything - other than being a predictable, far-left vote - during her time on SCOTUS?

Will law students - years from now - look back on her body of work and consider it anything different than any other left-wing judge?

Maybe somebody in the legal community can explain what sets her apart.

narayanan said...

Q - when you elect/appoint someone are you giving him Responsibility or Power - does your answer/choice depend on if liberal or conservative?

Q - does the politician/appointee view as "accept responsibility" or "wield power" - does the answer depend on if liberal or conservative?

Quaestor said...

A hero, by gum. Right up there with Horst Wessel.

Quaestor said...

Much like how Obama was a "great compromiser."

As in "agree and I won't send the SWAT troops to shoot your dog."

Sigivald said...

"adoration of the dissenter? "

Well, they adore a dissenter on their side, I guess.

She appears about as dissent-y as Thomas, just in exactly the opposite direction.

Considering how RBG fans seem to, in every mention I've ever seen, feel about Justice Thomas, they do not adore dissenters.

They adore their dissenters.

(And I've seen Thomas write dissents against his "own side" that were very respectable, like in Raich. If Ginsburg ever has, her own fans never seem to talk about it.)

mccullough said...

Ginsburg is the second woman ever on the US Supreme Court. No one gives a shit about second place.

She’s the oldest woman ever on the US Supreme Court. That’s her legacy. Jewish-American women love her. No one else gives a shit. Such is identity politics. Jewish-American females are 1% of the US population.

lonetown said...

She felt the South African Constitution was superior to the American Constitution, so there is that. She seems a little enamored of the smell of her own effluence.

Sam L. said...

Ah, the Notorious RBG!

Roy Lofquist said...

"On Tuesday, Justice Neil Gorsuch voted with the Supreme Court’s liberals to strike down the key provision of a statute that allows the expulsion of certain noncitizens. The ruling in Sessions v. Dimaya was notable for throwing a wrench into the federal government’s deportation regime. It was also groundbreaking for another, less obvious reason: It marked the first time Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg assigned a majority opinion in her nearly 25 years on the high court."

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/04/ruth-bader-ginsburg-just-assigned-a-majority-opinion-for-the-first-time-ever.html

Some legal giant is old Ruthie.

Doug said...

Blogger Curious George said...
"that Ginsburg has a unique ability to cross the political aisle and work with justices who hold opposing views. As proof, they point to her longtime friendship with the late, very conservative justice Antonin Scalia."

That so? Show me the number of times RBG has voted with the conservative justices, please

robother said...

Ginsburg is leftist hero mainly for not dying during Bush's 8 years, and now during Trump's (looks like 8) years. If she does kick the bucket allowing Trump to appoint her successor, she will be reviled by virtually everyone singing her praises now, for not stepping down during Obama's interregnum.

JaimeRoberto said...

I'm not a fan of hers, but the Notorious RBG meme cracks me up.

Bill Peschel said...

RBG is honored in the same way that Che is honored and "Every Step You Take" is played at weddings. It's all shiny surface.

After she dies, she'll be "Ruth who?"

Tina Trent said...

Perhaps there is no Clarence Thomas film because he would not stoop to help creating one. The hero worship of Ginsberg is shameful and professionally inappropriate. The last thing a judge should be is a celebrity.

Earnest Prole said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Earnest Prole said...

The Left worships RBG the same way the Right worships Scalia. The other tribe's customs always seem dark and mysterious.

Birkel said...

Ginaburg's legacy is the protection of abortion. Her pro-abortion position is all the Left will remember.

tim maguire said...

It's a big deal that Ginsburg was friends with Scalia, but not even worth commenting on that Scala was friends with Ginsburg. Which is appropriate, I suppose, given the well known (if not well admitted) fact that conservatives are much more open minded and tolerant of diversity than are liberals.

Birkel said...

And here comes the ill-informed Earnest Prole to wish a pox on both their houses.

tim maguire said...

Earnest, nobody on the right worships Scalia. They admire his incisive intellect and his willingness to stand on principle even when that means standing alone. There is a difference.

Jim at said...

The Left worships RBG the same way the Right worships Scalia.

1. I don't worship Scalia. Or any judge, for that matter.

2. I suspect the right respects Scalia because he actually, um, provided some proof of a sharp legal mind worthy of holding a position on the nation's highest court. And legal minds much smarter than I could probably point to several opinions by Scalia that had/has some impact.

I'm still waiting for someone to do that with Ginsberg.

Earnest Prole said...

Scalia is rightfully considered a demigod by members of the Federalist Society. Members speak of him in nothing less than worshipful tones. You folks need to get out more.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Is there any serious inquiry into the human psychological need for heroes and icons and the adoration of the dissenter?

Jesus Christ. Seriously?

DanTheMan said...

>>Scalia is rightfully considered a demigod by members of the Federalist Society.

Not in my experience with Federalist Society members, or Mrs. DtM's, either during her years in law school.

As someone said above, they respect him, as they do Thomas, for his devotion to the Constitution.

RBG is a "hero" to the left because she put her political ideology above everything else. They like that. A lot.


Demigod? No.

Birkel said...

Earnest Prole,
May I suggest you get out more? Namely get your head out of your ass.

Conservatives liked Scalia because of his adherence to the traditions of law. We prefer those traditions because they have worked better over time than other alternatives.

As it happens, we opposed Obama because his Leftist positions have failed wherever implemented.

We oppose RBG because the policies she adopts from the bench reduce liberty and expand government control. Those policies fail wherever tried.

You have adopted the Leftist Collectivist narrative and pretend at centrism. Try harder.

rcocean said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rcocean said...

Scalia was a gregarious, friendly, likable man, who made friends with lots of people.

As for RBG, i'd bet Scalia was her only "friend" who isn't a liberal/leftist.

Was she big buddies with Grandma O'Conner, her fellow chick Jurist? Did they go out shopping for antiques or have Sunday Brunch together?

I doubt it.

Earnest Prole said...

Namely get your head out of your ass.

Why does spittle always fleck your beard and reddened face?

rcocean said...

Whenever I listen to NPR its like I'm visiting another world. It's made up of odd people. Mostly blue state retirees, school teachers, employees of the Government-Education complex, people in the media, and of course lawyers.

They all voted for Hillary of course. And cried when she lost. And then cried even more when they had to explain to their daughters why Amerika won't elect a woman president. Its land where immigration is ALWAYS good, and the only bad people are white men, Christians, and few beaten down white women who've been brainwashed by the patriarchy.

And its a land where everyone loves Ruth Bader Ginsberg and thinks she's a heroine.

Birkel said...

Earnest Prole,
Pointing to the truth requires neither anger nor spittle. A person who suggests truth would cause those things might lack appropriate familiarity with the term.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Birkel's one of those guys with a one-track mind, EP. Except without the "mind" part.

Robert Cook said...

"As it happens, we opposed Obama because his Leftist positions have failed wherever implemented."

I'm curious as to what "leftist positions" Obama ever had or tried to implement. But then I realize: to someone on the hard right, anyone between that position and the center is still "left."

Robert Cook said...

"RBG is honored in the same way that Che is honored and 'Every Step You Take' is played at weddings. It's all shiny surface."

Is "Every Step You Take" played at weddings?! My god...don't they know what the song is about?

Birkel said...

Robert Cook: "I'm curious... "

We cannot start a conversation based on a lie.

readering said...

RBG is similar to Thurgood Marshall in that she would be remembered even if she had never become a jurist. Just as Marshall was the leading advocate for the equal legal rights of African-Americans, RGB in the seventies was the leading advocate for the equal legal rights of women. No doubt that Scalia respected both these colleagues for their trail-blazing legal accomplishments as litigators.

Gahrie said...

"As it happens, we opposed Obama because his Leftist positions have failed wherever implemented."

I'm curious as to what "leftist positions" Obama ever had or tried to implement. But then I realize: to someone on the hard right, anyone between that position and the center is still "left."


Look Comrade Marvin, I understand that you consider anyone to the right of Pol Pot to be rightwing....but Obama right of center? He may not be a raving Socialist, but he is definitely Progressive/Leftwing.

Temujin said...

She's a non-objective, thoroughly partisan Democrat judge who happened to win the gender/religion lottery to get selected to the Supreme Court. Her vote is never in doubt. I can tell you her vote before the case is ever heard. It'll be the same as Chuck Schumer's would be. Or, to better illustrate- the same as Maxine Waters would be.

I can think of no speech given, no words written, and no discussion held where I felt I was in the presence of someone extraordinary. But I'm sure she's very nice and means a lot to Nina Totenberg.

FIDO said...

The Left wants to tear down any non-Leftist hero, but get all pouty if anyone says a harsh word about 'strong independent women' who are not all they are supposed to be.

Bill R said...

RBG - Hero. Icon. Dissenter, Partial Birth Abortionist.

rcocean said...

So, why didn't Sandra Day O'Connor become the "women's icon"?

She was the FIRST women Jurist, and as far as I can tell, just as committed to women's rights, women's equality, blah de blah as Ginsberg.

In fact, despite being Catholic, she voted to regard Roe V. Wade as unshakable precedence and save Affirmative action through some convoluted bullshit.

But no documentaries about HER. Gee, I wonder why?

Unknown said...

. Or, to better illustrate- the same as Maxine Waters would be.

Maxine is the other hero to younger progressives.

The hero they deserve.

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RonF said...

I don't understand. The article says she could be friends with right-wing nutbags, but it doesn't give any examples.

Bill said...

Ultimately, it's all about abortion.