Spin, Spin, Spin

The moment Justice Antonin Scalia’s death was announced, the spin began pro and con over what the vacancy on the court meant.  All sides are furiously engaged in a battle of words.  The president has vowed to move ahead with naming a replacement.  The senate Republicans have pledged to block a new Justice until after the November elections.  Each side is engaged in speculation as to what the absence of a conservative voice means for the future of the court.  Activists are out in force.  Common citizens have been forgotten in all of this.  They are bystanders watching the farce play out.  Given the importance of the Court to the law of the land, it is to be expected that vital interests tangle over its direction, but the intensity of the fight is almost unseemly.  Chances are no one will win given the face-off between the Senate and the White House.  President Obama would need to propose a middle-of-the-road candidate and Senate Republicans would need to be satisfied that the candidate is conservative enough.  Chances of either of these things happening are slim.  So, the political parties continue to spin, spin, spin.