Alito at SOTU
 

I have a feeling I know how this forum feels about this whole ordeal but I've got to ask. If you haven't heard about what I'm referring to watch the video:



I for one am sick of hearing on the news that Alito was "terribly disrespectful" to the President, etc... What about Obama being disrespectful by straight up calling out the Supreme Court right in front of them?

Discuss...

I would have done the same thing.

He's being a bully and expecting quiet compliance...

This is how dicta....oh nevermind.

Obama and his reaction don't surprise me at all....btu the way the media is playing it out is even worse than what I've come to expect since this administration took over. Aren't Justices appointed for life so they don't have to give a shit about what people think about their opinions afterwards?

They really don't have to worry, and shouldn't have to.

This is where the real outrage (and media coverage) should be...Obama's clear attack on the judicial branch. Once you open a Judicial decision up to political attack you are playing with the balance of powers.

Obama even admitted he was straying before he started waylaying the Justices seated up front. He knows (since he studied Constitutional Law) that he was going over the line.

The Executive appoints the Justices, and that's it...hands off. Don't turn the decorum of the State of the Union into a political tool to wiggle more power into the hands of the Executive branch. Have the powers of the not office grown enough already?


EDIT: The last thing we want is for this battle to turn Justices in politicians as well.

forget for the moment that he called out the justices..

is it pretty clear that corporations now have the power to drown out any individual politician's campaign?

I'm not here to discuss the case.... I'm here to see if any one here feels that Alito's actions were disrespectful or that the President was completely in the right with the way he made the comment.

+1 Issue at hand first.

The case is one thing...trying to -shame- the Judicial branch of the government into playing ball is another issue entirely. A little bit bigger issue I might add.

yah i dont know what the rules are on public disagreement with the courts if you're the prez.

But apparently everyone knows that you're not allowed to quietly disagree with the Prez in public even after he slams you.

This is my problem too...

Why the huge media backlash on Alito for an under the breath disagreement...and almost no mention of Obamas -public- push on SCOTUS.

Kind of like in grade school when you kept getting pushed by a bully, and as soon as you swung you were the one in trouble.

The entirety of government essentially attends these things - are you seriously suggesting that he's supposed to be "respectful" and not mention any of the stupid, moronic shit any of them have done? He slammed a lot more than the SCOTUS in that speech - hammering the entire GOP for a lack of leadership, hammering his own party for being limp-wristed pussies, hammering the news media, etc. The only reason our utter shit media is attached to that is because it's interesting, just like it was interesting when Joe Wilson yelled 'you lie' at his last address. I don't think Alito was particularly disrespectful, but people will get utterly enraged over absolutely nothing if it's reported "correctly" - Fox News has proven this in spades.


I heard that decision referenced in one of my classes this week as "the worst decision since Dred Scott" - not sure if I'd go quite that far, but it's a pretty fucking horrible decision. The idea that corporations are "human" enough to deserve free speech protections is idiotic.

I understand exactly what you're saying....clearly a Supreme Court Justice isn't human enough to be entitled to freedom of speech either...right?:jerkit:

You're joking, right?

And since you think it's fun to turn words back around, how about this: Why do you think Obama isn't human enough to have those free speech protections? Why do you think it's OK for Alito to mouth the words, but Obama's not allowed to call him out? Do you understand how outrageously hypocritical that is?

I'll take that one further - this entire thread is hypocritical. You think that Obama is out of line by making his comments, but then you're pissed that Alito is being reprimanded for his commentary?

I don't think Obama hsouldn't be allowed to make his comments, although he is more or less overstepping the separation of powers, and IMO he was being disrespectful, that doesn't change the fact that he has the Right to Free Speech, could he have used some more tact in the situation? Most certainly.

I'm not saying YOU think is was disrespectful Savington, relax. Maybe it came across wrong via the interwebz. I'm pissed that everyone is acting like Alito should be hung over something so small and stupid, that is all.

There is a reason they call it a "bully pulpit." He can push what he wants to push in that forum. It's his speech. ''Them there's the rules''.

That makes two of us.