Justice Scalia: Americans 'should learn to love gridlock'

[ellisonz]

Supreme Court Justices Stephen G. Breyer, left, and Antonin Scalia testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)

By David G. Savage

October 5, 2011, 4:00 p.m.

Many Americans think badly of the government because of “gridlock” in Washington. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is not one of them.

Americans “should learn to love gridlock,” he told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. “The framers (of the Constitution) would say, yes, ‘That’s exactly the way we set it up. We wanted power contradicting power (to prevent) an excess of legislation.' ''

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"I hear Americans nowadays ... talk about dysfunctional government because there’s disagreement,” he said. If they understood the Constitution, he continued, they can “learn to love the separation of powers, which means learning to love gridlock, which the framers believed would be the main protection of minorities.”

Scalia discounted the importance of the Bill of Rights and its protection for freedom of speech and the press. “Every banana republic has a Bill of Rights,” he said. Those are “just words on paper.” It depends on the “structure of government,” including independent courts, to enforce the rights of individuals.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-scalia-testifies-20111005,0,3901181.story

Asshole.

[AnOhioan]

1. yep..asshole

[ixion]

2. And learn to love you beltway insiders taking home those fat taxpayer paychecks, too

right, Tony?

So you guys get rich off the taxpayer dime, run the economy over a cliff, destroy civil liberties and personal freedoms, and tell us to love that.

I don't think so.

[mdmc]

3. He is correct

the patriot act is what happens when there is no gridlock.

[HughBeaumont]

4. Vaffanculo, says the corpulent corporatist Kangaroo Court swine.

Andate tutti a 'fanculo, schifosas!

[barbtries]

5. he said that?!

an unamerican supreme court justice. what a fucked up country we are. a supreme court justice who doesn't believe in the bill of rights and thinks doing nothing is better than progress? maybe i read it wrong. bookmarked for later cause i didn't click the link gotta go to work.

[global1]

7. No You Didn't Read It Wrong - He Said Those Things......nt

[Firebrand Gary]

6. His artful articulation illuminates his love for legislating from the bench.

[seabeyond]

8. damn, these people think they are brilliant, as he passes law corps are people

to offset that balance, even if it were true

[ProfessorGAC]

9. "If They Understood The Constitution. . ."

Yeah, like he does. He's an admitted originalist. This means you don't HAVE to understand the constitution. You just have to pretend to know what the framers were thinking 225 years ago. Being an originalist almost defines the state of NOT knowing the Constitution.

He's the last guy on the planet who should be talking about whether others understand the Constitution.
GAC

[ellisonz]

15. The arrogance of power...

[ElboRuum]

10. The principle is correct...

...in the context of a functioning government and democracy. Gridlock is useless to damaging when the country malfunctions and requires correction.

[JoePhilly]

11. He is correct, but only to a point ... and then his own activist bias appears.

The founders did indeed separate the powers across the three branches to prevent any one branch from being able to exercise excessive or abusive powers.

But that is not really what he said ... he said they did it to prevent an "excess of legislation".

Which is incorrect.

Scalia's framing narrows the founder's focus to "legislation" or only to what the "legislative branch" (i.e., Congress) does, while ignoring the Executive branch and the Judicial branches ... and the powers they hold.

What he did do is tell the truth about his own activist bias. That being "Less legislation".

[Solly Mack]

16. What you said.

And said well.

[Javaman]

12. gridlock benefits only the repukes and destroys the people.

fuck you, little anthony.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Scalia would love to impose martial law

there, I said it.

[bdamomma]

14. scalia should just shut up, looks like he belongs in the mafia.

[hifiguy]

17. Don Tony says "Sit down and shut up, peons,"

"If your ship is sinking, tough shit. Those of my friends and I are sailing along just fine. Now kiss the Don's ring, peasant."

[tinymontgomery]

18. So he is calling America a banana republic

So he is calling America a banana republic since all banana republics have a bill of rights.

[Canuckistanian]

19. "(to prevent) an excess of legislation"

Translation: No more corporate regulation.

He serves his masters well. And shall be rewarded.

[lumberjack_jeff]

20. A separation of powers which allows you to pick a president is suboptimal, Tony. n/t

[Motown_Johnny]

21. Justice Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Gridlock

[gratuitous]

22. Shorter Scalia

"Now that the wheel has turned to put me on the top, it's time for the wheel to stop turning."

Sorry, Tony. You stand in a long line of men who have tried and failed to do that.

[RedLion]

23. Scalia needs to learn to enjoy unemployment.

He's a disgrace.

[ellisonz]

24. Welcome to DU!

:toast:

[ladywnch]

25. Bill of Rights - another one of the 'quaint old notions'. n/t

[in_cog_ni_to]

26. WOW! A Supreme Court Justice dismissing the Bill of Rights as "just words on paper?"

Are you kidding me? And he still sits on the court? Reminds me of the idiot-in-chief's "the Constitution is just a G-d Damn piece of paper." The rethugs are incredibly HYPOCRITICAL....

[Worship Money]

27. Will learn to love it when you're gone from this earth

Wait a minute, I won't need to learn. I can't fucking wait.

[SomethingFishy]

28. Hey the guy still thinks "Reefer Madness" is a documentary

Why anyone, and mind you Scalia was UNANIMOUSLY confirmed by Dems and Republicans alike, would allow someone with a mind this shallow to occupy the Supreme Court is beyond me. I see shit like this and I wonder if we have any hope at all.

[Bake]

29. Just words on paper!!

Hey, Fat Tony, so is the rest of the Constitution! Just words on a piece of paper.

Since you'll never be Chief Justice, Ton', why don't you just quit? Retire. So we never have to hear your smarmy voice again.

Bake

[Jester Messiah]

30. I wish he would learn to love a boot up his ass.

But no, he's untouchable, unaccountable, and set for life.

[The Backlash Cometh]

31. How did that fool get on the Supreme Court?