We Need Better Justice

A group called Americans for Better Justice is airing an anti-Miers ad.

The ad, though better in tone than the NARAL ad that had to be withdrawn, is really without content. At least Better Justice didn't put in a downright lie like NARAL. But, then that's a pretty easy bar to clear when you don't put in any facts at all about Miers.

Instead Better Justice includes short quotes from Robert Bork and Rush Limbaugh that merely say they don’t support the Miers nomination. The gist of the message is: We support the President. We don’t support this nominee--and neither does Robert Bork or Rush Limbaugh! Therefore, you shouldn’t either.

It is a bit unusual to support a person, but oppose their positions. Sort of like supporting the troops but hoping they do badly in Iraq. But, what Better Justice wants to make clear is that they are not using this as a Bush-bashing technique. I'm not sure how relevant that is given that the impact of a political defeat coming from one's friends is arguable more devastating that an defeat by one's enemies.

Strangely Better Justice presumes that viewers will follow Limbaugh and Bork without hearing a single fact put forward. For decades liberal critics of Limbaugh have said his listeners are politically naive or stupid because they blindly follow everything Limbaugh says. Rush and his listeners make fun of that presumption. You can hear it every time a caller starts out with "mega-dittoes".

Besides playing to a knee jerk reaction among conservatives, Better Justice adds insult to injury by claiming to speak for conservatives. Last time I checked there were lots of diverse opinions among conservatives–even on the Miers nomination. Maybe Better Justice will give us better justice by withdrawing the implication that they speak for all conservatives. Now that’s a withdrawal we might all be able to agree on.

For more on this, see the Alamo Nation blog.