Question: If the liberals… ahem, progressives lose the fight over the Supreme Court nominees, what happens to liberalism as an effective political coalition? Amongst the left, it’s all or nothing:
If the Coalition for a Fair and Independent Judiciary the lobbyists head is unsuccessful, it will risk not only seeing the courts tilt decidedly more conservative but also seeing the liberal movement lose further credibility as an organizing and advocacy force in Washington. ‘The stakes are enormous — they could not be any higher for us,’ Aron said. ‘Progressive organizations throughout the country understand how much is at stake with a change on the Supreme Court.’
It would certainly be the final blow of a Republican trifecta (Bush 2004, the War on Terror, SCOTUS). Would it be the end of liberalism? Not exactly. One might think that a realignment of sort would spawn a more conservative GOP, but the neo-conservatives and the moderates hold sway at the moment. Champions of smaller government, while the majority of their own party, are led by those who fight for the middle-ground.
So will it be the end of liberalism as we know it? Not likely. But it will mean the beginning of an era that Russell Kirk would no doubt smile upon. Whether or not the outcome pleases social conservatives and those of the more classical liberal/libertarian mindset is another matter altogether.