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The Empathy War - The Plank

In this excelently written article (below) from The New Republic magazine Richard Just laments the whole tirade of GOP and Democrat senators on the term empathy. In their obnoxious and condescending remarks towards Sonia Sotomayor, the fine senators from the 'republican' party (the quoting and small letter are deliberate, these men DO NOT, represent the Republic that is the United States) vilified empathy utter uselessness; a word and disposition that judges should stay away from. Richard Just argues precisely that the precedent set in these hearings against such an useful attitude will prevent judges from applying the law in a wide-range and inclusive perspective. How else, Just says, can a justice's opinions be sound, if he/she doesn't put him/herself in the position of groups not like his/her own?


Some democrats didn't help either, they are so hung up, for example Charles Schummer of New York, on not being branded leftist or extremely liberal, that in assuming sterile and self-induced centrist positions they end up looking insincere and inauthentic. It is the kind of unhelpful centrism that is killing President Obama's health reform in Congress. I mean, whatever happened to assuming a political posture, however uncomfortable, and defend every aspect of it in a political debate with your adversaries.


Tell me what you think.


http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2009/07/14/the-empathy-war.aspx

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