One down, more to come

Herman Cain has dropped out of the presidential race.

No surprise here.  It takes a big organization and vast amounts of cash to run for the top office and he had neither.  I would have preferred he quit under better circumstances, but it is what it is.  He was the first, but he will not be the last to bow out.

Guns and the courts

The next President will likely get to nominate a couple of candidates to the Supreme Court.  Obama’s nominations were stinkers which is why he needs to be defeated in next year’s elections.  While I do not believe he has an antigun litmus test for nominations, this Reuters story underscores the undesirable sort of judicial candidates he chooses:

Senate majority leader Harry Reid has scheduled a cloture vote next week on the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, setting up a likely showdown on the controversial nominee … Halligan, who is currently general counsel for the New York District Attorney’s office, was nominated by Obama in September 2010 … Halligan has been supported by liberal-leaning groups such as the National Women’s Law Center, which is advocating for more women on the bench, and opposed by conservative-leaning groups such as the National Rifle Association, which cited her representation of New York State in litigation against gun manufacturers … The Republican National Lawyers Association has also come out against her nomination, claiming that she made inconsistent statements about her judicial philosophy.  In Senate testimony, the association says, Halligan wasn’t candid about her views on the Constitution as a “living document.” …”

Clown Council weighs in on H.R. 822

Three members of the Clown Council: Gale Brewer, Deborah Rose and Margaret Chin have introduced a non-binding resolution RES 1122-2011 opposing H.R. 822.  It doesn’t do anything except express their opposition.  I don’t see anyone in the Senate taking it seriously.

It has been added to the updated NYC Legislative Report #8.