More On Sandra
posted in General |MORE ON SANDRA
The reputation of being the “swing” vote is well earned. I visualize Sandra Day O'connor standing on the 50 yard line – occasionally drifting over to the Liberal 40 yard line, and then straying back over to the Conservative 40 yard line. Not too many cases of planting her feet on hard rock principle. She obviously agonized over the abortion issue and looked for ways to finesse it. And on affirmative action, she cleverly (?) rationalized that Affirmative Action (i.e., quotas) was no good in the Michigan law school, but was OK in the undergraduate school. I still can't figure out whether that qualifies as solving a problem, or just evading or postponing it.
I'll always remember her comment that the US will have to live with race-based affirmative action for the next 25 years. I'd feel a lot better if she had started the count in 1975. But all in all, a classy lady.