Upon further review of today’s Washington Post story on Alito, it occurs to me that conservatives should not take news of Alito’s popularity as a sign that “We have won.”
Remember, the survey shows Alito is as popular as Roberts was before his Senate confirmation hearings. But the truth is that Roberts was primarily considered a great nominee precisely because of his performance during the Senate hearings.
Saying Alito is as popular as Roberts was before the confirmation hearings is like saying your garage band is as popular as the Beatles before "The Ed Sullivan Show."
Additionally, the survey found that one in five Americans don’t know enough about Alito to have an opinion. So there’s a lot of people out there still waiting to make up their mind.
My message is this: It is good that Alito is currently popular. He’s off to a great start. But we can’t rest on our laurels.
We’re still in the second or third inning of a long ball game...
