Sotomayor Reminisces About Life-Changing Call

Fear of backlash keeps Dems timid on 2nd amendment

(NEWSER) - Gun-rights advocates who feared that the Obama presidency would mean the end of the Second Amendment have instead found the political climate surprisingly friendly, the Washington Independent reports. The Supreme Court and state legislatures alike have awarded victories to pro-gun forces, and federal lawmakers are wary of rocking the boat. Even though Democrats hold majorities, members of Congress remember the powerful right-wing backlash President Clinton's gun control efforts fueled. More»

Expect a fierce battle for liberal justice's replacement

(NEWSER) - What will John Paul Stevens’ retirement mean for the Supreme Court? Here are three early thoughts on what comes next:

• Expect the tea partiers to get extremely riled up over whoever President Obama nominates, writes Chris Good of the Atlantic . They have a “very strict (one could almost say fundamentalist)” take on the Constitution, and they’re itching for a post-health care fight.

Poll numbers plummeted amid Sotomayor, Gates controversies

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s downward opinion-poll trajectory among whites seems to be linked to the “blackening” of his image, writes Joan Walsh in Salon. It accelerated during two racially charged moments this summer: Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court, marked with debate over her “wise Latina” comment, and the Henry Louis Gates controversy. At such times, Walsh argues, “there's no denying, he got blacker to a segment of the white population.” More»

Conservative critics think Minority Leader should be fighting administration harder

(NEWSER) - Why haven’t we heard more from Mitch McConnell on health care? The Senate Minority Leader has kept relatively quiet on the administration’s reform efforts, a stance that has irked many conservative activists who feel McConnell is ducking his duties as de facto Republican Party leader, writes Stephanie Mencimer for Mother Jones. McConnell “could single-handedly destroy this bill,” says pro-life firebrand Randall Terry. “But so far he has not displayed the backbone." More»

It's OK Obama's 'jamming a lot of change down the system'

(NEWSER) - Bill Clinton has a hopeful exhortation for Congressional Democrats trying to push through health care reform. “The president's doing the right thing. It is both morally and politically right,” Clinton tells Esquire. “I wouldn't even worry about the Republicans,” who are just “sitting around waiting for us to mess up,” he says. “I'd worry about executing.” Clinton sees parallels between Obama’s first year and his own, with one caveat. More»