All the ill will and warfare in the Supreme Court nomination process began in 1987, when Sen. Ted Kennedy vilified Judge Robert Bork when he was proposed for the court. Bork was destroyed on the Senate floor. The event was commemorated by the Merriam-Webster dictionary recognizing a new verb, “bork.”

The antagonizing generated by Kennedy was intensified by the nomination and approval of Clarence Thomas as a Supreme Court justice. It recently simmered with the nominations of Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, who stood for nothing but “motherhood and apple pie.”

Now comes Sen. Charles Schumer, assassinating the character of Judge Neil Gorsuch, probably the best-qualified candidate since Judge Bork. He is accused of cruelty to the handicapped and minorities (in his rulings), not on constitutional law.

It’s time for the Democrats to admit that the Republicans won the election and “to the victors belong the spoils.”

Nick Pappas

Cape Elizabeth


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