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When Roger West first launched the progressive political blog "News From The Other Side" in May 2010, he could hardly have predicted the impact that his venture would have on the media and political debate. As the New Media emerged as a counterbalance to established media sources, Roger wrote his copious blogs about national politics, the tea party movement, mid-term elections, and the failings of the radical right to the vanguard of the New Media movement. Roger West's efforts as a leading blogger have tremendous reach. NFTOS has led the effort to bring accountability to mainstream media sources such as FOX NEWS, Breitbart's "Big Journalism. Roger's breadth of experience, engaging style, and cultivation of loyal readership - over 92 million visitors - give him unique insight into the past, present, and future of the New Media and political rhetoric that exists in our society today. What we are against: Radical Right Wing Agendas Incompetent Establishment Donald J. Trump Corporate Malfeasence We are for: Global and Econmoic Security Social and Economic Justice Media Accountability THE RESISTANCE

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

WHY A FULL ENSEMBLE IN THE SUPREME COURT IS A MUST

Rachel Maddow of MSNBC dismantled Republicans’ reasons on Monday for pushing to resist any Supreme Court nominations until after this year’s election.
“There are now eight justices on the United States Supreme Court, which requires nine justices, and we suddenly — in the midst of what is already a chaotic political season — have bumbled into what appears to be not yet a constitutional crisis, but right now a giant stress test for our democracy. We haven’t had a Supreme Court seat held open for a year in this country since the US Civil War,” she said, tapping her desk loudly for emphasis. “And the reason we had one held over then was because of the US Civil War. What’s the excuse now?”

VIDEO COURTESY OF MSNBC



The vacancy created by the sudden death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday, she said, was different by “an order of magnitude” from typical partisan disputes, yet Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and several GOP presidential candidates have already vowed to block any nominations President Barack Obama might submit to restore the high court to nine members.

“That is a position of almost unprecedented radicalism in American history and in American politics,” she argued.

To illustrate the importance of having a full court in place before the election, Maddow outlined a scenario in which this year’s contest could produce a tie in the Electoral College vote or a result so close it could produce a contested recount in one state.
“In an incredibly close election, that can happen,” she said. “And it’s all happening at the level of one state. But it puts the country, basically, into crisis. Because there’s this impasse as to how the election is gonna be decided. and that is hilarious and amazing and exciting on election night. But then you wake up the next morning and you realize there’s no pick.”





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