But with a 60-vote majority and a deep reserve of public support, President Obama probably could have gotten a well-trained horse through the Senate if he threw himself behind the effort. Naming instead the court’s first Latina nominee—a woman with decades of experience as a prosecutor, trial judge, and appellate judge, and a seemingly moderate record of careful decisions—was just unfair, and it doomed any chance for Republicans to mount a serious opposition.
Even so, hearings like these promise some occasional political theater and the even rarer genuine insight into the important debates over how the Constitution should be interpreted. So you should tune in. But because hearings (or at least the cocktail parties where hearings get mentioned) often devolve into code words, here is a handy guide that will put you “in the know.”
If the proceedings instead end up as a boring snooze-fest, I suggest using the list as a drinking game. Whenever a senator utters one of the following names or phrases, take a shot.
