Steelman · slot C
The vote Democrats refuse to learn from
A progressive court-reform advocate would argue —Roberts's corporate client list, his Reagan-era memos attacking judicial independence, his evasions at the hearing — all of it was on the record in 2005. Critics named it in real time. Seventy-nine senators confirmed him anyway, half the Democratic caucus among them, and Senator Obama used his standing to shield the colleagues who voted yes rather than make them defend it. A decade later, that same Chief Justice killed Obama's signature climate rule from the shadow docket. The lesson is not that Roberts fooled anyone; it is that the Democratic Party still treats judicial confirmations as etiquette rather than power, and keeps discovering the cost only after the ruling lands.