Pardon the BloggEruption

Over at the Volokh Conspiracy, Todd Zywicki has a compelling post reflecting on Samuel Alito's background, the conservative movement's makeup, and demographic shifts. It's a compelling read, particularly since the media has been making much hay of the fact that, if Alito is confirmed, the SCOTUS will have 5 Roman Catholics. While this says much about the increasing acceptance of Catholics in the American body politic, and to some extent sheds some light on Catholics trending towards conservative and libertarian ideology, I'm not sure I totally agree with Zywicki's explanations and conclusion. Zywicki is right that, since the WWII and Boomer generations were the first American Catholics to not really face much overt anti-Catholicism, the meritocratic approach is appealing. Though I'm not sure it explains a trend, it may very well explain the individual experiences of a number of folks, Scalia and Alito included.

Thinking about it a bit more, the most intriguing the most intriguing thought I've stumbled upon, particularly when combined with how the Harriet Miers nomination was handled and later bungled, is how tenacious the bonds are that hold much of the Republican coaltion together. The GOP is not that dissimilar from the Democrats in terms of factionalization, and it is particularly evident when dealing with the (evangelical) Religious Right.

More on this tonight or tomorrow.