Does Obama have time for his long-term vision for America?

Even though he was a constitutional law professor, President Barack Obama has not yet publicly defined a judicial philosophy he looks for in appointees to the federal bench. Many Americans believe he will appoint pro-choice jurists who will not overturn Roe. His selection of Justice Sonia Sotomayor demonstrated this point (and sparked pro-choice, pro-life, and simply pro-Sonia protests Washington in mid-July.) The Sotomayor confirmation process dominated much of the Obama administration’s and the media’s summer (not to mention that of the countless political geeks sitting home watching C-SPAN). Obama’s pick wisely appealed to two demographics that strongly support him and Democrats in general: women and Hispanics.
Lately, high ranking Democrats have expressed increasing concern that Republicans will be increasingly opposed to the Obama administration’s judicial short list as the 2010 midterm elections near. Is Sotomayor’s nomination enough to content Obama supporters?
Perhaps not. The Sotomayor nomination may be the last glimpse of the youthful, charismatic Obama from the campaigns. From the moment he took the oath of office, President Obama displayed a new side to himself: He is not the guy you’d want tohave a beer with anymore. Now, he is the Commander-in-Chief. The Sotomayor nomination is a reminder of his campaign message: a transition away from a government run by D.C.-insiders and Madison’s “enlightened statesmen” (Federalist Paper 10).

According to The Washington Post, since January, the Senate has confirmed only three of the President’s twenty-three judicial nominations because of threats of Republican filibusters. Despite these threats, Obama is eager to instill sweeping bipartisanship throughout the government. Even though he doesn’t face the challenges of a divided government (which his most recent predecessors had to face for at least part of their two terms), the president has to balance his ideal of bipartisanship with his need to get things done.
The Obama administration does not seem to be capable of looking beyond the immediate, domestic policies that may (or may not) lead to victory in the 2010 midterms and the 2012 presidential election. No one can deny that healthcare reform and economic stimulus packages are necessary now. But the campaign Obama’s vision of a diverse government could far outlast the effects of healthcare reform and even the largest economic stimulus package if he appoints judges who will adhere to his vision. Jurists who understand the American dream, as Sotomayor does, will last longer than Obama’s eight years. Even if his short-term policies fail, Obama should invest some time and energy into appointing and fighting for the Senate confirmation of jurists who will uphold his vision for the nation.