Here’s a take from someone who knows Alito well – Kate Pringle, a liberal Democrat who once clerked for the guy. She’s on board:
Pringle, as I noted earlier, is a liberal Democrat. I wondered whether her ideological bent was an anomaly in Alito’s chambers, or whether Alito routinely hired left-of-center law clerks. She didn’t know whether Alito intentionally hires law clerks with diverse viewpoints, but she did know that she was not alone – a good number of Alito’s past law clerks are far more liberal than he is. She also emphasized that Alito was always asking his clerks for their viewpoints, and that he enjoyed the debate when different opinions emerged on particular cases (this, too, was echoed in the NPR interview with ex-clerk Lombardi).
Pringle’s bottom line is a pragmatic one. Of course, Alito would not have been on John Kerry’s or any other Democrat’s short list for the Supreme Court. But, as we all know, John Kerry didn’t win in 2004, nor did the Democrats capture a majority in the Senate. Given that reality, Pringle said, “I’d rather have someone who has real intellectual ability, who has experience, who has a history of making these kinds of difficult decisions, and who has demonstrated respect for the Court as an institution, than a stealth candidate.” And given the other candidates on the “conservative short list,” Pringle is optimistic about Alito. She says that he will treat every case fairly, and that “we’ll be proud to have him on the Court.”
Just one more piece of information.
The Dish 