Not That There's Anything Wrong With That

There was a time about ten or fifteen years ago when liberal people didn't like to be called liberals. For a while they liked the term "moderate" (e.g., "I supported NAFTA ergo I'm a moderate"). Then "progressive" became the term of choice (though it's now more of a synonym for "I'm-so-liberal-that-calling-me-liberal-won't-do-me-justice"). Regardless, the first instinct when being accused of being a liberal was to deny it.

Something similar may be happening in the conservative legal blogosphere, and it's slightly hilarious to watch. Take a look at this post by Jonathan Adler. He quibbles with the notion that the current Supreme Court is a conservative one. Is there really any doubt that when you put Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, and Alito together you have the strongest conservative base on the Court that we've seen in a very long time? Like since Earl Warren was nominated?

Glenn Reynolds is also a reliable exemplar of this trend, as evidenced here, here, and here. Message to Prof. Reynolds: when you're debating between voting for John McCain and Bob Barr, that's a pretty good indication that you tilt toward the right. And more than just a tad.