What Happens Now: Supreme Court

Regardless of what side you are on, America lost a huge figure yesterday with the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG). The most important election in the last 150 years is less than 45 days away and the Trump administration along with the help of Mitch McConnell in the senate are making a desperate power grab.

Mitch McConnel will go down in US history not for his work in the senate, but for the massive hypocrite he is. In 2016, McConnel delayed a vote for then supreme court nominee Merrick Garland for 293 days, citing the “Biden rule” that states a new supreme court judge should not be appointed when an election season is underway. However, as Mitch McConnel has shown us many times through his unfortunately long political career, his hypocrisy knows no bounds.

McConnel will try and ram through the nominee for Trump. Unfortunately for the republican party, the hypocrisy does not end there. Lindsey Graham begged us to use his words against him, his quote is as follows, “if there's a Republican president in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say Lindsey Graham said let's let the next president, whoever it might be, make that nomination."

This showcases a much larger issue in politics. We have reached a point where leaders can’t be trusted to make good-faith decisions. Politicians have been bending the truth since Jefferson, but what’s happening now it’s way beyond that. There’s no hiding their malcontent.

The Repulsive

At 10:02 am on Saturday the 19 of September, the worst thing to come out of this tragedy is the repulsive and vile Doug Collins. Representative Doug Collins is a sickening example of this new normal. He is imploring the Trump administration to strike down Roe v Wade, which is currently the largest piece of legislation that provides women a modicum of respect when it comes to their own bodies and their choices. Doug Collins tweeted “RIP to the more than 30 million innocent babies that have been murdered during the decades that Ruth Bader Ginsburg defended pro-abortion laws. With Donald Trump nominating a replacement that values human life, generations of unborn children have a chance to live"

This tweet is indefensible, you simply cannot say you are pro-life, and then celebrate death.

The Future

Democrats will fight to delay a vote for a new supreme court nominee, however, with limited options, the first phase of this fight will come down to a selected few republicans who may vote against a supreme court nomination before the election. Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney, Charles E. Grassley, and Susan Collins are the most likely to flip on a vote, but I would not hold my breath. With the occasional exception of Romney, these senators usually fall in line with the republican party.

So, what comes next?

Unfortunately, I do believe a nomination and vote will pass through the senate. It is yet another grasp of a minority movement to permanently secure power against the will of the majority. This is the republican’s best chance at holding influential power for the next couple of decades.

However, this fight will be long, ugly, and ultimately disastrous for America. The appointment of Kavanaugh is already thought to be a target of a potentially democratic president, and if another judge is appointed between now and election, that spells an ugly couple of years of fighting.

If Republicans manage to push through an appointee, and then the Democrats win in November, it could lead to a complete re-haul of our judicial system.

Let us say Biden wins, but the republicans push through a nomination. If the Democrats take back the Senate, this will surely lead to a reexamination of the appointed officials and lead to potentially two removals of a supreme court judge. While this may seem like a good thing for the left, this would set a president for judges changing every time power does. Simply put, this moment will lead to the long term dismantling of government checks and balances as both parties will now feel adamant that their wanted ends will justify any means.

The Fight Continues

RGB fought her entire life for the rights of others. If we want to pay our respects to this generational leader, then we must vote. Request your mail-in ballot now and follow up to make sure it is counted. Donate to Democratic campaigns and lift those around you who cannot lift themselves. Regardless of what happens this week with the supreme court, or this year with the election, the fight will not be over.