This outcome is what many feared the most about the 2016 election. If there was one time to select the lesser of two evils, 2016 was. The failure to do so has brought us the Supreme Court’s second misogynist. There are times to be tactical and times to vote one’s conscience.
2nd misogynist makes it to the Supreme Court
Sadly, the current crop of Senators has no desire to fulfill the will of the people or justice. The Supreme Court has its 2nd misogynist.
Robert Reich’s article “Containing Catastrophe” is spot on. He writes the following.
Anyone still unsure of how (or even whether) they’ll vote in the midterms should consider this: All three branches of government are now under the control of one party, and that party is under the control of Donald J. Trump.
With the addition of Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court is as firmly Republican as are the House and Senate.
Kavanaugh was revealed as a fierce partisan – not only as a legal advisor, who helped Kenneth Starr prosecute Bill Clinton and almost certainly guided George W. Bush’s use of torture, but also a nominee who believed “leftists” and Clinton sympathizers were out to get him.
He joins four other Republican-appointed jurists, equally partisan. Thomas, Alito, and Roberts have never wavered from Republican orthodoxy. Neil Gorsuch, although without much track record on the Supreme Court to date, was a predictable conservative Republican vote on the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit – which is why the Heritage Foundation pushed for him and Trump appointed him.
Even under normal circumstances, when all three branches are under the control of the same party we get a lopsided government that doesn’t respond to the values of a large portion of the electorate.
But these are not normal circumstances. Donald Trump is President.
We must realize that the Republicans are building a constitutional anti-democratic firewall for minority rule of the American Plutocracy. When we get that we will see that it is not about what the average American wants but what the titans of finance demand of their political slaves.
While protests are good to mobilize our people, it does little to sway the votes of the current crop we elected because they feel more indebted to their financial benefactors. And for that, we must fill the halls of Congress and the Presidency with the least polluted politicians we can find.
Many Americans feel deflated after this vote. This close to an election it is important that we keep Progressives motivated. Absent that, short-term “depression” can create long-term consequences. One hopes we do not repeat history yet again.
Going forward let’s be more honest as to what we can and cannot do. That way we won’t have to reinflate those who are extremely disappointed now. We do not want this loss to cauterize in people’s minds a fallacy that political engagement is pointless just based on this experience.
Let’s continue block walking, phone banking, carpooling, helping make sure others know where to vote and are ready to vote. The future is still in our hands.