consequences

 by Rain Trueax

This is a bonus post due to something going on in the political world. That means it's one of my rare political posts. I thought of writing it elsewhere but this seems the better place and I can share it other places if I want.

So, if you don't much care for politics, come back Wednesday or Saturday where they are unlikely to appear-- although politics are sneaky; so you never know for sure. They can crop up unexpectedly like you know in history subjects. 

When Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, it raised a political firestorm that has overtaken a lot of my Facebook newsfeed from other topics (another place where I try to not post about politics myself). There have been demands for petitions, phone calls, etc. Outrage is expressed and if we thought we had an ugly political season before this... and most of us did, it's going to get worse no matter who wins.

At Facebook, since I have 'friends' there from both sides of the political divide, I get a mix. A few times I respond with a comment but doubt heartily that words there change any minds. Facebook, for most people, is about bubbles. The fact that I dance between bubbles probably makes me not only less popular than if I was part of one where I was amen-ing everything that was said; but it also tends to probably make me less happy as I see opinions that worry me about the future of our country. I've had concern for some time, not just this year, but it's  growing with the more I learn on what is going on beyond my sphere of influence-- not that I have much of one of those.

So the main argument the Democrats are throwing out and people at FB are picking up, is you cannot fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat until the new President is sworn in. They cite what McConnell did in 2016. That's two points. 

First one is there is no such seat. She occupied one of 9 seats on the court. She was nominated by Bill Clinton to replace retiring Byron White, who was a liberal as was Ginsburg. She was appointed by a liberal and has ruled as one ever since, very much a respected advocate for her views, very intelligent, but if it had been a conservative President at that time replacing White, do you believe he'd have appointed her? If you do I might have a bridge to sell you. These appointments are always political-- do not kid yourself. With a liberal President and a highly qualified woman, even if the Senate had been GOP led at that time, she'd likely have gotten the seat given it had been a liberal she'd be replacing. There was a time when leaders wanted to keep some balance. IF a democrat could swing the swing middle seat their way, they'd do it but not totally upset the balance as it was all about some modicum of balance.

Now to the second point is that what McConnell did in '16 was not the situation on '20. He had a Democratic President making the appointment that had to be confirmed by a GOP led Senate. Remember that when Scalia died, the President was a liberal. The 'seat' Scalia had occupied was on the conservative side, he was far right. Politically, Obama couldn't appoint someone like that. Elections have consequences. So he chose someone with a good reputation but at the best, he was a moderate. It was totally sensible but for McConnell not to want to confirm such a person, that also made sense. Logic though is never a factor where it comes to politics.

I personally think McConnell politically probably would have been smarter to let Garland go through the process and vote him down on the floor, as they had the numbers. He didn't want to waste time for a known conclusion. 

In '20, McConnell knows as do all the hypocritical democrats that the next President might appoint an extreme left winger. Biden won't even say who he will have on any list. That tells you he does not want you to know-- or his handlers haven't told him yet either.

Added note here-- Pelosi could have shown herself more patriotic had she not pushed the impeachment with a pandemic looming. Chris Rock said it well. They went ahead with it for revenge but knew the outcome in the Senate. In the meantime, Congress ignored what would soon threaten this country on both physical and economic levels. It still is. While Congress fiddled, Rome burned, and even encouraged people, in the midst of the known Wuhan outbreak, that it was no big deal and go ahead and enjoy gathering for the Chinese New Year. You know, ordinary people, like ourselves, could already see it was a big deal and started wearing masks and isolating ahead of any laws mandating such. Common sense works some places but not apparently in Congress.

People elect Presidents and Senators knowing they have the power of filling the courts. McConnell and Trump are obligated by the vote they received to nominate someone and try to get them passed. It is their duty and the fact that it's this close to an election that might end control of the Senate and of the Presidency has no bearing on it. When we all voted in '16, we also mattered. We deserve a candidate to be put up. Whether it'll be successful is the question but it's the right thing to do.

I guarandamtee you that if the Dems had the Senate right now, had the Presidency, knew they were at risk of losing it next election, they'd be doing the same thing-- attempting to push a nomination through.

Hypocrisy, thy name is politics. 

The Dems threaten they will pack the court if this nomination, whoever it might be, goes through.  They also say they will end the filibuster, taking away any voice by the minority. My thinking is, if they get power, they will do both anyway. They also want two more states that they believe will guarantee four more Democratic senators and a permanent lock on the Presidency no matter what laws they want to pass. They will do all this if they get the power. IF Trump does win in November or whenever they finish counting ballots, there will be more riots as the Dems will say it was cheating involved. Who is trying to tear apart this country if they don't get their own way? You know as well as I do. 

One last thing unrelated to the Supreme Court. Vote issues. We have two imperfect candidates. Both men have been accused of sexual abuse and of lying. Don't vote personalities. Look at the issues. Look at what will do best for your life and the country. Vote as though everything depended on it because it does.