Death in the Supreme Court

With the death of Justice Antonin Scalia there is an opportunity to move the Supreme Court if not to the Left then certainly away from the hard Right.  Praying Mantis, like McConnell and Grassley, are already making noises about holding up the president’s nomination for this position for nearly a year in order to make sure that they keep the balance of the court within their ideological jurisdiction.  This foolishness must become a major issue in the upcoming election.  The outrage of the electorate stems in no small part from the obstructionism, gridlock and inactivity of the House and Senate throughout Mr. Obama’s presidency.  Responsibility for much of this rests on the shoulders of the Republicans.

There are a number of down ballot races, particularly in the Senate, that are tight.  People who cripple the court and refuse to allow the president the prerogative of his office to fill the vacancy left by Scalia must be seen as ideological and vituperative political hacks.  This and the danger they represent must be driven home to the electorate.  This will require a solid front by Democrats. 

Currently we are in a hard fought battle for the nomination.  Most people know that I am for Bernie Sanders.  However, if Secretary Clinton is the nominee I will vote for her.  The idea of allowing the presidential race to be won by Republicans, and by default, amounts to insanity.  

I will not pretend to be saddened by Scalia’s death.  I had no use for the man, and there are plenty of people to mourn him.  I mourn the damage that he and his Rightwing cabal have done to this country from Citizens United to gutting the Voting Rights Act to attempting to undermine Roe v. Wade.  In stark relieve against this backdrop is a Democratic Party embroiled in an increasingly bitter struggle for the nomination.  People on both sides, both sides I say, are behaving like children throwing mud at one another across a playground.  I have heard people supporting both the Senator and the Secretary say that they will not support the other if their candidate doesn’t win.  This is stupid to the point of bordering on civil suicide. 

The material point here is – if a Republican wins the 2016 election the backward trajectory of this country, symbolized so well by the judicial tenor and tenure of Justice Scalia will shift into over drive.  We will be in a race to self destruction and oblivion, as a nation and as a people.

Democrats must fight for our candidates, fight hard, but fight clean.  When the nomination is over we must come together to support the nominee or face an Armageddon of our making.