DEMOCRATS, DO NOT BE CHEATED!
By Don C. Reed
Who do you want choosing the Supreme Court membership: Hillary or Donald?
That is the choice before us now.
Look at what is already happening.
Across the country, a flood of money is allowing a quiet Republican takeover. Government races that once required almost no money for campaign costs are suddenly expensive, and one-sidedly heavy with cash. A poor man or woman used to be able to run for office. Now, this is virtually impossible, unless they are clearly identified with the Republican Right, and can therefore find rich donors.
Why?
The “Citizens United” Supreme Court Decision essentially removes all limits to how many dollars the millionaires and billionaires can spend to elect their servants. All they must do is set up a Political Action Committee (PAC) and pour in as many millions as they want.
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/01/21/5-years-later-citizens-united-has-remade-us-politics
And if Donald Trump gets in, and packs the Supreme court? The rich will own it altogether. You have seen the list, the ultra-conservatives from whom Trump has promised to pick : a more radical Republican group is hard to imagine.
Tragically, recent events have caused anger and division among the Democrats. This must not be allowed.
Liberals like me have long-standing grievances with the system, no question. Just to name a couple:
First, if we had direct democracy instead of the Electoral College, we would have had President Al Gore in office instead of George Bush. Imagine what a better world this would be right now! We would not have invaded Iraq, for one thing.
Second, while I like and respect Tim Kaine, I truly wanted Elizabeth Warren for Veep—her strength, intelligence, and compassion are unequalled.
Finally, Bernie Sanders has an absolute right to be angry about behind-the-scenes DNC trashtalk and manipulations. But he is standing by his word to support Hillary, and fight Trump. He knows that when the Russian hackers released the unflattering DNC emails, it was an undeniable gift to Donald Trump who admires their boss, Vladimir Putin. It was nothing less than an attempt to give Trump the election.
https://www.cnn.com/2016/07/24/politics/robby-mook-russia-dnc-emails-trump/index.html
These are legitimate reasons to be unhappy. But like fights in a family, they must be resolved if our union is to prevail.
For no matter how frustrating our internal differences may be, the choice between Hillary and Trump is night and day.
As the threat is vast, so is the opportunity.
If a Democratic President picks the Supreme Court justices, we can overturn the Citizens United decision, and break the powers of the Super Pacs.
Imagine what that would mean! For the Supreme Court to become truly neutral, to see both sides of an issue? We have grown too accustomed to a Republican-dominated Supreme Court, and have forgotten it is legal for our side to have a majority too.
In one magnificent sentence, American Prospect author Peter Dreier sums it up:
“A more liberal court could overturn Citizens United, restore voting rights and workers’ rights, protect women’s rights to abortion, allow the president to address climate change, keep affirmative action in jobs and education, and deliver many other important rulings.”
https://prospect.org/article/nine-battleground-states-could-flip-senate-and-supreme-court
Is that not worth fighting for?
If Democrats come together now, we can make a brighter future for everyone.
But if we allow anything to divide us now– when we face this greatest opportunity and threat? Our children, and our children’s children, will rue this day forever.