The Republicans’ victory has been fully consummated. Or as Darth Vader would say: “The circle is now complete.”
Make no mistake. While America may or may not soon rid itself of an immeasurably lawless administration, either way, the GOP has won huge over the last four years.
Trump just received his third Justice on the Supreme Court, and the GOP-led Senate has confirmed another 180 of his judicial nominations. Game, set and match. We have the most conservative SCOTUS in 100 years, and all of these appointments will affect policy in America — consequential laws that the Congress passes — for decades to come. Until after I’m dead.
The debt and deficit have skyrocketed. America is more divided than at any time since I was one year old. Our standing in the world has been eviscerated. The individual mandate is gone and the ACA hangs by a thread.
And just as importantly, or perhaps even more so, Americans’ voting rights have been further shredded. Don’t expect those rights to get restored anytime soon. Y’know why? Supreme Court. 6-3. Done.
I could list additional defeats, but there’s a more important point to make. I’ve posted it about five times since ‘16. But today’s SCOTUS abomination earned a final reiteration:
All of the Democrats’ losing on all of these issues — and the cementing of conservative courts to secure these losses — could have been AVOIDED if the people who voted twice for Obama in MI, PA and WI, but who sat home or voted third party in ’16 (NOT the ones who “flipped” for Trump), had voted for Hillary Clinton.
“I don’t like her! Wahhhh! I don’t trust her! Wahhh!”
You got what you wanted. Unfortunately, so did the rest of us. Be it progressives, Independents or center-left Democrats — we all lost.
Amy Coney-Barrett was the final touchdown on the scoreboard. And if you don’t think this ultra-conservative Justice will vote to keep Trump in office if this election is decided by the high court, then you don’t understand the politics that are inherent in our legal system.
Listen, I’ve been calling Pennsylvania voters all afternoon, and nearly every one on my list has already voted for Biden or has a plan to. They don’t need my help finding their polling place. Awesome.
But this fiasco on the White House lawn tonight is the final reminder of just how badly Democrats have gotten beaten over four years. And while I’m hopeful that this uniquely disgusting person will be eliminated — and as a country we can try to slowly turn the tide back — an awful lot of damage has been done.
The silver lining is that voters have spoken with a megaphone in multiple big elections since ’16 that have resulted in Democratic victories: Governorships in MI, PA, WI, LA, VA and KY. A few state legislatures have turned blue for the very first time, and the Democrats won a historic number of House seats in ’18 — the most since Watergate.
Women roared.
So, don’t let up. Go vote. Don’t sit this thing out. Don’t be disinterested or complacent. Do whatever you can to help these campaigns accelerate down the home stretch.
It’s time to take back the Oval and begin the daunting challenge of pulling this country back together. It starts with us.