Hearing about Supreme Court Justice Kennedy’s retirement was a gut punch, I won’t lie. But I’ve had some time to digest it and talk to some smart friends. I’m now more calm but importantly, more fiercely determined. I know what I’m going to do.
SCOTUS is the top court in the land, full of justices with lifetime tenure. They are the final stop when it comes to interpreting federal law. It’s heady, the importance and power they have.
But wait. They are one of the co-equal branches of government. That means there are checks and balances for them, too. Alexander Hamilton famously said they were the weakest of the branches.
Remember, the Supreme Court doesn’t MAKE laws. (Do you see where I’m going with this?)
Who makes laws? Congress.
And guess who gets to determine who makes the laws in Congress? YOU and ME.
I can’t control a lot about this situation, but I can control who goes to Congress. Democrats are raising a stink but they only have 49 votes, and that’s not enough. We need to fix that, pronto.
Roe v Wade gave women the right to get abortions. But Congress never made it a law. We flip Congress and we can make it the law of the land.
The union decision from earlier this week? Congress can make it the law of the land that in order to derive any benefit from a union contract, you have to pay dues.
Congress has the power to add justices, or change the Court’s jurisdiction. There are checks and balances.
We need a House and Senate full of Democrats passing laws. They are far more responsive to public opinion and sentiment than the Courts are.
And getting control of Congress is something I can influence. It’s where I, as a citizen with a vote and a voice, have power.
It’s all about elections now.
I am fiercely determined to use ALL my energy to get as many Democrats elected as possible. And besides Congress, a lot of laws are made in the state legislatures. So I’m going to get a lot of Democrats elected there, too.
It’s all about elections now.
And maybe, this crap situation we find ourselves in will be the final kick in the rear that Democrats need to take elections seriously and not sit them out. Let’s not find ourselves in this jam ever, ever again.
It’s all about elections now.
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Categories: Explainers
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