A Failure to Connect the Dots
A Failure to Connect the Dots
Citizens United is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court regarding campaign finance laws. The ruling held that certain campaign finance restrictions are inconsistent with the free-speech clause of the First Amendment. It was a 5 - 4 decision handed down in 2010. And since that time the money in politics has become the wild, wild west.
For those who believe, as I do, that the amount of money that sloshes through our political system is a pernicious influence, this decision is one of the worst that has been rendered in my lifetime. The Supreme Court justices who supported this ruling were Anthony Kennedy, John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas & Samuel Alito.
The Dobbs decision is also a landmark ruling on the United States Supreme Court in which the court held that the United Stated Constitution does not confer a right to an abortion. This ruling overturned previous Supreme Court rulings that upheld that right, i.e. Roe vs. Wade in 1973, and Casey vs. Planned Parenthood in 1992. Dobbs was a 5 - 4 decision handed down in 2022. And since that time, abortion rights in this country have varied from state to state.
For those who believe, as I do, that bodily autonomy is a fundamental human right, this decision is one of the worst that has been rendered in my lifetime. The Supreme Court justices who supported this ruling were Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
AmericanProgress.org: People protest in response to Dobbs, June 2022. (Getty/ Brandon Bell)
Again, I believe that for most people, voting is primarily an emotional act as opposed to an intellectual act, particularly at the presidential level. I understand that individual circumstances at a given time can weigh heavily in how an individual votes. And that long term ramifications are usually not top of mind when most of us enter the voting booth.
Even so, this simple fact must be stated: the long-term impact of any presidential administration lies in their appointments to the federal judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court. The ramifications of such appointments can extend long after a president’s term(s) in office. This is where we find ourselves today.
Some of my friends on the left seem to be under the impression that the Supreme Court rulings that I referenced just happened overnight. They most certainly did not. But rather than engaging in a critical self-assessment, the default position for many is to lash out at our friends on the right. But at the end of the day, our friends on the right were simply executing their long-held, well-known plans.
Supreme Court Historical Society, Image Credit: Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States
If one connects the dots, one finds that these Supreme Court rulings that I referenced can be traced back to the defeat of Al Gore in the 2000 election to George W. Bush. And the defeat of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election to Donald Trump.
No political candidate at any level is ever perfect. Al Gore was not perfect. But I can say with a high degree of certitude that he would not have nominated Samuel Alito and John Roberts to the Supreme Court. Therefore, those left leaning folks in Florida in 2000 who decided that their precious vote should be cast for Ralph Nader have a lot to answer for. Their votes contributed to Vice President Gore losing the state of Florida and consequently losing the Presidential election. Remember, George W. Bush defeated Al Gore by only 537 votes in Florida. Ralph Nader received 97,488 votes in Florida.
Hillary Clinton was not perfect. But I can say with a high degree or certitude that she would not have nominated Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanagh to the Supreme Court. Therefore, those left-leaning folks in Michigan in 2016 who decided that their precious vote should be cast for Jill Stein have a lot to answer for. Their votes contributed to Secretary Clinton losing the state of Michigan, and those 16 electoral votes. Remember, Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in Michigan by only 10,704 votes. Jill Stein received 51,463 votes in Michigan.
And let’s not forget the Bernie Bros, many of whom remained upset over losing in the 2016 primaries to Hillary Clinton. And thus withheld their fulsome support for Secretary Clinton’s general election candidacy, and no doubt affected her vote totals in several swing states.
Had Vice President Al Gore and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton been elected President, the current composition of the Supreme Court would be very different.
Which brings us to Justice Clarence Thomas, who was nominated to the Supreme Court over 35 years ago. Justice Thomas is currently 78 years old. If his lifespan extends to as long as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s, he could be rendering decisions for another nine years. Also, the President who nominated him, George H.W. Bush, passed away nearly eight years ago. Which underscores my point about the lasting impact of any given presidential administration.
My larger point is this: I understand how the conditions and passions of a given time can drive our collective voting behavior. But perhaps what is required to achieve our preferred outcomes is a little less passion, and a little more practicality. In these modern times, we have so many mechanisms for immediate gratification. Perhaps we should not look to our politics to provide such gratification, and thus exercise a more serious, sophisticated, and dare I say, clinical approach to voting.
My friends on the far left who look at where we are today and correctly decry the many excesses of the far right should perhaps conduct the painful exercise of connecting the dots and accept some level responsibility for where we are. That would be intellectually honest.
And for those who think the solution is simply to expand the number of seats on the Supreme Court, I offer two counterpoints: 1) FDR tried and failed to do that in the 1930s. 2) What if there’s a Republican President with a Republican controlled Senate?
To my fellow Democrats, how about this as a possible solution: Just win more presidential elections and more senate seats?
Steve Bradshaw
Steve Bradshaw served for eight years on the DeKalb County, Georgia Board of Commissioners. He is also a former corporate sales executive, adjunct college professor, and US Army officer.
Stay Connected
Comments