Hey guys!
As you know, I try my best to only write Lincoln-like political thoughts, full of kindness and hope. I truly believe most Americans are good and we need compromise, unity, and love. Not mockery or extremes.
So, this post was a little hard to write.
Because as I’m sure you heard, thanks to the Supreme Court and its absolutely absurd decision this week, Christmas came early for the Donald.
Wait, the producer in my ear is saying that given some recent headlines, it sounds like Trump needs a big Chirstmas gift. Which is weird, because for the past ten years, he’s been saying he’s a rich billionaire who didn’t need people’s money. Wow, I confess this is a bit confusing.
But here’s just one headline:
Is Trump Broke? What Court Filings Reveal
And since the Supreme Court is saying that Christmas is coming early, let me be generous and give you a few more:
Trump 'embarrassed' after being forced to admit he’s broke: Michael Cohen
Trump Is Broke as Heck and Completely “Embarrassed” by It
Back to the point, as I’m sure you heard, the Supreme Court is trying its best to save Donald Trump’s neck. As is so well summarized here:
It makes no sense that they would agree to hear this now, after denying a petition to do so that was filed by Jack Smith last year in an effort to leapfrog the Appellate Court and save months of delay. If they knew they were going to want to rule on the merits, why didn’t they grant cert in December. Applying the same expedited briefing schedule they did today, oral arguments would have taken place this week. As it stands now, oral arguments are set for April 22nd — almost two months from now. And why did it take over a week to grant cert? That only made sense if they were going to deny the stay and someone was writing a dissent or concurrence. It's delay upon delay.
I can’t really make any sense of the decision. And most commentators can’t either.
But part of the issue is that the Supreme Court is improperly-skewed and super conservative-leaning. Six conservative judges to three liberal ones, in fact. (6 to 3: The Impact of the Supreme Court’s Conservative Super-Majority.)
How is it possible that in such an evenly divided country, split right down the middle 50-50, that the Supreme Court could be so lopsided? Great question. And here’s a quick history lesson since your memory is probably a little foggy:
First, Republican Mitch McConnell stole a Supreme Court seat from President Barack Obama.
In short: Justice Antonin Scalia dies in February 2016, McConnell insists that the seat remain empty because it was an election year — his new rule. (Or maybe it was because Obama was considereed a Kenyan Islamic terrorist? Or because he wore tan suits?) Regardless, here is where McConnell stood at that time:
“The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice," he said. “Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President.” He refused to even give Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, a hearing much less a vote.
Then three years later…
McConnell stole a Supreme Court seat from future President Joe Biden, when he flipped the rule he had made up.
The night Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in the fall of 2020, according to McConnell’s former chief of staff, McConnell told Trump he would absolutely fill the vacancy just weeks out from the election, “and you’ve gotta nominate Amy Coney Barrett,” who was ultra conservative. (Link.)
So, we’ve got this out-of-control, completely imbalanced Supreme Court.
And on the one hand, this is a terrible thing. It’s unfair. It’s infuriating. It’s insulting to every person who voted for Obama or Biden.
But this is one of those situations where an institution’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness.
The Supreme Court is so lopsided and ideologically-slanted that it’s now:
Tone deaf and thinks it’s okay to receive extravagant gifts. (Clarence Thomas accepted even more gifts from billionaires, new report finds.)
It’s also making some really stupid rulings. Such as overturning Roe vs Wade.
The Roe vs Wade decision would have probably on its own set the GOP back 20 years, even without Trump’s monumental help. (Take this, for example: Abortion rights won in every election since Roe v. Wade overturned.)
But all the Supreme Court has done by pushing back the Trump case is really fire up the Dems and independents who see what’s really going on. (I mean, seriously. Do you think the Supreme Court is going to say presidents are above the law?! We partially created this country so that we wouldn’t have kings who were above the law.)
But the greatest irony of all is that by pushing back the case, the Supreme Court has helped put the nail in Trump’s political coffin. As described by George Conway:
"Politically it's not helpful for Donald Trump. Sometimes in litigation you lose by getting what you asked for. What he has asked for in the January 6th case is delay, delay, but he may not get enough delay.
''I mean, the Supreme Court took this case and, probably not to delay the case, but they probably think they have something to add to the law in this area. and there are multiple motions that Donald Trump has been making both in Georgia and Florida that may be, you know, the guidance could be helpful to the Supreme Court.
"But the end result would be, we are going to get a decision, the case is still expedited, the appeal to the Supreme Court is still expedited. We will get a decision by the end of June, maybe even earlier. If that is true, you do the math: you get a trial in August, September, October and that is not a good thing for Donald Trump. It would be better to get it over, with frankly, even with a conviction."
That’s because when Trump needs to be campaigning the most, he’s going to be spending each and every day in a courtroom, with the public hearing details from top advisors and attorneys of Trump admitting that Trump tried his darndest to steal the election. And then to retain control of the country with force.
Ad it’s going to fire Dems and independents up.
Because if there’s one fact you can just about etch in stone in American history, it’s that you can’t stop the American people in the world’s greatest democracy (no matter how much you gerrymander the districts or ask the Russian for help).
And you can’t stop light and right and progress by trying to use darkness and wrong and obstruction.
"We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." — Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The people — the people — are the rightful masters of both congresses and courts — not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert it.” — Abraham Lincoln, Speech in Kansas, December 1859
“Even when folks are hitting you over the head, you can't stop marching. Even when they're turning the hoses on you, you can't stop.” — Barack Obama.
Keep marching and do not blink, do not falter, do not despair.
We will make our voices be heard so loudly in November that the political blowout will be talked about fifty years from now.
That the political blowout will be soooo bad that the Republicans will finally start to right themselves as a party and begin cooperating with Democrats and healing our wounded country.
Posts are free, but paid subscriptions and tips make my day.
Love and peace,
Stan R. Mitchell
Don’t forget: You can comment anytime — I to monitor those. You can also reach out privately at: authorstanrmitchell@yahoo.com. (You can say “hi,” vent, or send news tips! I love all three of those things!)
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written 12 of them: a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational self-help book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan. You can find all of these books on Amazon.
Thank you, Stan! It never hurts to be reminded that we are far more powerful than we think we are. We just have to support each other and continue to vote out leaders who don't represent most of us.
I like your passion, Stan ! And although I fear the worst can and may happen, I also hold the hope of a pessimist who has seen things turn out surprisingly rightly.
One thing I will add is the missing part of the Constitution - The Declaration of Independence.
Many of the Confederates rejected the ideas expressed in the Declaration, and pointed out that it is NOT part of the Constitution, which is technically true.
But no one can read the Declaration, which inspired the Revolution, and not believe that it represents the enduring, founding principles of the United States. To reject them is to reject the premises upon which the Constitution was agreed to.
And if you read the Declaration's indictments of the Despots (at the time of English descent), and its prescriptions and demand for remediation, you can hardly avoid seeing a description of the modern GOP, and Trump himself.