"You say you want a revolution.
Well, you know, we all want to change the world.
You say you got a real solution. Well, you know, we'd all love to see the plan."
The Beatles
This is for those voters discouraged or outraged by our two party system, who want to see not just a change but a revolution.
Maybe you're thinking Libertarian (sounds kind of American), or maybe Green (they're big in Europe, right?) has caught your eye. But here's the thing. Neither of those two parties has a snowball's chance in hell of winning this Presidential election. In fact, they won't even poll high enough (15%) to participate in the Presidential Debates.
But wait, you say, Rome wasn't built in a day and you've got to start somewhere. No argument there.
How about you start by building a base, you know, go out and talk to your neighbors and create local groups who put forward candidates in local races who get elected and then prove their value by actually delivering real results. In other words, a movement which competes in the real world and has a comprehensive ideology that differentiates them from others and a track record of legislative accomplishment based on that ideology. I know, that takes a long time and a lot of effort and it doesn't just happen every four years.
But your revolution isn't that far away and you could actually have it this election.
I am talking, of course, about the Supreme Court.
SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES. Have no doubt. This is the Room Where It Happens.
With Justice Scalia's not too surprising death this year (he was 79), there is a current vacancy on the Supreme Court.Actually, there is a very well qualified candidate, Judge Merrick Garland, but Senate Republicans are boycotting his nomination process. This is an unprecedented end-run around the Constitution by the GOP and it threatens to do damage well beyond this election cycle but the stakes are ENORMOUS and that is why Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is willing to risk his reputation and that of the Republican Party and to some degree, the stability of the U.S. Government.
With Scalia's death, the court is roughly split, 50/50, conservative and liberal. Whoever the next President is, he/she appoints Scalia's replacement and that tips the balance.
But it gets better.
Justice Ginsburg is 83. Justice Kennedy is 80. Justice Breyer is 77. And Justice Thomas is 68
SCOTUS by the numbers.
It is extremely likely that the next President could appoint two more Justices, maybe even three if she/he wins re-election in 2020. That's four possible Supreme Court appointments in two terms. Which means the next President can effectively put an unassailable majority – Conservative or Liberal – onto the court.
But it gets better.
Since 1970, the average tenure of Supreme Court Justices is 21.1 years. This means that unassailable majority appointed by the next President of the United States could last for the next two decades.
Whatever issue(s) you hold dear, the Supreme Court holds the power to determine the ballgame: Civil Rights. Reproductive Rights. Environmental protection. Citizens United. Voting Rights. LGBT Rights. Organized Labor. The Death Penalty. The Prison Industrial Complex. Criminal Defendant's Rights. The list goes on and on and on.
After November 8th, one of two people will make those crucial nominations which will determine the makeup of the court for the next 20 years – either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. You don't get a mulligan on this one. There is no pretending that a symbolic protest vote on the President won't affect the outcome.
You want a revolution? Here is the plan.
I'm with her.
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August 14, 2016
