It's really become ridiculous, hasn't it?
I heard the arguments, back in 2020, when Democrats held the White House and both houses of Congress, about the dangers of doing away with "safeguards" like the senate filibuster, which allows the minority to shut down a lot of legislation pushed by the majority.
"If we do that, then we have to think of what they are going to do if they get back into power."
That's weak minded thinking. Of course they are going to do it. They, being the extremists who now control most of the Republican party, are going to use tools we refused to use because Democrats still believed that everyone should act with a measure of decorum and civility. But all we are going to get from doing this is grief, and we now have to sit back and watch as the far right, unrestrained by decorum and civility, and motivated by hatred based largely on inaccurate and untrue conspiracy theories, dismantles American democracy.
We Don't Always Get What We Voted For
I cast my ballot for Joe Biden in 2020 partly because I believed his administration would not pussy-foot around with decorum and civility, but would pursue whatever avenue their power gave them to stop the madness that had come to a head during the first Trump administration, and strengthen our democracy so that it could not be challenged by falsehoods again.
The Supreme Court is behind most of this movement toward dictatorship. That's why there were so many calls to make a bold move to pack that damn court when Democrats had the chance. Many of their rulings in recent years, following a blueprint of extremism laid out by Rush Limbaugh, set the stage for undermining Democracy and ushering in the white, Christian nationalism that is now on the move via project 2025.
Had Democrats made that move, which would have required simple majorities to amend the judiciary act, if the filibuster had been done away with, we would not be seeing anything like we are seeing in our broken down government now. The aim of a packed court would have been at overturning the Citizens United ruling that has allowed money to buy the government. Overturning that would have been worth the difficulties that would have been encountered later on.
But, a lot more could have been done. Roe would have been saved. The immunity rulings regarding the Presidency could have been dismantled. Trump's trials on indictments for stealing classified documents, and for inciting an insurrection, could have proceeded as any of the justices could have ordered expiditing the motions his lawyers made for delaying tactics, and brought him to trial. He'd have been convicted and imprisoned by now, his federal housing in a prison cell rather than the White House.
Not only that, but a court that would have been packed with Biden appointees would have required the ethics rules to be developed, and implemented, and could have forced the resignations of those justices who have either accepted bribes, or whose personal conduct was not up to judiciary standards. We could have seen Alito, Thomas and Kavanaugh forced to resign under rules imposed by the court upon itself.
That's what I expected from the Biden administration, and that's what I voted for.
Will We Ever Have Another Chance?
The far right is rapidly moving to close the windows on those aspects of our democracy that permit voters to exercise our will. While Democrats keep talking like the midterm elections are going to take place as normal,, and that the party appears to be gaining enough favor among voters to win a majority of seats, at least in the House, the far right is taking necessary steps to cheat on the election results.
Let's say we win back control of both houses during the midterm elections. We have some Republican pundits predicting they will lose 40 seats, I don't see that happening, but 15 is a real possibility. The Democratic leadership, with their language, fundraising and disastrous lack of initiative from the DNC, has already conceded the Senate, based on past trends, but let's just play the game for a moment, and say we get a two seat majority.
What I would expect would be a clean sweep of objectives. Shut down the administration, cut their budget for everything that can be cut, ignore the sitting President, his cabinet and his cronies, get rid of the Senate filibuster, block every judicial appointment, and thwart every initiative. Do everything legislatively possible to make the prospect of the next two years miserable enough to make Trump resign. And, do everything possible to let the American people know they need to come up with a revolution at the ballot box in 2028 that will put a government in place to prevent this kind of thing from ever happening again.
And I can tell you that my top priority in a Presidential candidate for 2028 is their willingness, if the opportunity presents itself, to pack the Supreme Court the moment they are able to do it. Citizens United and Presidential Immunity need to be overturned as soon as we can get it done. No politician gets my vote unless they are willing to put their career and reputation on the line to achieve this. No more pussy-footing around, playing politics by old protocols. Those who want my vote, and the votes of millions of Democrats and patriotic Americans who are now marching in the streets and protesting the wrong being done to us need to be willing to put their career on the line to show me they care.
We have a huge job, restoring and reparing the damage Trump has done. I'll be expecting my legislators, those who want my vote, to take the hard partisan line on everything from taxing billionaires to erase the national debt, to instituting a single payer, nationalized health care system like Canada has done so successfully. Fix Social Security so that the incomes are liveable.
It's time to stop living the lie and restore American to the values of its roots.
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