2018 Mid-Term Election Cycle
Shockingly, it’s election season again… and I’m excited!
Why?
Because the Democrats keep pissing in their own wading pool.
For the longest time, well, pretty much since November 9, 2016 when the world awoke to find a President-elect Trump instead of Shillary standing victorious, we have been constantly inundated with the Democratic Party’s shrill temper tantrum. See if you can follow along with some highlights from the last two years… (My commentary is italicized).
From day 1, Trump was ‘deemed’ an illegitimate President. Why? Because he didn’t win the popular vote. I’m pretty sure that’s not how presidential elections work in this country. In fact, I’m pretty sure a Presidential election is actually fifty little elections in one. But hey, since the left doesn’t like the outcome, by all means, let’s abolish the Electoral College (for clarity, that’s sarcasm). Incidentally, the popular vote was the exact reason that the Electoral College was created by the Founding Fathers in the first place. Why? Because the ‘popular vote’ is, at its core, the very definition of mob rule.
Also prior to the inauguration, forces within the FBI, DOJ, and the intelligence industry colluded to remove a duly elected President of the United States. The plan included many tentacles, but whose sole intent was to garner an investigation of the President for collusion and obstruction so impeachment proceedings could begin when the Democrats retook Congress after the mid-terms. History says that’s what happens in mid-terms. (This has been referred to as the ‘insurance policy’ noted in several text message between a former FBI employee and a DOJ lawyer.) This investigation, they say, is winding down. Does it strike any one as more than a mere coincidence that the conclusion of the investigation seems to be timed to coincide with the mid-term election? Why go through all of this? Well, you might notice a theme here, but it’s because they didn’t agree with the results of the election.
During the inauguration, protesters destroyed parts of our nation’s capital. Apparently, they didn’t agree with the election results either.
On day 2, literally, the country was subjected to crass and foul-mouthed feminists and entertainers with ‘Pussy Hats’, labia collars, and f-bomb laden shirts and banners taking part in the Women’s March. I know several of the women who attended and to say that their typical daily personal demeanor changed would be an understatement. Militancy won’t win arguments or score points with me. All it gets you with me is a one-way ticket off my social media island. So far, I’ve booted a brother, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and several co-workers. Interestingly, they all are from different political persuasions, but they were all booted for the same reason, intolerance. Specifically, the inability to hear or allow debate with someone espousing an opposing viewpoint. Moreover, in case you were wondering, that is the very definition of bigotry.
When intimidation and destruction didn’t work, the left turned to the Title of Nobility Clause of the Constitution, specifically Article 1, Section 9, Clause 8. The ‘Emoluments Clause,’ as it is commonly referred to, is where the founders attempted to prohibit foreign influence on elected officials and discourage a nobility class from forming. The Emoluments Clause is pretty much a catchall and a fairly sound idea. However, I don’t think they (the founders) ever envisioned international business empires on the scale and magnitude that exists today. This outrage campaign lasted about a month while the President, who was unwilling to shut down a worldwide multi-million (or billion?) dollar business enterprise and brand outright while he ran the country, worked through the legal ramifications for divesting himself of his holdings while President.
Then the left went to their impeachment argument. This outrage campaign is a near constant tantrum given the likes of Congresswoman Maxine Waters and others. However, it seems to ebb and flow as a headline in the daily news cycles due to the short attention span of American media as it bounces from one outrage campaign to the next. If it’s a slow news week, this one seems to be the go-to standard.
Then there was net neutrality, North Korea, Stormy, trade tariffs, moving the embassy in Israel, revoking the Iran deal, re-negotiating NAFTA, Paris Climate Accords, enforcing immigration laws, and, and, and, but, but, but… until you get to present day and the successful nomination and confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as Associate Justice to the Supreme Court of the United States.
It is this latest outrage campaign surrounding the SCOTUS nomination, but more specifically, the courts as a cumulative whole, which I find myself thinking about now.
As I see it, the Democrats have a record of 1 and 2 when it comes to smear tactics against a Republican nominate for Supreme Court Associate Justice. They succeeded in smearing Judge Bork to the point that the man’s last name is used as a verb when pundits say ‘Borking a nominee’. The left failed however with Judge’s Thomas and Kavanaugh. Strangely, there was little opposition to Judge’s Gorsuch, Roberts and Alito. Gorsuch, a Trump nominee, passed a Senate by a 54-45 vote. An equally reviled Republican President, George W. Bush, was successful in nominating Roberts (77-22 vote) and Alito (58-42 vote).
However, the lengths to which the left went against Judge Kavanaugh didn’t lead to the promise land of a liberal majority seated on the bench for the highest court in the land. The left also wasn’t successful in its attempt to re-ignite an assortment of progressive movements. What is was successful in accomplishing was angering and appalling independents and Republicans alike… and a few of their own on the left.
Any political cachet the left held going into the 2018 mid-term election cycle has since evaporated. Democrat Senators in red states (states that Trump won in 2016) have seen their minimal polling leads evaporate. This means the Senate is lost to them. In fact, Republicans are likely to increase their majority. Democrats running for the House of Representatives have seen similar returns. This means the House is likely lost to them as well. They’ll likely pick up seats but not enough to put the gavel back in, God forbid, Nancy Pelosi’s hand.
So let’s review… because the left over played their hand AND, in no small part, because the right finally grew a spine and stood up to and refused to yield to the barrage of negative attacks on a nominee and themselves, they have effectively turned a ‘blue wave’ into a red ripple. Both houses of Congress will remain in Republican hands as will the Executive branch of government. You heard it here first folks!
But why did the left go this far this time? They hadn’t tried this scorched earth approach since 1991 with the Clarence Thomas hearings, so what gives?
Well, some will say it is multi-faceted. It’s ‘resist Trump’, and the ‘#MeToo’ movement, or it’s a new ‘Believe Survivors’ movement or it’s the age old fight of Roe v. Wade… and on and on it goes. To me though, all of those facets boil down to one thing.
The left needs the courts on their side like my daughters needed their blankies.
Why? Why do they need the courts?
Because the left has been historically inept at passing progressive legislation. They need the courts in order to legislate the laws they were unsuccessfully able to pass through the Congress or through the fifty state houses into existence. Period.
The left may be many things detrimental to our country, but the one thing they are not is entirely devoid of calculating, manipulative, and, dare I say, reasoned thought. They see a conservative majority on the SCOTUS in much the same way that an independent nation state views a hostile act of naked aggression. A conservative majority on the court anywhere in America, whether it be the Circuit Court, the Court of Appeals, or the Supreme Court, isn’t safe from the anarchistic wrath of the left.
Again, I ask why…
The reason the left goes to the mattresses for court appointees is because of the simple reason that the appointments are for life!
Interestingly enough, I started this blog post several days ago, but I happened to come across an article this morning. I’ve included three excerpts that help to sum up the left’s tactics. These excerpts are from the October 10, 2018 article in The Daily Signal titled How Justice Kavanaugh Will Change the Supreme Court by Hans von Spakovsky’.
Excerpt #1
Much has been said about the unfair and downright nasty tactics used by some Democratic senators and their allies during Kavanaugh’s confirmation battle. But the reason they resorted to these tactics is because the federal courts have become so important in their quest to change America into their version of a progressive utopia.
For many decades, liberals have been using the federal courts to implement the changes they have been unable to achieve through Congress and state legislatures. When they cannot convince voters and legislators, they have resorted to federal judges to ignore the law and ignore the Constitution and implement their social policies by judicial fiat.
Excerpt #2
Democrats still have four solid liberal justices on the court who are likely to vote the way liberals want them to on most issues, particularly “social justice” issues like abortion, racial preferences, gay marriage, and campaign finance. From their perspective, there is only one politically acceptable view on those issues.
Excerpt #3
Even though Kennedy often voted against what liberals wanted the court to do, he voted with them often enough that they continued to see the federal courts—and in particular, the Supreme Court—as their substitute venue for implementing the social policy they could not achieve through the democratic process. With Kavanaugh, that substitute venue will likely disappear.
That, in turn, could diminish the power of the Supreme Court over the political, social, and cultural affairs of the nation. And that would be a good thing.
The Supreme Court was never envisioned by our Founders as the final arbiter and decision-maker on all affairs, foreign and domestic. It is the court’s extension of its power into areas where it should not be exercising power that has played a large role in turning the confirmation of its justices into a rancorous political campaign that diminishes the court and damages the pursuit of justice in the federal courts."
So there you have it folks… with every successful lifetime judicial appointment the Trump administration makes, the closer and closer you are to living in the country your Founding Fathers envisioned.