R.I.P. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a true giant on the Supreme Court of the United States has sadly passed away at the age of 87 due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer. RBG was a fierce advocate for women’s rights and equality for all serving on the Supreme Court for 27 years, as an appointee of Bill Clinton.
I sit here feeling numb, and fearful for the future of the US. Every time I saw #ruthbaderginsburg trending on social media, I feared she had passed, and sadly today is the day when that fear became a reality. I would love to write something about Justice Ginsburg, without political bullshit, but it had already begun with Mitch McConnell already pushing a vote on the Senate floor as soon as a nomination is made.
The scary thing is that the next Trump SCOTUS nominee only needs a simple majority, just 51 votes in the Senate, and Republicans have a majority of 53 seats, even if every Democrat and Independent voted no to confirm, they would need four Republicans to join them to block any nominee.
Wind the clock back four years, Mitch McConnel refused to allow a Senate vote on President Obama’s pick, Merrick Garland and there was almost a year left on President Obama’s term. So Senate Majority Leader McConnell, does the same rule apply now in 2020? That question was, of course, rhetorical, your a fucking hypocritical Republican, you’ll push through a pick as soon as humanly possible.
The only question; is there enough Republicans in the Senate with any principles to vote NO on any SCOTUS pick until after the inauguration of the next president. We need just four Republicans to ruin McConnell’s plans, I’ll have everything crossed that we can persuade four GOP’ers to cross party lines.
Justice Ginsburg is reported to have said just days before her passing that her “most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed“, obviously influenced by the #McConnellRule. Of course, we know he will not stand by his words, America needs to learn the Republicans are the spawn of evil and will screw you over in a heartbeat, exposing their hypocrisy does nothing, they have no shame.
That said, Senate Democrats. Are you going to give President Trump and Mitch McConnell an easy ride to a third confirmed Supreme Court justice in four years? Or are you going to pull out all the stops, using McConnell’s and other Republican’s own words against them, screaming and shouting about the Republican hypocrisy all over the media? If there was a time to step up to the plate, it would be now!
Political considerations aside, The Notorious RBG was a woman of immense conviction, fighting for what is right against massive odds, defending the rights of minorities, women, and the LGBT community, fighting for equality for all. R.I.P. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, you are an inspiration to everyone.