Category: Politics

  • Neil Gorsuch: Great Jurist or Greatest Jurist?

    Neil Gorsuch: Great Jurist or Greatest Jurist?

    Neil Gorsuch is the greatest thing since sliced bread and what makes him so very unique is that he is a white-haired white dude that Republicans like.

    He is, after all, the one that is the “guardian of the Constitution” and conservatives can find solace in muttering his name to reassure themselves about a flailing presidency. Yet, conservatives want to spew bullshit and let’s be honest, we’re all tired of it.

    They have started to say that filibustering Neil Gorsuch is an unprecedented break in Senate tradition. They forget to mention that their treatment of Merrick Garland was an unprecedented break in Senate tradition. They have practically deleted Merrick Garland from history because they know their story is a lie of omission but like a con man (or now President apparently), you never back away from your story. No matter how tall a tale, no matter how big a lie, you just keep saying it.

    Conservatives keep repeating bullshit and we’ve had enough.

    When a conservative says Neil Gorsuch is qualified, there’s a problem–he is less qualified than Merrick Garland, the chief judge of the nation’s 2nd most important court and the previous nominee for the vacancy.

    When a conservative says that Neil Gorsuch is mainstream, we know that he is not. For example, he has favored corporate interests over citizens repeatedly. His dissent in TransAm Trucking v. Department of Labor displays a stunning lack of empathy that is practically Trumpian but certainly not American: you should be fired for not willing to freeze to death for your company. His far right ideology is out of step with the country at-large and is being whitewashed through a multi-million dollar charm offensive paid for by dark money. His inability and unwillingness to denounce the erosive effects of this dark money on our democracy should be disqualifying for a lifetime appointment to our nation’s highest court.

    When a conservative says Neil Gorsuch has overwhelming appeal, we point out that he will not be confirmed without elected Republicans changing the rules of the Senate to force his nomination through–the first time ever and another break with Senate tradition that elected Republicans seem to be okay with.

    When a conservative says that he is not an activist judge, we know he is. His ruling in Hobby Lobby illustrates his radical interpretation of the Constitution and his willingness to subvert our laws as written to further his personal policy preferences.

    Neil Gorsuch is unfit for our Supreme Court, but he is also emblematic of the conservative bullshit problem.

    When conservatives crow about paid protesters and voter fraud, we know that they paid tea party protesters and they have engaged in voter fraud. For elected Republicans, political norms are not above reproach, the rules are not sacrosanct, and the teachings of Jesus lose to the Pharisees in the “Moral Majority” every time.

    Liberals could claim that the situation with Neil Gorsuch is that of a second-choice, second-rate nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy who is an out-of-the-mainstream activist judge or as conservatives say: is Neil Gorsuch a great jurist or the greatest?

  • A Couple of Ways Colorado Democrats Can Fight Back

    A Couple of Ways Colorado Democrats Can Fight Back

    When elected Republicans take power, they prioritize political and economic suppression, including voter suppression, gerrymandering, and union-busting (Wisconsin). Then they destroy the capacity of government to work for and help workers and their families (Michigan). Finally, they turn the government into an ATM for the wealthy, including tax cuts and corporate welfare (Kansas). There is a clear procession of Republican outcomes and each aforementioned state is at different in the process of redistributing money from the poor, working, and middle classes to the wealthy.

    When elected Republicans lose power, they attempt to move the goal posts and dilute the power of incoming Democrats (North Carolina). The antics in North Carolina pulled back the curtain for those that did not fully appreciate the electeds of the modern Republican Party–they practice politics at all costs and then pursue policy. That’s how you end up with Donald Trump as a nominee. National Democrats have failed to adapt to the the political landscape in a number of ways and have clung to old norms and priorities.

    In order to win, Democrats must do the exact opposite of elected Republicans in Wisconsin, Michigan, Kansas, and North Carolina.

    Voting rights must be prioritized, policies must strengthen the ability of working people to organize, mobilize, and unionize, government services to help all citizens must be bolstered (“Make the Post Office Great Again”), and our government must actively pursue policy to prevent a landed gentry and American aristocracy. Colorado offers the opportunity to be a template for the rest of the country.

    In Colorado, two ways Democrats can combat Donald Trump-led Republicans:

    1. Strengthen participatory democracy by automatic voter registration and
    2. Providing postage-paid mail ballots

    There are many priorities for different constituencies and they are important to advocate and fight for, but these two things strengthen our democracy, especially in the face of forced erosion measures by anti-democratic Republicans officials, and they must be a common purpose and high priority for Democrats across the country. Colorado Democrats have the opportunity to fight for these and once again be an example for the country.

  • The Quantification Problem

    The Quantification Problem

    Liberals did not have a good election night in 2016. In Colorado, it was almost good, but Colorado is not an island–despite it and New Mexico’s distinctiveness from the surrounding areas on electoral maps. The state is affected just as much by what happened and liberals here, despite all the hard work, were left disappointed by the results.

    It is easy to armchair quarterback the failures and the stumbles of the Clinton campaign in hindsight, but the outcome was rather shocking on Tuesday night and still now. There were severe miscalculations on partisanship, passion, and all the things that are not easily quantified–those things that make us human.

    Politics is supremely simple and it is immensely complex and when you think you have the all of the answers in a set a numbers, I encourage you to ask them about their children or about their retirement or about the future and see what the numbers say.

    Quantifying is an important and necessary feature of political work, but it is not the end all, be all. If we lose sight of our humanity–liberals and conservatives–the numbers don’t mean a damn thing and neither do our words. May we all be better.

    Onward to 2020.