After one of the saddest weeks in one of the worst years in recent American history (or ever?), Michael Houk, our Decatur correspondent, and I paid respects to the irreplaceable Notorious RBG, the beloved Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman and first Jewish woman to sit on the Supreme Court. Even in death, RBG broke down barriers — she was only the second Supreme Court justice in history to lie in repose at National Statuary Hall in Congress — the last one was former President (and former Chief Justice) William Howard Taft in 1930. The honor itself has gone to only 38 people since 1852.
Trust me: none of the second-rate white men on the current Supreme Court — including the two losers put there by the Orange Man — will receive such an honor when they finally die. There will be no blocks-long line of devastated women and men waiting for hours to get a glimpse of their hero. (Sorry, Rapey Kavanaugh: boofing isn’t heroic — and neither is stealing a seat, Neil Gorsuch.)
We’re in for very dark times; we’re set to lose decades of progress. When Mitch McConnell and Donny Tax-Dodger steal yet another seat — and, yes, they will ram through the ultra-right-wing Amy Coney Barrett — we will lose the ACA, the Dreamers will be deported, all the LGBTQ rights will be (poof!) gone under religious liberty bullshit, and civil rights will go bye-bye along with them. And pregnant women, get your hangers ready!
Even if Biden wins and the Democrats re-take the Senate, the damage will be done. There will be a 6-3 Court, with the majority very very conservative. Dark times mean even more than this. It will mean that Trump will not leave the White House; he has stated as much. He will expect his packed Supreme Court to claim he won. He will never leave voluntarily.
For those of you who grew up before 2000, we will mourn together. We have a psychopath in the White House, a man with no idea how to govern and who doesn’t care to learn and who doesn’t care for the job but loves the trappings. He has killed more than 200,000 of our fellow Americans, this full-on racist, conman, criminal Russian asset. The only way we can truly fight back is to vote and win the White House and Senate. Kill the GOP to honor RBG and stop the GOP from murdering our democracy.
Here are a few websites to ensure you are registered and know what your state’s rules are. Remember, due to COVID, many states have implemented less restrictive mail-in balloting.
Check your voter registration: https://iwillvote.com/.
How to vote in your state: https://www.betterknowaballot.com/.
Next week, CFR publisher and my podcast co-host, Leonard Jacobs, will be back with me and Michael to discuss the first Presidential debate. For now, if you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a review and share this episode on social media. On Twitter, follow Liz at @burkeslawNYC and follow CFR at @TheCFReport.
