By Andrew DeMarco
I often wonder if today’s politicians have ever picked up a history book, read The Constitution, or took a civics lesson. With the recent passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a whole new issue was thrown into the circus which is the Presidential Primary season. With Justice Scalia not even mourned by family, friends and colleagues, both sides started the political games. Immediately they both became embattled in worrying about which way the Supreme Court would swing. If President Obama gets to nominate another Justice the court could and probably would then lean to the left. The Republican controlled Congress wants to maintain the status quo with a conservative right majority but here is the problem; both sides see themselves as either Republicans or Democrats and not as Americans.
Have any of these politicians read the Constitution? The President has every right to nominate a Justice to replace Justice Scalia with the advice and consent of the Senate, which gives them the right to reject a nominee. If both sides had any courage they would let it play out as it should and let the political chips fall where they may. It would not be the first time that a nominee would be rejected and it won’t be the last. It would also not be the first time that the Court swung in a different direction. We have had liberal courts in the 50’s and 60’s and since then they have gone back to the right since the 80’s. The swings with the Court may take longer since appointments are for life but it is all part of the ebb and flow of not only politics but more importantly of a democracy.
Have today’s politicians forgotten American History? Let’s look at the other two branches of government. (Civic Lesson for our politicians there are three branches of our federal government) We do not have to go that far back in our history to see the ebb and flow in either the Executive or Legislative branches we can start from WWII. Since then we have had the following Presidents FDR and Truman, Democrats (D), Eisenhower, Republican (R), Kennedy and Johnson (D), Nixon and Ford (R), Carter (D), Reagan and Bush (R), Clinton (D), Bush (R), Obama (D). Does anyone notice the ebb and flow here? In that same period of time in the Legislative branch the Democrats have clearly been in control in the House of Representatives 27 times to the Republicans 11 and in the Senate 26 times to the Republicans 12. Although not as dramatic, here is from time to time a changing of the tides.
Here is another history lesson for both parties who are so worried about their ideologies, leanings and domination. Take a look at a few countries in history where there wasn’t that ebb and flow of politics. Let’s start this lesson in Germany from 1933 to 1945. In case you have forgotten, a certain man named Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party dominated Germany. Here are a few more: Italy from 1922 to 1943 with Mussolini and the Fascist Party, the old Soviet Union from 1917 to its collapse in 1991, and if history isn’t enough for you just look at North Korea and the theocrats in Iran today. Do you get the idea as to what happens when there is no ebb and flow and one party dominates?
So stop worry about moving the Court one way or the other and stop thinking like Republicans or Democrats and start thinking like Americans. To those who are reading this, remember it is “We the People” not “We the Democrats or Republicans” and we can effect change. If you are not happy with what is going on exercise your right to enforce term limits and vote and not just for President, but for your congressmen down to the local level. When you do, do not think like a politician but think like an American, it is okay to split your ticket and do what is best for “We the People.”
No matter what, we still are the greatest nation on this planet and we do not need to make America great again or whole again, but what we need to do is make it greater. Finally, a little homework for the politicians and ourselves is to read more about our Founding Fathers and their principles and ideas for this country and when you see how timeless their ideas really were it will give you that feeling that Cousin Bob would call that ….. Rosy Glow.
Bob's Rosy Glow 