During the entire month of September 2018, the news cycle was dominated by one thing: the confirmation hearings for President Trump’s second nominee to the Supreme Court.
The contentious nature of Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination will not soon be forgotten. An initial focus on judicial history was eventually set aside to make way for an unbridled, Democratic-led smear campaign that claimed the nominee was an alcoholic and sex predator. In the end, no proof to support the many allegations of misconduct and criminality was ever found, and Kavanaugh was seated on the highest court in the land.
Though the current makeup of the court leans to the right, there is no guarantee that decisions will be favorable to conservative ideology. This was made evident in December when both Chief Justice John Roberts and Kavanaugh sided with their liberal colleagues and declined to hear two cases involving Planned Parenthood. From the conservative perspective, Kavanaugh is not living up to expectations. Meanwhile, the abortion-supporting Left remains cautiously relieved.
Now more than ever, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s health has become a political talking point, and both sides are seizing upon the opportunity such a discussion presents. However, this is the last thing a divided country facing some serious issues needs as we near another presidential campaign season.
For years, Democrats have grossly deified the longtime justice. Ginsburg is adoringly called “Notorious RBG”; a movie has been made about her groundbreaking, tradition-defying life; and there is even merchandise bearing her likeness. Clearly, the Left loves her and the radical, abortion-supporting feminism she represents. They are also terrified of losing her because of what that would mean for the man they revile the most, Trump.
If it were possible, would you subtract one day off your life and add it to Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life for one extra day of good health? If just 10,000 people did this, it would add 27 productive years to her life. pic.twitter.com/RurqFmWZGp
— Roger Simon (@politicoroger) January 8, 2019
Conversely, Republicans are eager to consider all the possibilities a third placement on the Supreme Court would mean for the GOP in general and, specifically, the legacy of the 45th president.
Enticing as it may be to join these crowds, both types of sentimentality are overblown and premature and do nothing to help a country that is still recovering from the circus of the last confirmation cycle. While Democrats quip about donating organs or years of their life to keep Ginsburg in good health, Republicans are seemingly counting down to her demise.
Despite successful cancer surgery and assurances from doctors that Ginsburg requires no more treatment, reports are that the White House is prepping for the worst:
While it is dangerous to place most of your political eggs in one basket, it is abhorrent to mockingly discuss or almost wish for the death of another (as some on the right have done) to make judicial gains. Furthermore, these attitudes speak to the absolute desperation that exists all across the ideological spectrum.
When judges are seen as perfect saints, instead of impartial defenders of the Constitution, there is a serious problem. That attitude is present on both sides. The electorate’s desire for an originalist and textualist has been replaced by whatever agenda tops the list at the moment. Careful consideration of a nominee has been exchanged for the usual partisanship. In the past, former Justice Antonin Scalia, former Justice Anthony Kennedy, and Ginsburg received 98, 97, and 96 “yes” votes in the Senate, respectively. Now, the harsh division has reduced “yes” votes to nothing but party-line politics: Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Neil Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh received 63, 54, and 50 “yes” votes, respectively.
If at all possible, we as voters must recognize the importance of the Supreme Court and the humanity of its members while never relying on it to determine the actual course of our culture. If not, we will continue both to be disappointed in the outcomes and to remain willfully blind to the societal reality around us.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a senior contributor at RedState.com.
