17 unruly GOP candidates is scary for reasons I don't think warrant explanation.
But even scarier than the overwhelming amount of stupidity and arrogance in this race, is the party's front runner--who is, honestly, and I'm being unapologetically biased, as stupid and arrogant as it gets--Donald Trump.
It's not only terrifying to think that the reality of our current political system is being molded by Trump, but it's frightening to know that, for whatever reason, his support seems to grow stronger regardless of his blatantly racist and sexist remarks. It makes you think that, perhaps, the world is ending. Maybe humanity is dwindling into irrelevancy. Maybe we will all destroy each other, by popular sovereignty, nonetheless. And maybe, we are descending into an electorate less like people and more like swine, evident by our prudent, piggish potential president.
I'm being dramatic. Trump won't win. He can't. But Trump politics are undoubtedly seeping into the rhetoric of the other GOP candidates as they try to gain relevancy. That's what's really scary. The idea that the nonsense and impracticality of Donald Trump may actually find it's way into the political agenda and public policy.
And even though that may seem like the worse thing that could possibly happen to our already ill and aging Uncle Sam, it's not. A Republican president would not only dramatically progress our good ol' uncle's disease--it would be as if no past procedures were ever even performed. As if we had never detected the tumor, let alone undergone treatment. And this aggressive disease will attack white blood cells via the U.S. Supreme Court.
The truth is, our justices are old. Old. Four of our nine justices are over 77 years old. Meaning that there will most likely, within the next five years, be a few vacancies in the court, due to resignation and, well, death.
If there is a Republican in office to fill these vacancies, I'm almost certain every justice they appoint will be conservative. (None of the current GOP candidates seem to have the moral compass which would enable them to try to balance the court.) This means that there will be an overwhelming conservative majority in the Supreme Court, in one of the most liberal and progressive times in American history. And for me, and for a lot of us, this means we will live under policy reviewed by a conservative regime for the rest of our lives. The rest of our lives.
That should scare you, regardless of where your political allegiances lie. Political party affiliation aside, we should all agree that a liberal pull in the Supreme Court is always best. This is because conservatives are, well, conservative. They're hesitant to change; to adapt; to evolve. They tend to interpret the Constitution--an increasingly irrelevant and ill-fitting document--literally, instead of looking at modern day issues and social opinions, and allowing the Constitution to better serve today's people. It's not that liberals cannot stand firm within their beliefs, as many conservatives claim, but it's that liberals can understand that current politics operate outside of their own personal opinions and agendas. It's about progression, fairness, and ultimately, making sure the Constitution is used to push all Americans forward, instead of being used to hold them back.
This summer, we were all so proud of our court. We legalized gay marriage, we strengthened fair housing laws, protected universal healthcare. It wasn't only a day to remember, but a time to be alive. We witnessed history, and saw the nation transform into one that can now be home to more than a few of our fellow citizens who've all this time felt like they'd been squatting on Unc's property.
Unfortunately, if a Republican is in office and is able to appoint conservative justices, I'm afraid we won't have days like these for a long, long time.
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