Monday, June 25, 2012

Scalia & the Supremes

You may have noticed that the four Supreme Court decisions since 2000 that most directly affect  elections in the United States have been carried by the five Republican appointees. In each case, the impact adversely affects  Democrats.

Scalia, Roberts, Thomas,  Kennedy  and Alito in 2010 in Citizens United and again today in overturning a hundred-year-old law restricting campaign spending in Montana;  Scalia, Thomas, Rehnquist, O'Connor  and Kennedy in 2000 re Bush v. Gore.

Here's the fourth decision which has been generally overlooked and which was designed to weaken the influence of  African Americans who overwhelmingly vote for the Democrat:

"Race Permitted in Redistricting (April 18, 2001): In crucial 5–4 ruling, justices reverse lower court finding that North Carolina legislature had violated the Constitution by using race as a predominant factor in drawing boundaries of congressional district. Because state's black voters vote overwhelmingly Democratic, Court could not determine definitively that redistricting was based on unconstitutional racial considerations rather than permissible political considerations."

Yeh, sure.

This Thursday's decision on the Affordable Care Act  on the face of it may not seem like an election matter.  But if, as is expected, the five on the right vote to overturn or gut it of its principal clause, it will have been as partisan a decision as the others. 

Does anyone doubt that the Republican fever to destroy Obamacare isn't a major campaign issue; its loss can and will be characterized during the campaign this year as another blow against  Obama's "drift toward socialism" and yet another major mistake by those dangerous Democrats.


Art W.


Art:  thanks so much for keeping us on the straight and narrow. - jm

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