Mad about SCOTUS? Blame the midterms. (And then Get Out the Vote)
I am so angry, sad, disappointed, heartbroken, overwhelmed by the decisions coming out of the Supreme Court. Our so-called leaders are choosing hate over compassion. We can be better than this. I will continue to fight for equality for all people. I will continue to fight for justice. I will continue to fight for freedom. I love America and I will never abandon her.
This week, the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the third iteration of Trump’s travel ban, in favor of gerrymandering, and in favor of allowing medical clinics to provide false and misleading information to women at one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Each of these decisions was made with a narrow 5–4 vote. Each of these decisions would likely have been made in the opposite direction if the Republican-majority Senate had not stolen the Supreme Court nomination from President Obama.
The Senate that held that SCOTUS seat hostage was elected during the 2014 midterm elections. This is why the midterms matter. This is why the elections this Fall are So. Damned. Important. This is why I have been spending nearly every weekend on get out the vote (GOTV) efforts. Should we not flip the House and Senate in November, the Supreme Court could become even more conservative for decades to come. Let’s not forget that those justices are appointed for life.
I’ve spent the last two years discovering my activism. I’m still pretty new to it. I’m a different person than I was then, but I have always understood and valued the power of the vote. When I turned 18, I celebrated that I could finally exercise that fundamental right as an American citizen and I haven’t missed an election, primary or general, since.
But I’m tired. I’m tired of hearing so much whining on social media. I’m tired of talk without action. I’m tired of excuses. Talk is cheap. Action has power. Action takes many forms, and in times of revolution, pressure for change must come from all directions. It must come from both inside and outside the system we want to change.
As an organizer of the Women’s March on Philadelphia, I know deeply the value in protesting and marching. But all that protesting MUST turn into action at the polls. Philly Women Rally came into being to operate the Women’s March on Philadelphia, but our mission is to advocate for women’s rights and political involvement. We do that with voter education of all kinds. It is not enough to march. It is not enough to protest. WE MUST VOTE in every election and in every race. This is the only legitimate way to ensure our voices are heard consistently and for the long term.
Today’s racist and bigoted conservatives have a long lead on us. They’ve known these truths for years, and have slowly and consistently been electing candidates to office, starting at the very local levels: school boards, city councils, dog catchers. And those people then move on to higher offices in their states and eventually the Federal government. This change did not happen overnight. It’s been happening right before our eyes for years, decades even.
I believe our country is on the verge of another sea change. I believe we are ready to fight back against this eroding of our American ideals of freedom and equality for all people. But we must also be patient. We must know that change happens slowly and the time to start is right now. We must do all we can to flip as many seats in Congress as possible this Fall. We must knock doors now to get out the vote in November. Flipping just 23 seats in the House of Representatives would turn control of that body back to the Democrats and there are 78 districts that are considered competitive. (Check out swingleft.org to learn more about this and find the one nearest to you.) In the Senate, we need to flip only 2 seats to gain a Democratic majority. These are achievable goals and they will have an important and lasting impact.
I am so angry, sad, disappointed, heartbroken, overwhelmed by the decisions coming out of the Supreme Court. Our so-called leaders are choosing hate over compassion. We can be better than this. I will continue to fight for equality for all people. I will continue to fight for justice. I will continue to fight for freedom. I love America and I will never abandon her.
Will you join me?
