Monday, March 4th, 2024
I find it fascinating how logic is eroded by hatred. Of course, emotions tend to have that effect, but hate is the worst. Consider, for example, the reaction of some people to the Supreme Court’s decision regarding states eliminating national candidates from the ballot.
On its face, this is a ludicrous and utterly anti-American idea that brutally threatens diversity and the inner strength of a representational democracy.
Yet — people who hate our last president are so eager for anything to damage his prospects of a return to the White House that they automatically support this proposal and excoriate the Supreme Court for its decision re: the constitutionality of such a ploy.
Here is the headline:
BREAKING: The Supreme Court *unanimously* sides with Donald Trump in Colorado’s effort to disqualify him from the primary ballot.
“We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But States have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency,” the Court ruled.
Where I live, this decision has received nothing but derision.
I live in a midnight blue region of Washington State where almost everyone has been indoctrinated to hate Trump out of hand, grudgingly (or enthusiastically - how?) support Biden (as the lesser of two evils), and unsurprisingly, most people are on their fourth or seventh mRNA Covid injection. Therefore, it is unsurprising that when the Supreme Court’s ruling was made public, I heard people instantly making snide remarks about it.
I’ll paraphrase with more polite language:
”Obviously, this unanimous ruling proves the Supreme Court is a failure, controlled by someone bad (pick your preferred enemy of the moment), should be dissolved (yeah, that makes sense), and is in the back pocket of the Republicans, exactly as Trump planned…blah, blah, blah.”
My response to the sudden flurry of angry comments heard here and there was to (1) say nothing, because I rarely waste time challenging obvious examples of group think, and (2) to wonder, “what are they going on about?”
In truth, I dislike Trump greatly. On many levels. I think there are literally millions of Americans who would be so much better in the White House. He is, in my opinion, a part of the circus. And so, since 2015, I’ve pretty much ignored him, as I ignore most of what the media circus hypes.
I say this because I want you to understand I hold no love for him, but also no hate. Which is why, when I finally learned what people were upset about, I found it easy to see the logic in the Supreme Court’s decision.
Excellent! Thank you, Supreme Court! We cannot maintain state power without acknowledging federal power. Wanting one without the other is childish, greedy, and dangerous. If we did upset that balance, there would be nothing to stop the Federal Government from doing the same. In other words: the only reason Texas is succeeding at protecting our border with Mexico, is because the Feds are held back by our constitutional separation of powers. Imperfect as humans are, the splintering of power (or, efforts to prevent consolidation) is crucial to a healthy society.
Further, the Presidency is a national decision and the Executive branch must represent our broad national diversity. Imagine if all the slave states eliminated Lincoln from the ballot? Many southerners voted FOR Lincoln and were against legalized slavery in their state — just as some northerners valued candidates who felt legalized slavery was a states’ decision and the federal government should mind its own business. We, the people, elect a single representative of our entire nation. We can only do this by giving every American the right to vote for President. To remove a candidate from the ballot is to ROB every American citizen in that state of their right to vote for that person if they wish to. This, we cannot allow.
Living on my island, through the Covid Experience, was terrifying. I remain deeply distrustful of the vast majority of my island community, given what they did, what they supported, what they accepted with bystander silence, and what they are still doing today, with regard to covid injection rules that remain on the books.
What’s equally frightening is to realize I am surrounded by wealthy, empowered, college educated, voters…who somehow FAIL to bring logic to bear on something as important as a Supreme Court decision re: what is and is not constitutional in our own country. If they can be groomed to hate a man so much that they would throw away their constitutional right to participate fully in the election of our nation’s president — just to prevent a person they dislike from running for elected office — then what hope have we, as a nation?
Our nation’s diversity can only exist with UNIMPINGED VOTING that allows diverse opinions to be expressed within and throughout the political process. I would no more wish to silence Anthony Fauci (though I detest him) than I’d want to block a person from being on my state’s national ballot. If you can silence Anthony Fauci, then it becomes legitimate to silence Dr. Pierre Kory. And, if you can block Trump from being on my ballot, then you can justify blocking Kennedy.
Freedom begets freedom.
Control begets control.
By the way, I’m going to say I believe Public Debates between ALL eligible candidates during the Primary Process should be mandatory…to enable voters to best understand their options and vote accordingly. It is a mark of Kingmanship, Totalitarianism, Aristocratic Regimes, and other forms of Political Machinations, for a candidate’s failings to be hidden from the people during the Primary. Yes, Biden and your handlers. I’m looking at you.
Clear and obviously correct thinking, extremely well-written and easily understandable to your readers (me). Is there a way you could distribute this on your island without feeling/becoming socially endangered?