I stood outside the Supreme Court yesterday after the news broke that the court has already voted to overturn Roe v Wade in a draft opinion. You may have seen pictures from me, you may have seen pictures from others, you may have seen pictures on the news. But those pictures may not have been clear, and they may have given a false sense of the scene.
Online and in the news there are almost equal photos of pro-choice and pro-life activists, but let me tell you what I saw. Hundreds of pro-choice activists stood with me outside the Supreme Court in the middle of the afternoon yesterday. A mere dozen pro-life activists stood beyond another barricade. The pro-choice activists with me had a stage, a sound system, signs, water, snacks, and an organized program of speakers. The pro-life handful had a bullhorn, a ukulele, and a drum. While we listened to doctors, representatives, lawyers, and activists, all they did was scream. They had nothing but noise to offer the world.
I just want to make sure that anyone who can only see the situation through the computer or the TV screen knows what it looks like in reality. When you are in the right, when you have a real argument, you have numbers, and details, and words there is sanity. When you have nothing except your own selfish feelings, all you have is noise.
Let’s hope the democrats currently representing this majority realize this truth before it’s too late.
Because the Senate has two senators per state no matter the population, and the filibuster requires 67 votes to pass legislation, about 40% of the population control the country today. That dynamic comes out strong in Presidential elections when Republicans win without winning the popular vote. They say it will be 30% controlling the country within 10 years because of these two dynamics. The filibuster used to be a tool to force consensus in legislation. The Republicans and Evangelicals have weaponized the filibuster to maintain minority control of the country via the Senate. This control of the Senate allowed them to gain control of the Supreme Court which is now also a Republican and Evangelical weapon.
The Democrats have never had any clue on how to fight back. They play by the rules Republicans refuse to adhere to. They allow the buzzword labels Republicans create to stick. They will not fight back. They will not call out Republicans and Evangelicals for who they really are. They will not fight back on the lies and labels the right puts out there that stick. The Republicans almost won the House back in 2020 because Democrats did nothing to fight back on the labels “radical socialists,”radical liberals,” “Defund the Police,” “They want to take your guns away,” They will take away your 2nd amendment,” they are the enemy of the people,” they are woke,” and far more. People elected Biden to get rid of Trump but they believed all these labels and Democrats lost a ton of House seats as a result. They still keep silent and try to play nice. War is war and we are fighting a political war in America.
Bullies can only be taken down with strength. The same tactics that give bullies power, must be used to take them down. By the time Democrats finally realize that, it will be too late. The Republicans will keep sticking it to us and get away with it.
I am just as angry with Democrats as I am Republicans. Democrat party leaders are naive and spineless. They insist on preserving the filibuster. You can bet, the Republicans will eliminate the filibuster to their advantage once they retake the Senate. They will never play by precedent and established rules and norms. And they know Democrats always will. We have to become mad as hell and tell the Republicans we are not going to take it anymore!”