A lot of people don’t like talking politics. Since I grew up in the DC area, talking and understanding what was happening in the city less than 15 miles away was just part of the daily routine for me. This is why the confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch needs to be talked about.
If you haven’t been following politics, Judge Neil Gorsuch is the conservative leaning Supreme Court nominee that was nominated by President Donald Trump. For me, the confirmation of Judge Gorsuch has many discouraging implications.
More than my concerns with his personal beliefs, what I am discouraged by is the explicit inability for the Senate to suspend party lines in order to confirm the next Supreme Court judge. The Senate Republicans decided to ‘go nuclear’ at the threat of a Democratic filibuster with a majority vote that effectively eliminates the typically required 60 votes to end a filibuster for a Supreme Court nomination. Lead by Senator Mitch McConnell, this decision demonstrates the unwillingness of the Senate Republicans to adhere to long respected rules and norms of voting, for the sake of confirming a judge that tended to rule in favor of conservative ideology. This is concerning because at the core of what was intended for the Supreme Court, was that it was to remain unaffiliated with any political party.
What that should have meant in the proceedings of this nomination was that both parties would have conducted themselves in a respectful, knowledgeable, and sensible manner. Past disagreements would have been temporarily put aside in honor of combining knowledge and ideas in order to ensure that the nominee was worth of the confirmation. While that may seem a naive concept, the Senate was able to do it in the past for numerous nominations.
The decision to confirm a Supreme Court nominee is no light manner- it’s a permanent decision that results in that judge serving for life. It’s not a law or a bill that can be passed and changed later. The decision to confirm a nominee should not be dependent on shifting ideologies and popular opinion. Regardless of whether you support Judge Gorsuch being confirmed or not, does not dismiss the blatant disrespect that the Republican Senators conducted themselves with by invoking this ‘nuclear option’ that effectively allows for less than qualified candidates in the future to possibly be confirmed into such an incredibly high position of power and intellect of the US government.
This decision demonstrates how polar the parties have become. Democrats are not innocent in this manner either, but for me this moment with the Supreme Court confirmation truly solidifies how fragmented the Senate has become. There shouldn’t be a need to invoke a ‘nuclear option’. The fact that this polarity and unwillingness to cooperate has infiltrated this historically sacred area of government of bipartisanship understanding is discouraging to see.
No one, least of all members in high positions of government, should be scared of opposing ideas. There shouldn't be such a negative stigma around the notion of compromise or respectful discussion. Unfortunately, with both parties, it seems that differing views and ideas are to be eradicated- a true loss to the art of debate and political improvement.
