The victory that Trump is celebrating would never have happened if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had not set up the rigging of the Supreme Court by obstructing Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee.
Read the ruling on the travel ban:
Trump celebrated winning through a rigged game:
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SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP TRAVEL BAN. Wow!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2018
Trump didn’t win. Mitch McConnell’s Obama obstruction won
Let’s be clear. The Supreme Court would not have ruled the way it has in several cases this term if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had not carried out an act of historic obstruction against Obama Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. This is not Trump’s victory. It is Mitch McConnell’s. The danger for Republicans is that these wins could be short-lived. McConnell set a precedent. If Democrats control the Senate during the next Supreme Court vacancy, and if they don’t like Trump’s nominee, they will keep the seat open and deadlock the court at 4-4.
Trump has been operating under the assumptions that there will be more Supreme Court vacancies and Republicans will control the Senate. Neither of these things may happen. Republicans could lose the Senate in November, and if that happens, it is almost a given that Democrats will slam the door on any future Trump Supreme Court nominations. Trump won the Muslim ban ruling, and it is a dangerous expansion of executive power, but the same ruling could be used by a future Democratic president against the Republicans.
Mitch McConnell’s Obama obstruction continues to bear fruit, but it should be a reminder to every American that Senate elections also have consequences and the fact is that the voters didn’t punish, but rewarded McConnell for his obstruction. Voters should keep this day in mind when they go to the polls in November because they will have another chance to make McConnell pay for his Obama obstruction crime.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
