Below is a letter I wrote and sent to every Republican senator, as they are rushing to push a Supreme Court judicial nominee prior to the election…which has already begun in many states. Maybe this will fall on deaf ears, but I hope it might sway two or three people to rethink their decision. Many have already sent auto-responses that they prioritize their own state’s constituents. Either way, it’s out there. What they choose to do with my opinion is up to them.
Dear Senator,
I am sending this letter to you, as I am all other Republican senators currently debating whether or not to proceed with the process of confirming a new Supreme Court justice so close to an election after the death of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I feel, as a concerned American, it is important to remind each of you of a few things as you make your decision on whether or not to move forward.
First and foremost, as someone who was raised in a Jewish home, I felt it was extremely disrespectful that mere hours had passed since her death when an announcement was made that Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat would be filled as soon as possible. Furthermore, the fact that this happened on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which is the start of the Jewish High Holy Days, shows a great deal of disrespect. Even as I write this, she hasn’t been laid to rest, and yet the spectacle of how this is playing out is proof that in America your feelings don’t matter as much unless you’re a Christian. This never would have happened had it fallen on Christmas, but of course that would occur after the next President is elected, so it’s too late in your eyes.
As we reflect on where we were just four years ago, please note that our country seemed to survive from February 13, 2016 until more than a year later on April 7, 2017 when Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch was finally sworn in. During the time before his swearing in, the Supreme Court of the United States made decisions on 88 different cases. This is proof that they can still function with eight justices, just as they can again until after the January 2021 inauguration. Take away the absolutely hypocritical actions of Republicans who refused to both hold a hearing and vote for President Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland in March of 2016, and I would like to remind you that it was a Supreme Court of only eight justices who finalized the 2016 election. Are you so afraid that Donald Trump will lose the election or that your party will lose control of the Senate that you would go back on your word, one that seems to mean so very little these days?
From a voter’s standpoint, it appears that your entire party has forgotten one very important thing. You work for us, your constituents. We represent more than just your party. We represent more than just your gender, your religion, your race. We, with our tax money, are the ones paying your salary, one that some of us will never earn in our lifetime. We don’t get to vote for a pay raise for ourselves. We don’t get the gold standard insurance plan for our families that you do. Furthermore, had we been hired to do a job and intentionally defied our boss, do you think we would still have that job? Maybe it’s time you remember what your “bosses” are currently going through.
We have been suffering…badly. We have lost our jobs, our homes, our healthcare, our civil rights, and, more importantly, our lives. You have sought to encourage division within this country, whether actively or tacitly, by supporting this President. You have no idea what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck or to go without health insurance or food for your family during a pandemic because your “bosses” pay for all that. Did you really think that we should thank our lucky stars that we got a single stimulus check back in April to get us through this horribly managed crisis? How long did you actually think that money would last us? Maybe you listened too much to the President that this would all magically “go away.”
What about those of us who were laid off trying to find a job in a completely saturated market? Did you think that an extra $600 per week would be enough because we’d all find jobs by the end of July when that money ran out? Are you so detached from reality that you have no idea what a normal person’s monthly bills even total?
Why were you not working together with the rest of your colleagues to make sure we, your “bosses,” were taken care of after the first stimulus bill was passed? Did you think you did your job, you were done, and you deserved a pat on the back? Do you think we would take time off when the fate of the country was in our hands and so many were clearly suffering?
You hold so much power, yet you can’t see the forest for the trees. We don’t care right now if there is a seat filled on the Supreme Court. As the 88 decisions and a decided Presidential election showed, it will work just fine for the time being. We want you to focus your attention, your power, on getting us past this pandemic in every facet, starting with not taking away coverage for pre-existing conditions. Don’t you think the Supreme Court has better things to do than purposely hurt all Americans who would otherwise be without healthcare should this coverage be removed?
What we notice is that you seem to want to be part of the problem rather than the solution. You complain about the fact that you’re not getting what you want and have completely forgotten about us. You claim this will be a fraudulent election because of mail-in voting, yet you don’t feel the need to do anything to find a solution. You fail to see how all these issues are related to one another. Imagine what could happen if you put the FULL FORCE of the U.S. Government behind increasing testing, making schools and workplaces safer, making sure that mail-in voting, or voting in any manner, is free from tampering. Furthermore, you could redirect the time you’re spending acting like children in regards to this Supreme Court seat and get another stimulus bill passed so we are taken care of finally.
As with every person, so too do your actions have consequences. When you break your word by doing only what you want rather than what your constituents want and need, you shatter the very heart of this country. You’re so busy trying to figure out if you could do something that you never stop to ask yourself if you should do something. Morality seems to be something you look past rather than something to strive towards in politics.
I challenge you to reevaluate your priorities as a senator, as there are much more important, life-threatening issues that need to be addressed right now. I want to remind you that you were hired to do a job, and if you choose not to do that job, your “bosses” will replace you with someone who will. The time of underestimating us is over. We have that power, and that should have you running scared. Remember, you may be one, but we…we are many.
With love for this country,
Robyn Thorn
Thorny Issues 