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Gayle Donsky

This is a Crime Against the American People

According to the President, Mitch McConnell and the Republican Senators, the reason for railroading the judiciary hearings now, during an election, is the urgency to fill Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s Supreme Court seat with Amy Coney Barrett— their “superb” choice for the American people.

Does anyone really believe this?

The real meaning of these emergency hearings—during an election—is a blistering indictment of Mitch McConnell and every Republican Senator (with the “possible” exception of two).

While our nation is reeling in a crisis—a pandemic with over 217,000 dead, over 7,980,000 people infected with COVID-19, hospitals around the country maxed out, tens of millions of people out of work, thousands and thousands of people in food lines, in addition to families coping with closures of schools and loss of childcare—Republican leaders are choosing to hold these hearings.

McConnell and the Republican Senators do not choose to convene hearings to provide relief of any kind for the hundreds of millions of Americans suffering during this unprecedented crisis. No, that can wait.

The Senators are spending this precious time to make sure Amy Coney Barrett serves a lifetime position on the Supreme Court. This is what they judge is the most important thing to serve the American people.

Barrett’s nomination is being orchestrated by Leonard Leo, a far-right activist, and his wealthy, pro-corporation, dark money cohorts who have invested hundreds of millions dollars for her to join the other far-right Justices in the Supreme Court. They brought us Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.

And why are they so intent on selecting our federal court justices, having already been instrumental in selecting several hundred Trump appointed judges—not one being Black? Bottom line—they want to protect their own power and moneyed interest in our political system. They want to reverse precedents (laws passed by Congress)—including expanded citizens’ rights and protections, and, very important for their interests, they want to weaken the independence and power of regulatory agencies.

And who is Amy Coney Barrett? She currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Amazingly enough, McConnell blocked Obama’s nominee, Donald Schott, for that position, so it was vacant for Trump to fill.

Barrett is a strong supporter of corporate power. She claims to be an “originalist”—in her case, she tends to not support precedents—Congressional law—when she believes the law is in conflict with what the writers of the Constitution intended. There is strong evidence that she would remove women’s reproductive rights, gun safety law, rights of labor unions, protection of our environment, corporation regulation, right to healthcare, right to petition the government for Social Security, affirmative action, voting rights, and worker safety rules, among many other citizen rights.

The next case before the Supreme Court on November 10 is an effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. She has voiced her strong opposition to the ACA. If this is overturned, 25 million people would lose their healthcare—during a pandemic!

Amy Coney Barrett’s values and beliefs are not representative or reflective of the great majority of people of this nation; they are vastly divergent. She will have great power over our lives.

As Lisa Graves, an expert on the Supreme Court nomination process said, “What’s happening with the Senate and with this White House in terms of the Supreme Court is profoundly illegitimate.”

According to journalist Josh Marshall, “I don’t know a lot about Amy Coney Barrett, but I know she is accepting a nomination from a president actively trying to subvert a national election and threatening to hold onto power by force, an attack on the Constitution unparalleled in American history.”

So what does all of this say about Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans? Not only are they NOT doing the people’s work, they, as well as Trump, are undermining the health, welfare, and well-being of the people of the nation.

I believe that by not addressing the pandemic and economic crisis, they are abetting and accelerating the death, impoverishment, hunger, and misery of the American people—especially people of color and the poor.

This a crime against the American people.

About the Author
Gayle grew up in Houston, Texas where her father was deeply involved with the Jewish community and was a philanthropic supporter of Israel. Through him she became an active supporter of Israel. She is a retired social worker (child welfare, adoptions, pediatric) and psychotherapist, and a long-time social justice activist. She is the producer of the 2023 award-winning documentary, "The Broken Promise" thebrokenpromisefilm.com--as well as the 2018 short documentary, "Faces of Genocide.'"
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