Order in the court

Building a bit on John Cole's rant below, sometimes I get sick of the bitching about what Obama hasn't done, or how much the Democrats suck. It's not that I don't get the frustration. Hell I share it. But contrary to apparent belief, bitching on the internets to each other doesn't really change anything. I mean, bitching is good, but in order for it to lead to any real change, it has to be proactive, not reactive. Also, too, change doesn't happen instantly. Especially in politics. It's incremental. And it's useful to remember our procress of governance is so screwed up right now, there's simply no way to fix everything at once.

So you choose your battles and you keep your focus on the battles that will win the most ground. As, Andrew Cohen reminds us that presidents come and go, but SCOTUS is forever.

In the next few years, perhaps even next year, the Supreme Court will be asked to make decisions on some of the most fundamental pieces of our lives. What do you want that Court to look like? Justice Antonin Scalia, a scowling presence on the Court all week as he saw his radical plans checked, is 76 years old. Justice Anthony Kennedy, the mercurial swing vote who swung to the right on health care, will be 76 on July 23rd. It is quite possible that the president next year, whomever he is, may get to replace either or both of those men. Meanwhile, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 79 years old.

Who should replace these justices? Who should next hold the power they hold? And which president do you want making that decision? If there is anything that can be universally gleaned from this Court term, if there is anything upon which conservatives and progressives may agree, it is that the federal judiciary matters more as Congress matters less. Just think what a difference one vote on the Court would have made this week, this month, this term. Do your homework and then vote. The courts matter every day -- not just on the days when you happen to be following their work.

We're four months away from an election. Voting matters. Who you vote for matters. Yeah, Obama failed you on your pet issue. Fact still remains on November 7, 2012, you're going wake up and either Obama gets another chance or you're going to live with President Romney for the next four years. Chances are you still won't get that pony from Obama, but you might get a puppy or a kitten instead. There's no way to predict, but this much I know for sure, with President Romney, all you're going to get a big steaming pile of horseshit. Especially if the GOP gains any ground in the Congress.

We shouldn't be lulled into complacency because a few decisions went our way in this SCOTUS session. The Roberts Court is still a very dangerous body that could destroy 100 years worth of progressive progress with a few pages of paper. So my plan is to work my ass off for the next four months to re-elect Obama and as many useful Congressional Dems as I can. Because I don't want a Supreme Court where Team Scalia's dissents become the rule of law.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]