I Voted.
So, I'm not making any predictions about who will win the Presidency. I have no clue.
My only prediction is that these Provisional ballots (of which there will be hundreds of thousands) are going to create a huge mess. I hope I'm wrong.
If you're like me though, then you know this election means a lot. Not just for the future of our internation relations as we fight the war on terror ... and not only for the economy ... but most importantly for the future makeup of the Supreme Court.
For a record number of years we've enjoyed a very moderate (slightly conservative) court to the pleasure of many mainstream Americans (whether they know it or not) including myself. But, with Chief Justice Rehnquist being very ill and almost sure to retire, with an aging Justice Stevens (the oldest and most liberal justice on the court), and two aging/ill women justices (O'Connor and Ginsburg), we will see between one and four supreme court justices retire next term. The President will appoint new ones. And, if it's Bush, you can be sure that they will be pro-lifers (chomping at the bit to overturn Roe v. Wade) and anti-gay (chomping at the bit to overturn the Texas sodomy case). That's scary.
So, what's this all mean? The next President is important ... very important. But also, and maybe more important is the next Senate, because they have to duty to vote and approve any nominees. Sure, the minority partyalways have the option to filibuster (as the Democrats did successfully this year) ... but they yield more power if they have a minority. Thus, I'm watching the balance of power in the Senate very closely. A majority of democrats could not just filibuster, but actually vote down any Bush Supreme Court nominee ... forcing him to choose moderate justices or leave a hole in the court (which would likely tip the courts balance in the interim to the left). For the sake of the next court, I'm hoping for a Kerry win and a democratic senate. Or at least one or the other.
Just my two cents. Hope you all vote.
My only prediction is that these Provisional ballots (of which there will be hundreds of thousands) are going to create a huge mess. I hope I'm wrong.
If you're like me though, then you know this election means a lot. Not just for the future of our internation relations as we fight the war on terror ... and not only for the economy ... but most importantly for the future makeup of the Supreme Court.
For a record number of years we've enjoyed a very moderate (slightly conservative) court to the pleasure of many mainstream Americans (whether they know it or not) including myself. But, with Chief Justice Rehnquist being very ill and almost sure to retire, with an aging Justice Stevens (the oldest and most liberal justice on the court), and two aging/ill women justices (O'Connor and Ginsburg), we will see between one and four supreme court justices retire next term. The President will appoint new ones. And, if it's Bush, you can be sure that they will be pro-lifers (chomping at the bit to overturn Roe v. Wade) and anti-gay (chomping at the bit to overturn the Texas sodomy case). That's scary.
So, what's this all mean? The next President is important ... very important. But also, and maybe more important is the next Senate, because they have to duty to vote and approve any nominees. Sure, the minority partyalways have the option to filibuster (as the Democrats did successfully this year) ... but they yield more power if they have a minority. Thus, I'm watching the balance of power in the Senate very closely. A majority of democrats could not just filibuster, but actually vote down any Bush Supreme Court nominee ... forcing him to choose moderate justices or leave a hole in the court (which would likely tip the courts balance in the interim to the left). For the sake of the next court, I'm hoping for a Kerry win and a democratic senate. Or at least one or the other.
Just my two cents. Hope you all vote.