The Fix Is Always In

One consistent truism in the Trump era of Republican politics is the fix is always in.  

In the course of two impeachments against Donald Trump, even in the face of overwhelming evidence of malfeasance, twice Senate Republicans indicated well advance of hearing any evidence that they would vote to acquit. 

Such decision making before the fact to advance a particular political agenda was put on display in the Supreme Court.

A draft opinion on abortion written by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito indicates a majority of justices are ready to vote to over turn Roe V. Wade, the half century landmark case that grants a woman's national right to an abortion.  

Recently, Republican governors and legislatures have been working double time to create new rules and laws to restrict the freedom of women to choose what to do with their own bodies. Challenges to these new rules and laws are winding their way through the court system with a goal of landing in the Supreme Court. 

If you're pro-choice and think these rules and laws restricting abortion will be considered based on the evidence presented to the court, Alito's memo is a big ol' "Fuck You!" 

In short, they've made up their minds. Roe V. Wade is going down, bitch! Ain't nothing you can do about it. 

In other words, the fix is in.  

How do Americans feel about this issue?

According to the latest polling data from the Pew Research Center, 61% of Americans believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases, while 37% said it should be illegal most or all of the time.   

Based on Alito's draft opinion, you can flip that result on it's head: 60% of Supreme Court Justices believe abortion should be illegal in most or all cases while 40% would take an opposite view.

Now a "draft opinion" is what it says on the box: it's a draft of an opinion. And apparently it's a thing Supreme Court justices do to frame the particulars of a debate for an upcoming case.  But still this particular opinion's pre-ordained target of taking down Roe V. Wade is very much a concern for not just those who favor women having the right to do with their body what they choose.  It also a slap in the face of those who fervently believe in the importance that the Supreme Court is supposed to be an objective body above the fray of political influence. 

Alito's draft opinion puts the lie to that high minded concept.  

The fix is in. 

While most people are concerned about the partisan implications of Alito's leaked memo, Washington DC is more obsessed with who leaked it.  

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has a theory:   

“It is very, very likely a law clerk for one of the three liberal justices.” 

Let's take a moment to remind readers of this blog of the official I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You position on Ted Cruz.

<take a deep breath>

"TED CRUZ IS A LYING FUCK BASTARD!!!"

<ahem!>

Thank you.

There is a consensus among Republicans an assumption that it had to be a liberal leaked the opinion to make the court look bad. 

Here's what Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had to say on the subject:  “By every indication, this was yet another escalation in the radical left’s ongoing campaign to bully and intimidate federal judges and substitute mob rule for the rule of law."   

There are no indications whatsoever on the identity of the person who leaked Alito's memo. 

There is the idea that a law clerk for a conservative judge leaked it and here's the case for that. The memo asserts that a majority of justices are on board to overturn Roe V. Wade. But one of those justices has gone wobbly. If a conservative Justice is considering to not vote to overturn Roe V. Wade, this memo would be major leverage to coerce that Justice to stay with the pack.   

“I find that ludicrous,” Ted Cruz said about that theory.  

Give me a moment. 

<take a deep breath>

"TED CRUZ IS A LYING FUCK BASTARD!!!"

<ahem!>

Thank you.

Cruz said of the leaker, “If they lie in the course of the investigation, I think they should be prosecuted and serve the maximum prison term possible." 

Unless of course the leaker does turn out to be a conservative who will then be regarded as the heroic person who helped to overturn Roe. V. Wade.

Because the fix is always in.  

Coming up on the blog...

Saturday, comic book legend George Perez passed away at the age of 67. I will have a post about Perez on Wednesday. 

AND... Sunday we got an announcement about the next Doctor on Doctor Who. More on that in Thursday's post.