SCOTUS hearings: Graham & Cruz act like fools, Judge Jackson shines

This historic moment is a powerful reminder of the consequences of our elections ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ {NAME}, I know you’re probably just getting home from work now, and your top priority probably isn’t what happened today in the Senate in Washington. But this week’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings are a really important historic moment, so over the next couple of days I will be giving you debriefs … and let me just say, I have learned a lot from watching these hearings! Right off the bat, this needs to be said: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is smart – no, not just smart, this woman is absolutely brilliant. I knew President Biden would make a solid pick, but when I hear Judge Jackson speak, I can’t help it – I just stop whatever I’m doing, soak in her words, and admire everything about her. [A picture containing person, indoor, computerDescription automatically generated] Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Jackson Brown Judge Jackson was calm, gracious, and methodical in her answers, and no matter what right-wing lunacy the Republican Senators threw at her, she just responded Jen Psaki-style, with a patient smile and a perfectly worded response. As President Biden promised, Judge Jackson will be the first black woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice. But she’s historically important for more than just that reason – she also brings a crucial diversity of perspective and background never-before seen in our nation’s highest court. Shocking as this may be, she will be the first ever former public defender to be sworn in as a justice,meaning that unlike any other Supreme Court justice before her, she has personal experience defending some of the poorest, most marginalized people in America – including some of the detainees at Guántanamo Bay, Cuba. Senator Lindsey Graham doesn’t like that one bit. He was outraged and putting on a show, of course, which, let’s face it, is the only thing he really does as a Senator these days. Lindsey was disgusted that Judge Jackson represented those detainees, despite the fact that defending people no one else would agree to defend was literally her job as a public defender … ... and despite the fact that the Constitution itself guarantees that people accused of crimes be provided with publicly funded legal defense if they can’t afford a private lawyer. “Federal public defenders don’t get to pick their clients,” Judge Jackson patiently explained to him. “They have to represent whoever comes in and it’s a service. That’s what you do as a federal public defender, and you are standing up for the constitutional value of representation.” But the Constitution is obviously irrelevant to good ol’ Lindsey, because he also grilled Judge Jackson on her religious beliefs, how often she goes to church, and demanded to know: “How faithful would you say you are, on a scale of 1 to 10?” Judge Jackson hit him back with a sharp response that left him with egg on his face, and I loved every minute of that exchange. "As you know, there is no religious test under the Constitution, Senator,” she told him. The best part of today’s hearing, though, aside from Judge Jackson’s amazing performance, was when Lindsey finally got so mad at Judge Jackson calmly refuting his jackassery that he threw a full-on hissy fit, grabbed his can of Coke, stomped out of the hearing, and never came back. [Graphical user interfaceDescription automatically generated with medium confidence] The face Senator Lindsey Graham made after leaving the hearing, probably Well … that, and the look on Judge Jackson’s face when Ted Cruz asked her “Do you think babies are racist?” (I wish I was joking – he really did ask her that.) But idiotic right-wing jackaloons aside, can we just take a moment to really appreciate the beauty of this historical moment and how far we’ve come? I almost got choked up today watching Senator Amy Klobuchar recount Judge Jackson’s incredible record of accomplishments and ask her tough, substantive questions about REAL issues like voting rights, the First Amendment, and the Supreme Court’s shadow docket. Here are two brilliant, competent, powerful women – one a Senator and one about to be a Supreme Court Justice – and they’re just blowing everyone else in the room away when it comes to their depth of knowledge and understanding about this country and the way it functions and the ways it needs to improve. Don’t get me wrong, Dick Durbin had some fine moments today, too, but Senator Klobuchar and Judge Jackson both just shined. I’m thrilled to be living in a time when more and more of America’s kids can see people who look like them in powerful leadership roles, no matter their color, gender, or sexual orientation. And for me, that’s just one more reminder that elections have consequences. Without President Biden in the White House and the Democrats in charge of the Senate, Judge Jackson wouldn’t be making history today. And if we want to keep moving in the direction of progress – toward a government run by folks like Senator Klobuchar and soon-to-be-Justice Jackson, not jackaloons like Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz, then we MUST win the upcoming midterms. [That’s why I’m going to work my butt off to flip rural and working-class America blue this year. Will you chip in any amount to help today?]( No Dem Left Behind and I are going to do everything we can to protect and expand our Senate and House majorities this year so we can have more Senator-Klobuchar-and-Judge-Jackson moments and fewer infantile Republican tantrums in Washington. [But we need your help to do it.]( Thanks for joining the fight to make sure No Democrat is Left Behind. Sappers clear the way, Airborne all the way! --Richard No Dem Left Behind is a federal PAC focused on building a base of support for progressive values in rural America. We are committed to helping solve the issues that people in rural America face by creating a foundation of trust and helping great local leaders emerge to run for elected office. We provide a national platform for our endorsed Democratic candidates to increase their exposure and help them mount winning campaigns. [Pitch in today to join our Democratic movement and help us flip more seats blue >>]( No Dem Left Behind PAC PO Box 15320 Washington, DC 20003 United States Paid for by No Dem Left Behind PAC. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to {EMAIL}. [To unsubscribe from this email list, please click here.](