Without Objection

The republican response to the global pandemic has run contrary to the conservative principles that supposedly underpin our political philosophy.

Congress must reform ‘qualified immunity’ to ensure those who enforce the law are also subject to it and to restore Congress as the rightful and representative author of our nation’s laws.

Can we trust our institutions? Are concerns with a ‘deep state’ valid? The nature of most federal jobs is apolitical. But the answer to federal overreach and even rogue actors is a better Congress. And it’s up to voters to make that a reality.

Term limits won’t fix what we dislike about career politicians, but voters can. To improve the quality of our leaders, voters should exercise greater discretion at the ballot box. Our democratic process already requires regularly scheduled elections that can overturn regrettable votes. But imposing time limitations on Members of Congress only prevents exceptional leadership from emerging without promising that new politicians will be any better.

On balance, Judge Kavanaugh – though well credentialed and impressive in several respects – failed to demonstrate sober discretion both in his professional past and during the nomination hearings. The Supreme Court simply demands more. 

We can avoid such contentious nominations in the future by putting more effort towards electing effective legislators rather than relying on the Supreme Court to fulfill our policy goals and by restoring the filibuster in the Senate.