The American people, in particular the Democratic Party and the Black Democratic base, anxiously awaited the highly anticipated pick for Supreme Court Justice, only to be utterly disappointed with President Barack Obama’s anti-climactic nomination of Chief Justice Merrick Garland of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals as the next Supreme Court justice of the United States. President Obama, in an attempt to play it safe and appease the Republican Party, has infuriated his Black Democratic base, who saw a historical nomination of a Black woman as Supreme Court justice, by nominating Merrick Garland, a 63 year old geriatric, center-right white male with a dismal judicial record on racial justice and women issues. President Obama’s nominations of Garland has rightfully angered Black people because they overwhelmingly voted President Obama into the White House on two occasions, and believed that nominating a Black woman as the next Supreme Court justice would be a historical appointment, since no Black woman has been a member of the vaulted Supreme Court. Moreover, Black people sought the appointment of a liberal Black woman as the nominee for the Supreme Court, to offset the despised Justice Clarence Thomas, and that would support our interests, or at least understand our issues.
President Obama’s picks of Garland as Supreme Court Justice, as opposed to a liberal Black woman, denies Black people a voice on the Supreme Court. A Supreme Court that over the past several decades has been dominated by white male Republicans, whom have stood in hostile opposition to, and in denial of, Black people’s interest in issues in major civil rights cases affecting Black people. Black organizations and critics are accusing President Obama of nominating Garland as Supreme Court Justice to appease the same Republican Party establishment who had vowed to politically destroy and obstruct him, despite the wishes of his Black Democratic base and Democratic Party establishment. President Obama has foolishly used the Supreme Court nomination of Garland to try to get the Republican right to accept him while rejecting his Democratic left base.
What a waste of the Supreme Court nomination that was. Black people are greatly disappointed with President Obama’s nomination of Garland and have openly declared they will not support his Supreme Court nominee. President Obama’s poor decision to nominate Garland may just backfire. For his decision may dissuade Black people from coming out to vote in the coming November presidential election, causing Trump to steal a victory over Hillary Clinton and ease on into the White House. Not to mention that the Republican Party establishment may just very well confirm the nomination of Garland to the Supreme Court if Trump were to lose in November. It may be that President Obama may have gotten too clever for his own good. From the belly of the beast at Prison Radio, I am Shakaboona. Thank you for listening.
These commentaries are recorded by Noel Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
