Trump to Announce His Supreme Court Pick Tonight at 9

So later today...at 9 pm I hear...President Trump will announce his pick to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the United States Supreme Court.  Some names have been discussed: Thomas Hardiman, Raymond Kethledge, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh...all currently serving as federal judges...top the list.  They are all conservative, likely to side against Roe vs. Wade should a showdown case be considered in a future court.  And they're also likely to line up with corporate interests over those of labor and consumers as well as go against the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).  For these and other reasons this nomination is being strongly opposed in advance by Democrats and Americans on the left...and even in the political center.  My take on this is a little different...

Although I am disgusted with Donald Trump's destructive and offensive demeanor in promoting himself and his agenda, he is the duly elected president at this time whether you want to recognize it or not, and his politics are conservative.  Had one of the leading Republican candidates in 2016 like Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio instead been elected and were selecting their picks, I am confident that you'd be seeing a similar list of possibilities...and with a similarly heated level of opposition to them.  As far as I can see, these conservative judges now on the Supreme Court and in federal courts are very strong on promoting the First Amendment, something that I sympathize with as an American who was brought up with the notion that, above all, we are a free nation in which its people have the liberty to express themselves without the state persecuting them. The problem is that their critics see this application interfering with other rights, as well as making the courts more activist by overturning laws and established precedents.  But a conservative won the election and this is the consequence: we get conservative justices.  I will watch the Senate hearing on whomever Trump selects as the next justice with interest, not only to better learn about the nominee, but also to better understand the schism of ideology that is widening between the political left and right.  I'd rather be seeing President Clinton nominating someone, but that is not our reality and this is.  Getting upset about the composition of the Supreme Court makes no sense to me if people's reactions are just to complain or go out and protest in the streets.  In this democratic republic of ours, we go out and VOTE for our chosen servant-leaders to represent us...if we instead decide to sit on our hands when elections come around, we get what we deserve...