What a difference a fortnight makes. Two weeks ago, Donald Trump was cruising in the polls and President Biden looked to be in jeopardy of losing the nomination. Perhaps as a way to bolster his support among progressives, Biden hinted that he finally was going to propose a plan to reform the Supreme Court. This change was long-simmering, as Biden's SCOTUS commission concluded nearly three years ago. Then, in a flash, things changed. On July 13, Trump survived an assassination attempt by the skin of his ear. Two days, Trump tapped JD Vance as his VP, and the successor of the MAGA movement. On July 19, we got Hulkamania, and Trump gave his RNC speech. Two days later, President Biden dropped out, and VP Harris ascended to the nomination by proclamation. Life comes at you fast.
Here we are, on July 29. And, in an anticlimactic fashion, the lamest duck in modern Presidential history has meekly put forward three suggestions for the Supreme Court that lack any specificity, and will go nowhere, fast.
Biden announced the policy not in the Rose Garden, or on the steps of the Supreme Court, but in a Washington Post Op-Ed. Given the President's communication problems of late, this was probably for the best. The essay is fairly short. It leads with January 6, immunity, and democracy. I know this is a common talking point for progressives, but I'm not sure this point really resonates anymore. That Trump is at least in striking distance of the presidency suggests that all of the talk about democracy the past few years have had no meaningful impact on the populace. I think Barton Swaim's editorial in the WSJ accurately captures how to think about January 6.
