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October 12, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Progressive politics these days often takes the form of gaslighting. Thus, politicians who believe that destroying the most vulnerable members of society — those in the womb — are “pro-life” because they believe in the expansion of the welfare state, whereas those who believe in protecting those human beings are not pro-life. Those who claim that men cannot get pregnant or that women do not have penises are no longer graduates of Grade 8 science class, but bigots.
The trick is an easy one. Take a term that has a specific meaning, change the meaning, and then accuse your opponents of doing the exact thing you’re doing (or plan to do).
“Court packing,” for example, is a specific term referring to the expansion of the current number of justices or judges. So expanding the Supreme Court from the current nine justices to 11 or 15 justices —presumably with nominees sympathetic to progressive causes like abortion — would be, by definition, court packing. The term originates from the Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937, which was a proposal by Franklin Delano Roosevelt to add more justices to the Supreme Court due to Court’s irritating habit of voting against his New Deal legislation.
For weeks now, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been refusing to answer direct questions about whether they intend to pack the Supreme Court should Amy Coney Barrett be successfully confirmed (ostensibly tipping the Court in a conservative direction). Harris, who told a New York Times reporter that she is “absolutely open” to packing the Court, would not answer the question at the vice-presidential debate.
Biden, on the other hand, has been responding to questions with a combination of lies, prevarication, and total contempt. “The only court packing going on right now is going on with the Republicans packing the court right now,” he responded to one reporter. “I’m going to stay focused on it so we don’t take our eyes off the ball here.” The Republicans aren’t packing the Court — by very definition — but that has not prevented the Democrats from turning this obvious lie into campaign talking point to distract from their own intentions.
When pushed, Biden has simply stated that it is nobody’s business if he intends to change the rules both sides have been playing by for well over a century. Asked if voters deserved to know what he plans to do, Biden was blunt: “No, they don’t deserve (to). I’m not going to play his game.” To another journalist, he took it a step further: “You’ll know my opinion of court packing when the election over … the moment I answer that question, the headline in every one of your papers will be about that.” In other words: Yes, but I don’t need to be defending that right now.
In short: The Democrats are considering expanding the Supreme Court to protect abortion and other causes (which have been primarily protected by their successful campaigns against candidates like Robert Bork), but do not want to spend the campaign explaining why they are willing to trash norms while accusing President Trump of being the norm-trashing candidate. So instead, they have invented a fictitious version of the phrase “court packing,” and are accusing Republicans of currently doing the thing they plan to do if elected. Gaslighting at its finest.
As Harvard Law professor Adrian Vermeule noted sarcastically on Twitter: “Lol the gigantic megaphone of progressive media’s going to redefine ‘court-packing’ as ‘Republicans making judicial appointments, and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it.”
Progressive media figures have been quick to jump on the narrative. Dan Rather tweeted: “Can we at least recognize that ‘Court Packing’ at all levels of the judiciary has been the Republican playbook for decades? Asking for Merrick Garland.” Jonah Goldberg responded: “It is stunning how fast this propaganda is spreading. That’s simply not what court-packing means. Filling existing vacancies – even with ample bad faith, cynicism, skullduggery whatever — is not ‘court packing.’ It’s amazing to watch people who know this say otherwise.”
It’s not really amazing, of course. These are the folks who say the Constitution is living and that a baby in the womb is not; that there are dozens of genders; and that a Catholic who believes a child in the womb can be killed up until birth is a “practicing” Catholic. These are the people who claim, with a smirk, that Kamala Harris is a “person of faith.” When you realize that, the fact that they are lying about what court packing is and brazenly stating that the voters have no right to know whether they intend to do so is par for the course.
Judge Amy Coney Barrett Graeme Jennings-Pool/Getty Images
PETITION UPDATE (10/26//2020)
In a resounding victory for supporters of life, family and freedom, the U.S. Senate has just confirmed Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States!
Justice Barrett was sworn-in by Justice Clarence Thomas and will swiftly fill the vacant seat and immediately begin participating in Supreme Court hearings.
The petitions signed by many of you - there are now over 40,000 signatures - supporting Judge Amy Coney Barrett were sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as to the Officers of the USCCB.
Thank you for signing these petitions. As you can see, your signature really does make a difference!
We also know that many of you also made calls to your U.S. senators to encourage them to vote for Judge Barrett. Thank you!
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PETITION UPDATE (10/22/2020)
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee just voted to advance Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate, leaving only one hurdle to go next week.
Every Republican on the committee voted for Barrett, President Donald Trump’s selection to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, while every committee Democrat boycotted the vote, CNBC reports.
Please READ the latest LifeSite article about the Senate Committee's vote here.
As you read above, Judge Barrett has one more hurdle next Monday. Of course, it's the BIGGEST hurdle.
So, if you haven't already, could we ask you to please call your U.S. senators to politely voice your support for Judge Barrett?
After SIGNING this petition, please scroll down the page, where you will find the list of all U.S. senators' contact details.
Let's keep working and praying so that we can see a pro-life judge sit on the Supreme Court.
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PETITION UPDATE (10/15/20)
The fourth day of Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Senate confirmation hearing for the open seat on the U.S. Supreme Court is going on now.
Please CLICK HERE to go to the livestream of the hearings.
Please watch and read EXCLUSIVE LifeSite videos and articles about Judge Amy Coney Barrett's hearings:
YouTube Videos:
'We are people of faith, the true body of Christ': Christians pray for SCOTUS confirmation hearings'
'"That's your job": Judge Barrett responds to relevance of Obamacare to SCOTUS confirmation'
Articles:
'Hawley, Barrett dismantle religious tests for office at Supreme Court hearing'
'Ted Cruz at Barrett hearing warns Democrats want to ‘erase’ religious liberty'
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Conservatives and Christians asked President Trump to deliver a proven constitutional originalist with a solid pro-life background, and he did.
Now, let's not be outdone by Leftist organizations which will be mobilizing their forces to write, call and visit their senators' constituency offices.
Please SIGN this urgent petition - to Senate Leadership - asking them to quickly confirm Barrett as the next Supreme Court justice.
Then, please take a couple of minutes to CALL YOUR U.S. SENATORS using their numbers below, and politely urge them to confirm Barrett.
When Amy Coney Barrett's senate confirmation hearing begins on Monday, October 12th, the mother of seven and devout Catholic is expected to face fierce opposition.
Of course, the anticipated attacks have nothing to do with Barrett's legal credentials, which are uniformly top-notch.
Instead, they have to do with her faith in Jesus and with her belief that life begins at conception.
This is nothing short of anti-Christian bigotry which cannot be tolerated.
The fact is, Amy Coney Barrett is the best candidate for the job, and she urgently needs our support.
By signing the petition, we can unite to powerfully speak with one voice. But, by calling your senators, you can ensure that they know their local constituents are concerned and interested enough to telephone their offices.
This is our time to get active! We must voice our support for Amy Coney Barrett at this crucial moment in our nation's history.
Please SIGN this petition, and then please use the contact details below to CALL YOUR U.S. SENATORS right-away! Thank you!
U.S. SENATORS' CONTACT DETAILS:
SENATORS AND PHONE NUMBERS - https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact
ALABAMA SENATORS
Doug Jones – (202) 224-4124
Richard C. Shelby – (202) 224-5744
ALASKA SENATORS
Lisa Murkowski – (202) 224-6665
Dan Sullivan – (202) 224-3004
ARIZONA SENATORS
Martha McSally – (202) 224-2235
Kyrsten Sinema – (202) 224-4521
ARKANSAS SENATORS
John Boozman – (202) 224-4843
Tom Cotton – (202) 224-2353
CALIFORNIA SENATORS
Dianne Feinstein – (202) 224-3841
Kamala D. Harris – (202) 224-3553
COLORADO SENATORS
Michael F. Bennett – (202) 224-5852
Cory Gardner – (202) 224-5941
CONNECTICUT SENATORS
Richard Blumenthal – (202) 224-2823
Christopher Murphy – (202) 224-4041
DELAWARE SENATORS
Thomas R. Carper – (202) 224-2441
Christopher A. Coons – (202) 224-5042
FLORIDA SENATORS
Marco Rubio – (202) 224-3041
Rick Scott – (202) 224-5274
GEORGIA SENATORS
Kelly Loeffler – (202) 224-3643
David Perdue – (202) 224-3521
HAWAII SENATORS
Mazie K. Hirono – (202) 224-6361
Brian Schatz – (202) 224-3934
IDAHO SENATORS
Mike Crapo – (202) 224-6142
James E. Risch – (202) 224-2752
ILLINOIS SENATORS
Dick Durbin – (202) 224-2152
Tammy Duckworth – (202) 224-2854
INDIANA SENATORS
Mike Braun – (202) 224-4814
Todd Young – (202) 224-5623
IOWA SENATORS
Joni Ernst – (202) 224-3254
Chuck Grassley – (202) 224-3774
KANSAS SENATORS
Jerry Moran – (202) 224-6521
Pat Roberts – (202) 224-4744
KENTUCKY SENATORS
Mitch McConnell – (202) 224-2541
Rand Paul – (202) 224-4343
LOUISIANA SENATORS
Bill Cassidy – (202) 224-5824
John Kennedy – (202) 224-4623
MAINE SENATORS
Susan M. Collins – (202) 224-2523
Angus S. King – (202) 224-5344
MARYLAND SENATORS
Benjamin L. Cardin – (202) 224-4524
Chris Van Hollen – (202) 224-4654
MASSACHUSETS SENATORS
Edward J. Markey – (202) 224-2742
Elizabeth Warren – (202) 224-4543
MICHIGAN
Gary C. Peters – (202) 224-6221
Debbie Stabenow – (202) 224-4822
MINNESOTA
Amy Klobuchar – (202) 224-3244
Tina Smith – (202) 224-5641
MISSISSIPPI
Cindy Hyde-Smith – (202) 224-5054
Roger F. Wicker – (202) 224-6253
MISSOURI
Roy Blunt – (202) 224-5721
Josh Hawley – (202) 224-6154
MONTANA
Steve Daines – (202) 224-2651
Jon Tester – (202) 224-2644
NEBRASKA
Deb Fischer – (202) 224-6551
Ben Sasse – (202) 224-4224
NEVADA
Catherine Cortez Masto – (202) 224-3542
Jacky Rosen – (202) 224-6244
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Margaret Wood Hassan – (202) 224-3324
Jeanne Shaheen – (202) 224-2841
NEW JERSEY
Cory A. Booker – (202) 224-3224
Robert Menendez – (202) 224-4744
NEW MEXICO
Martin Heinrich – (202) 224-5521
Tom Udall – (202) 224-6621
NEW YORK
Kirsten E. Gillibrand – (202) 224-4451
Charles E. Schumer – (202) 224-6542
NORTH CAROLINA
Richard Burr – (202) 224-3154
Thom Tillis – (202) 224-6342
NORTH DAKOTA
Kevin Cramer – (202) 224-2043
John Hoeven – (202) 224-2551
OHIO
Sherrod Brown – (202) 224-2315
Rob Portman – (202) 224-3353
OKLAHOMA
James M. Inhofe – (202) 224-4721
James Lankford – (202) 224-5754
OREGON
Jeff Merkley – (202) 224-3753
Ron Wyden – (202) 224-5244
PENNSYLVANIA
Robert P. Casey, Jr. – (202) 224-6324
Patrick J. Toomey, Jr. – (202) 224-4254
RHODE ISLAND
Jack Reed – (202) 224-4642
Sheldon Whitehouse – (202) 224-2921
SOUTH CAROLINA
Lindsey Graham – (202) 224-5972
Tim Scott – (202) 224-6121
SOUTH DAKOTA
Mike Rounds – (202) 224-5842
John Thune – (202) 224-2321
TENNESSEE
Lamar Alexander – (202) 224-4944
Marsha Blackburn – (202) 224-3344
TEXAS
John Cornyn – (202) 224-2934
Ted Cruz – (202) 224-5922
UTAH
Mike Lee – (202) 224-5444
Mitt Romney – (202) 224-5251
VERMONT
Patrick J. Leahy – (202) 224-4242
Bernard Sanders – (202) 224-5141
VIRGINIA
Tim Kaine – (202) 224-4024
Mark R. Warner – (202) 224-2023
WASHINGTON
Maria Cantwell – (202) 224-3441
Patty Murray – (202) 224-2621
WEST VIRGINIA
Shelley Moore Capito – (202) 224-6472
Joe Manchin III – (202) 224-3954
WISCONSIN
Tammy Baldwin – (202) 224-5653
Ron Johnson – (202) 224-5323
WYOMING
John Barrasso – (202) 224-6441
Michael B. Enzi – (202) 224-3424
