Playing by the rules: Trump should appoint new Supreme Court justice

For a nation which loves sports as much as our land does, there are still a select few who have yet to grasp the concept – to the victor goes the spoils.

Despite the temptation to provide participation trophies to all who wear a uniform as opposed to simply awarding those who win championships, there are still those of us who believe there are rewards for those who win. And for those who fall short, the incentive should be to try harder in the hopes of claiming those same spoils of victory the next time the scoreboard is lit.

A perfect example of this quandary is the current battle waging in Washington over whether or not President Donald Trump should move quickly to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court created with the recent death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

While my heart is moved for her family and friends in the loss of a loved one, I can still recall her constant stand for an assortment of left-wing causes during her tenure on the bench. Why is it we now live in a society where discussion must be all or nothing. I am still of the mind one can mark her passing without mourning the loss of her political views. I do not believe doing so makes me less of a Christian or a hard-hearted individual.

But while Democratic leadership in the nation’s capital is crying foul and claiming the president is playing politics by moving swiftly in this process, I counter by saying the commander-in-chief is simply doing his job.

President Trump was elected by Americans who wish to see the preservation of and a return to more traditional conservative values – those upon which this great land was founded. While I am unashamed to be a Christian, I am not even playing the religious card here. I believe there are still those in this land who may not profess the faith, but remain troubled by the dramatic shift away from law and order in our country. And heaven knows, Christians should be concerned.

While some might wish to differ, the president does not cease being president in an election year. The late justice Ginsburg has been quoted as saying as much in response to one of her own votes on the nation’s highest court. The president is elected to serve a full four-year term.

This president was elected, in large part, due to his promise to appoint conservative judges to the court. In short, he is living up to a campaign promise. This is what his loyal supporters are expecting in this moment.

And while we have all heard from the liberal left saying Republicans felt differently when President Obama was faced with a similar circumstance four years ago, these situations are not the same. Even when Obama was in office, the Republicans still controlled the U.S. Senate. And this is the body charged by the Constitution to confirm presidential nomination’s to the court.

Remember, there is a price for victory and defeat. If the Democrats want to have more say in this process, the party should focus attention on winning control of the senate and the oval office in the same term. This is how our nation’s founders created this game plan. These are the rules as they were written in the Constitution in 1787. Is it not ironic the nation commemorated Constitution Day only a day prior to Ginsburg’s passing?

Too often in today’s society, the liberals want to change the rules when they no longer suit their views. They want the remainder of the citizenry to move further left or simply toss the rules, on in this case, the Constitution, into the mounting debris of history we seem to be creating today.

But this is not what the forefathers envisioned. Those who created this nation needed more than a decade to draft the Constitution following the approval of the Declaration of Independence. There were squabbles over how the branches of government would function and how each would serve as a check and balance over the other. Our system was not designed for easy alteration … and current society is a perfect example as to why.

There is a method for changing current laws. It is called the legislative process. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have it within their powers to enact changes when we see a consistent miscarriage of justice. We have a tried and true method to improve our land – and the calculated process does not need the heavy-handed fist of a dictator, either. We never want to see our system fall under such tyranny.

Those we have elected already have the authority to improve upon an already excellent system. Introduce legislation and rally the support of the majority of congressional members. And in those extremely rare cases when this change elevates to the point of adding an amendment to the Constitution, gain the support needed to have the amendment ratified three-fourths of the state legislatures.

Implementing change to the foundational principles of our government was designed to be difficult. Denying the president those authorities given to him simply because it is an election year is not to be a part of the process.

And those who are not fond of the current process certainly have the right and a process to bring about the changes they may so desire. Remember: the United States of America is a nation of laws and those laws must be maintained and followed in order to preserve order and prevent chaos. Simply crying foul and pointing a finger of accusation toward the sitting president, regardless of party, serves no purpose other than playing to a congressional leader’s voting base back home.

There is a way to have more say in the appointment process … pull back from those extreme liberal views which are contrary to our nation’s foundation, win the presidency and the senate in the same election cycle and follow the rules as drafted in the Constitution. The process has served us well since the document was drafted some 233 years ago. And I am confident it will serve us well moving forward, if we simply remember to play by the rules.

State Representative Tracy Estes is a Republican representing House District 17, which includes Marion, Lamar and Winston Counties