#RBGRIP, But McConnell is Wasting No Time. We Must Act.

The news of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death had barely broken when Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell announced that he would move swiftly to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court. As of this writing, President Donald Trump has issued a statement on RBG’s death (which he obviously didn’t write), but not about his plans for replacing her. It doesn’t take much imagination to envision the glee with which he received the news.

Doubtless, in Trump’s mind, the foremost question is whether it is more to his advantage to push for her replacement before the election or hold out until after. McConnell is likely pondering a similar question. Pushing hard for a quick replacement could be seen as securing more goodwill among potential Trump and down-ballot Republican voters. Holding off until after the election could motivate more votes from conservatives wishing to ensure that Joe Biden does not have the chance to nominate a new Justice.

Don’t Make a Hero of Snowden — Yet

Edward Snowden must not be made a hero! That probably comes as a surprise to anyone who read my previous two pieces on PRISM,

This guy gets it

but it’s a genuine concern. The question of Snowden as hero or traitor threatens to derail the much more important conversation that we need to have in the United States.

Bipartisan attacks on Snowden are already being leveled. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Bill Nelson, both Democrats, and the Republican Speaker of the House, John Boehner have all called Snowden a traitor. Others are praising him as a hero. And, as the go-to newspaper for lobbyists, POLITICO has already pointed out, the debate itself is precisely what President Obama wants. While we debate the pros and cons of Ed Snowden, we’re not discussing PRISM.