Elections Have Consequences [OPINION]
The results of the Democrats choosing Hillary Clinton as their candidate in 2016 is starting to have serious long-term consequences.
Donald Trump is the president because Hillary Clinton was a terrible candidate. Judge Neil Gorsuch is on the Supreme Court for life because Hillary Clinton was a terrible candidate. The next member of the Supreme Court will be also be a conservative because Hillary Clinton was a terrible candidate.
The Supreme Court delivered a tremendous blow to public unions and the Democrats they support. No longer will the unions be able to collect fees from teachers, police officers, firefighters or other public employees against their will. It will be difficult for unions to campaign for and donate money to the Democrat Party without these fees.
"Make no mistake, this decision is one of the most significant labor rollbacks we’ve seen in decades," Democratic Representative Barbara Lee of California told Reuters.
The unions and Rep. Lee have only themselves to blame for this 5-to-4 decision by the Supreme Court, because they nominated a terrible candidate in 2016. One of the largest donors to Hillary Clinton was the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. This union of public employees contributed over $23 million dollars to Hillary's political campaigns.
The American Federation of Teachers was her second largest union donor with nearly $8 million in contributions to political efforts. Tough to give away money you don't have, and that is the situation the public employee unions will find themselves in soon.
And the Supreme Court is only going to get more conservative with the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy. Donald Trump is going to nominate a judge off the list he used to select Neil Gorsuch from last year. The Republicans in the U.S. Senate and the President are going to move fast to take advantage of this opportunity to shape the court for decades to come.
The Democrats should stop blaming the Russians for electing Donald Trump in 2016, and blame themselves for nominating a terrible candidate. Hillary Clinton's legacy will be a very conservative Supreme Court and the destruction of public employee unions.
Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.