Supreme Court Justice and feminist icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away in her home in Washington yesterday from complications from pancreatic cancer. Her death at 87 leaves a seat vacant just six weeks before the presidential election. Noted hypocrite Mitch McConnell, who blocked President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland in March, 2016, has already vowed to push through a nomination because of course he has. (Please donate to fund democrat opponents to incumbent republican senators in the upcoming election.)
Ginsburg, who was appointed in 1993 by President Clinton, leaves an incalculable legacy for women’s rights and human rights. I’m going to quote some of Nina Totenberg’s obituary to Ginsburg as Totenberg was a personal friend of Ginsburg’s. She said on the NPR Politics Podcast that Ginsburg was a mentor and then a dear friend to her, especially as Totenberg’s husband was dying of cancer. Ginsburg’s legacy is of a justice who cared deeply and worked tirelessly for decades. In no way can I do justice to this extraordinary woman or even to Totenberg’s writeup of RBG’s life. I’m just quoting the part about her later work.
Over the years, as Ginsburg’s place on the court grew in seniority, so did her role. In 2006, as the court veered right after the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Ginsburg dissented more often and more assertively, her most passionate dissents coming in women’s rights cases.
Dissenting in Ledbetter v. Goodyear in 2007, she called on Congress to pass legislation that would override a court decision that drastically limited back pay available for victims of employment discrimination. The resulting legislation was the first bill passed in 2009 after Obama took office.
In 2014, she dissented fiercely in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, a decision that allowed some for-profit companies to refuse, on religious grounds, to comply with a federal mandate to cover birth control in health care plans. Such an exemption, she said, would “deny legions of women who do not hold their employers’ beliefs, access to contraceptive coverage.”
Where, she asked, “is the stopping point?” Suppose it offends an employer’s religious belief “to pay the minimum wage” or “to accord women equal pay?…
Ginsburg always kept a backbreaking schedule of public appearances both at home and abroad, even after five bouts with cancer: colon cancer in 1999, pancreatic cancer 10 years later, lung cancer in 2018, and then pancreatic cancer again in 2019 and liver lesions in 2020. During that time, she endured chemotherapy, radiation, and in the last years of her life, terrible pain from shingles that never went away completely. All who knew her admired her grit. In 2009, three weeks after major cancer surgery, she surprised everyone when she showed up for the State of the Union address.
Shortly after that, she was back on the bench; it was her husband, Marty, who told her she could do it, even when she thought she could not, she told NPR.
A year later her psychological toughness was on full display when her beloved husband of 56 years was mortally ill. As she packed up his things at the hospital before taking him home to die, she found a note he had written to her. “My Dearest Ruth,” it began, “You are the only person I have ever loved,” setting aside children and family. “I have admired and loved you almost since the day we first met at Cornell. … The time has come for me to … take leave of life because the loss of quality simply overwhelms. I hope you will support where I come out, but I understand you may not. I will not love you a jot less.”
Shortly after that, Marty Ginsburg died at home. The next day, his wife, the justice, was on the bench, reading an important opinion she had authored for the court. She was there, she said, because “Marty would have wanted it.”
Years later, she would read the letter aloud in an NPR interview, and at the end, choke down the tears.
In the years after Marty’s death, she would persevere without him, maintaining a jam-packed schedule when she was not on the bench or working on opinions.
Some liberals criticized her for not retiring while Obama was president, but she was at the top of her game, enjoyed her work enormously and feared that Republicans might not confirm a successor. She was an avid consumer of opera, literature and modern art. But in the end, it was her work, she said, that sustained her.
“I do think that I was born under a very bright star,” she said in an NPR interview. “Because if you think about my life, I get out of law school. I have top grades. No law firm in the city of New York will hire me. I end up teaching; it gave me time to devote to the movement for evening out the rights of women and men.”
And it was that legal crusade for women’s rights that ultimately led to her appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court.
To the end of her tenure, she remained a special kind of feminist, both decorous and dogged.
RBG dictated these words to her granddaughter just a few days ago, “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.” We know how little honor the republicans have and how dirty they play. I hope with all my heart that her wish comes true.
Thank you for all you’ve done for us, RBG. We will remember you and your work will live on in history forever.
Please give money to democrats challenging incumbent republicans in the senate. Work hard to support your local democrats and causes. This is a tough time for our country, for democracy and for women’s rights and human rights. We can honor RBG and her legacy by continuing her fight.
BREAKING: Americans shattered Democrat fundraising site ActBlue’s all-time record for donations in an hour the hour after RBG passed away.
Then, an hour later, they broke that record too.
Donations reached over $100,000 per minute.
Proud of us all, turning sorrow into action.
— Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) September 19, 2020
A Jewish teaching says those who die just before the Jewish new year are the ones God has held back until the last moment bc they were needed most & were the most righteous. And so it was that #RBG died as the sun was setting last night marking the beginning of RoshHashanah
— Nina Totenberg (@NinaTotenberg) September 19, 2020
Justice Ginsburg’s dying wish was that her seat would not be filled until a new president is installed! Senate Democrats, do not back down. You have a tough fight ahead but our future is on the line! No SCOTUS appointment before the election!!!
— Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) September 19, 2020
This NYT obituary of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Linda Greenhouse is magnificent.
It includes details of the note her husband Martin wrote as he lay dying from cancer:https://t.co/NvMG7DkQHN pic.twitter.com/xFTNmpyXaQ
— Joe Pike (@joepike) September 19, 2020
Friend in DC shared this photo from the steps of SCOTUS. pic.twitter.com/KRI8nC2NlS
— Melissa Murray (@ProfMMurray) September 19, 2020
Thousands here at the Supreme Court pic.twitter.com/9foS4brA39
— Alexis Goldstein (@alexisgoldstein) September 19, 2020
Photos credit: Avalon.red, WENN and via Wikipedia
I went to bed crying. I woke up crying. Its too much.
I’m sitting here, literally crying, for a woman I never met, but who made such a huge impact on us all, in so many ways we took for granted. RIP RBG. We will still fight for you.
#TrueSheroBroken heart
I ugly cried for hours, like I did on election night. It felt like that – the disbelief, the gut punch, the tight chest – all the while dropping countless f-bombs. I was already terrified about the election, but I have gone far beyond that. The only thing that moved me past the initial meltdown was rage/grief donating to Democratic senatorial campaigns. This morning, I vacillate between more tears, and vowing to fight in her name. Screw you, 2020.
I am wreaked. Just wreaked. She was a remarkable person the likes of which we may never see again.
I’ve been trying so hard not to dispare this whole year, but this broke me. I don’t know what to do but cry. I’m so scared for the future of this country and so heartbroken that we let it get to the point that it hung on the shoulders of a frail 87 year old woman. She deserved so much better than to worry about what this country would do to her legacy as she lay dying.
I echo the same thoughts as the ladies above. This just broke me. At first I was stunned and then it settled in and the bawling began. I drank some red wine and passed out watching tributes. Jolted awake by an earthquake. Beyond over 2020.
Me too. Everything is so dark rn. I’m heading in to our county Dems office to volunteer today, and I’m dreading facing the right wing assholes that scream at us. Almost didn’t get out of bed.
Watch the documentary RBG if you haven’t. Give money to democrats running for office if you can. Make phone calls and write postcards to make sure we get out the vote. Fu*king pray that 4 republican senators will have the integrity to refuse to ramrod a nominee through the senate 7 weeks before the election. And I want with all my heart for Biden and a democratic senate to expand the Supreme Court, make DC and PR states and use the same scorched earth tactics that McConnell and his minions have been using for years and years. That will honor her legacy of fighting for women’s rights and making the country more equitable for decades.
I put my head in my hands and cried – and I’m not even American. I’m just so sad that a mighty life ended this way and so sad for all you US celebitchies, I can’t imagine how you’re feeling. I just listened to Pod Save America and could tell that Jon Lovett was trying not to break down as his did his intro – he said he’d tried to record it five or six times and couldn’t get through it.
Yesterday I donated to an organization that is getting people out to vote in swing states – you guys have people all over the world who support you in this fight! Stay strong!
“I put my head in my hands and cried – and I’m not even American.” I did too, Emma.
This one gutted me, even though I saw it as a possibility. Husband was hoping all night that I wouldn’t check my phone because he knew how awesome I thought RBG is.
I’m legit sobbing over what her husband had written for her. God this sucks. She was such a badass.
One of my work friends messaged me “get ready for Supreme Court justice Sean Hannity”.
Ted Cruz is a possibility but really I think it will be that religious nut with the Handmaid tale supervisor Amy something whatever.
It’s hard to watch the crazy from Canada but all that we can do is hope Americans vote all GOP out of office and give Biden a super majority.
I am gutted. All women in this country owe her a debt of gratitude for her service in the Supreme Court.
November 3rd (or earlier!!) we must vote like our lives depend on it.
Because they do.
Women and men! All people. RBG understood gender equality couldn’t exist just favoring and fighting for women. She was a true feminist fighting for equal rights.
A class act the whole way.
Amen
She was in a class of her own. I am utterly gutted and feeling hopeless for this country. I must watch her documentary as I have been reading about her all night and all morning. Her journey as a courageous woman who never allowed anyone or anything to get into her way. We have lost an icon that would never shy away from a chance to change the laws and views of how the women in America were treated in the ‘50’s on. I have revered her for years, along with Justice O’Conmor as I was saddened when she retired. But, this woman was a powerhouse of epic proportions.
She left a note for her granddaughter to not allow them to replace her until after January 21st.
I don’t know how we can continue as a nation with 2 sexual predators already on the SC. Now, the countries idiot is going to be able to select another one after being able to select two already! One of which he NEVER should have been able to do.
@ Cheryl, you are absolutely right! Our lives do depend on this upcoming election. I was happy to read that in four states they have seen a record number of early voters, some greater than 2016. It’s a remarkable outcome to see that people are listening and getting to the polls early. I hope that this carries through to November 3rd. I live in Texas and mail in ballots are extremely hard to gain. They don’t allow the fear of the corona virus as an excusable reason to qualify.
I have been writing letters for Vote Forward, I have selected to send out 180 letters to registered voters in my state. Though they still have a great deal of volunteers that they need.
What a tremendous, earth-shattering loss!
Insult to injury: our time to mourn will be cut short.
Mitch McConnell has already vowed-as of Friday night!-that the Senate will push through a nominee by the election. My mind and heart cannot fathom the disrespect to RBG and to our democracy of that promise.
I feel sad and helpless.
This has truly gutted me. For the first time, I feel *truly, utterly* hopeless in this dumpster fire of a year. If these despicable POS do ram through another rapist frat boy (or mean girl, I heard that Amy Coney Barrett is being considered; she’s a Laura Ingrams with a law degree), my fervent wish is that we work even HARDER to get the Blue ticked voted in, then expand SCOTUS to 11, and Federal Judgeships from 70 to 100. Then take away the Filibuster.
Time to level the field and repair the almost irreparable damage these MAGAts have done to our country!
Vale R.B.G and thank you.
Be enraged – donate to flip the Senate.
GET MITCH OR DIE TRYING!
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/getmitch
I love Amy MCGrath, but her path to victory is so narrow I am supporting other races that afford us the best chance to flip the Senate.
Barbara Bollier, KS
Cal Cunningham, NC
Mark Kelly, AZ
John Hickenlooper, CO
Steve Bullock, MT
Jamie Harrison, SC
Don’t forget Maine Senate race. Sara Gideon is our best chance to get Susan Collins out of her senate seat.
Donated to all of them last night. There are a few more to do today. It’s money I can’t spare, being on a small fixed income, but the cost of not doing it is too high.
These are great candidates to support, but I would note that Mark Kelly is very well funded.
Please help out the others; your money is needed there.
Kelly is well funded, but since he is running in a special, he can be seated as early as November 30, which would mean one less vote for whatever SCOTUS horror McConnell unleashes.
Al Gross in Alaska also has a real shot.
“Get Mitch” is not about that M(B) itch’s senate race. It it about the winnable races. The focus is on making Mitch a MINORITY leader not a majority leader. And it has raised $10M since RBG’s death was announced. The Affordable Care Act is being reviewed the week after the election, Even if Roberts votes for, it will be a 4 to 4 tie, and the lower court ruling stands. The lower court ruled against Affordable Care.
Every Republican Senator that votes to fill Ginsburg’s seat is voting to kick millions of Americans off their health care in the middle of a pandemic.
Gary Peters in Michigan could also use some help. He’s the incumbent and his Repub challenger has been gaining in the polls.
I donated to this fund plus several candidates last night. It helped my feelings of helplessness. RBG would fight and putting money or time to help elect people who will put Mitch in the minority party is a worthy act. There is no donating like RAGE donating. Based on the fact that the Get Mitch fund has raised 8 million to help 13 democrats since Mitch’s ghoulish announcement, I would say we are not alone in our rage or grief.
Exactly what Truthiness says here: the money from this fundraising campaign gets split between 13 Democrats who are running for the U.S Senate.
The goal is to win back the majority of the house so that Mitch McConnell becomes the minority leader instead and therefore is no longer in charge.
As of now the fund is past $18 million – and $14.5 million of that has come through after McConnell made the announcement to push ahead with the vote of the Supreme Court nominee, despite RBG’s wishes.
RBG fought for the people and now the people have to pick up where she left off. Hence the tile – GET MITCH OR DIE TRYING!
This is beautiful, CB. I haven’t cried this hard since my DH died. I know some of that is attributable to the cumulative effect of 2020 being a Hellscape, but what RBG did to protect and ensure equal rights for women is epic and I feel we’re going to see reversals of those hard-fought gains in the coming months and years until the SCOTUS is balanced again. My god, how I loathe McConnell, Graham, Collins, Cruz, et al., right now. 😩
Same. I haven’t cried this much since I lost someone I love, and while I do think I would find this sad under any circumstances, I’m pretty sure that my reaction is about this being the straw that broke me in 2020.
That’s it, exactly. Thank you for that description – the straw that broke me.
Speaking of hellscape. I’ve never hidden that I am a Christian. Today I was floored by some of the most horrible comments about RBG from “Christian” Americans. For example that she is now burning in hell. I was wished into hell too for sticking up for her. And for those that did not wish me in hell many thought I was on the road there. Please don’t hate Christians. I was not the only one ripped apart… but you need to know what’s out there. God bless.
Bless you. This is not the Christianity I was taught and hasn’t been for a very long time. I’ve been told by family members who practice a particular sect that because I’m not a member, I’m going to hell. I know that’s not uncommon. My view is now: if “heaven” means I have to spend infinity with those people, I’d rather not. I practice being a loving citizen/person, as philanthropic as I’m able, doing no harm. If that means I’ll burn in hell because I don’t tithe to a particular sect, so be it. But, the hypocrites who point their fingers at us? I’d hate to be them.
This has broken my heart. She was never afraid and we shouldn’t be either. Fight. Vote out corruption. All in her honor. May she Rest In Peace. RBG, you will always be an inspiration. Thank you for the magnificent gift of your selfless service. My sympathy to your family at this time of personal grief. May it be made softer knowing a grateful nation mourns w/you
Well said Snappyfish.
Very well said. I have been numb since I read the news last night, similar to election night. But between you and CB, I’m crying now.
I was in an online Rosh Hashanah service when the notice popped up – it broke me, the fact that mere hours after her death Mitch McConnell was announcing “of course we’re going to rush through a replacement” was beyond infuriation but, let’s be honest, if this had occurred during a lame duck session after they lost, they’d still rush through an appointment.
We were getting ready to light shabbat candles when my son told me. Awful, awful news.
We heard just before leaving for my sister’s for Rosh Hashanah; couldn’t believe it! We were (are!!) all crushed. We FaceTimed my nephews (sister’s kids, away at college) and we all raised a toast to RBG.
It angers me so much that she had to spend the final days of her life wishing that she would not be replaced until a new president is installed – only to have it trampled by those out of touch old men who aren’t even fit to be saying her name.
It angers me that she even had to worry about this as she was sick and dying. And that it only took less than half a day from the news of her passing for her glorious life and achievements to be reduced to creepy chinless old men flexing their hideous excuse for souls.
And for Ted Cruz to be mentioned on the same breath as her name as a possible replacement. Ted F-ing Cruz?!!
“It angers me so much that she had to spend the final days of her life wishing that she would not be replaced until a new president is installed“
I agree. She shouldn’t have had to worry about her job or her replacement at that time. But it says so much about who she was that even in that moment she was trying to fight for us all and for our future.
I always felt we were asking too much of her, even though she gave every ounce of her being to the fight. But for her last days to be consumed with the ugliness in the country today is gut wrenching. She kept giving to her country until the very end, and that wretched McConnell didn’t even wait two hours until his announcement. I despise the GOP and every thing it stands for, today more than ever. I feel very small for feeling that way, because she never, for one second, showed them anything but grace and class and respect, even when they didn’t deserve it. My job is to carry on the fight with those same attitudes, but damn it, it’s going to be tough to do.
I have a lengthy list for the Grim Reaper should (s)he desire some suggestions.
My heart is broken. She was an amazing lady who will be greatly missed and did so much for us in her life. I cannot believe the comments from people after she died. Whether you liked her or not, no need to be happy over her death. Maybe this brings the democrats to realize they MUST VOTE…say what you will about republicans, but they know the power of the SC. Most democrats do not even give it a thought. Maybe this will be her final legacy, bringing awareness to the importance of this to bring out the vote!
If most democrats don’t give it a thought we wouldn’t be here right now. People wouldn’t be congregating at the Supreme Court laying flowers. Have you not seen social media? Take this “Democrats are weak” drivel right out of here.
@Rose I didn’t take Lucy’s comment as meaning “democrats are weak”. I think it’s more about democrats not being as singularly focused on the supreme court when voting for president or senators. It’s not necessarily weak, just not as strategic. But many republicans are willing to overlook a bunch of things they don’t necessarily like (e.g., a corrupt, candidate that cheats & lies) to get what they want (supreme court pick). I’m not suggesting democrats act like republicans & elect corrupt people to get what they want. It’s just never going to be a fair fight because one party is willing to fight dirty.
Pusspants, that is exactly what I meant. I have heard more people say the SC is the thing that matters, that now we will have a “constitutionally run SC for generations to come” with this. My republican friends are willing to put up with all Trump does just to get what they want, no matter what. I am getting worried because I am starting to hear my democrat friends say Joe Biden is too old, he’s lost it…there is so much at stake and I am fearful they are not seeing the big picture. Let this, sad as it is, be a wake up call that we need to vote, whether you like Biden or not, is Trump the better one????? I would vote a stick in over Trump!
I cried multiple times today… What a devastating loss. What an inspiring woman. What a fighter.
Through all my anger and despair, I couldn’t help thinking: how did we get into such a state that the continued existence of basic rights for so many groups of people hung on the shoulders of one 87 year old woman with pancreatic cancer? What a weight for her to bear. What a service she has done for the country. I just…. can’t.
Finally, as a side note, I am *so* getting a T-shirt or wall art or something that says “When there are nine”.
May her memory be a blessing. Rest in power, RBG.
This is heartbreaking. She was so tiny, but such a giant in her influence. I’m not a scholar of the Supreme Court, but I don’t doubt she ranks among the greatest. This is a time to mourn and I feel all truly good people do mourn, so I‘ll refrain from commenting about the vultures(mcconnell, cruz, et al).😢💔
I’ll just leave this here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/obama-mcconnell-ruth-bader-ginsburg-scalia-supreme-court-b491539.html
Devastating. Rest In Peace RBG. You fought the good fight. Condolences to her loved ones.
I hope this rallies people to vote even more. My best friend is a lawyer and her cat is named RBG. This is a loss for our entire country but she kicked ass all the way up to the end and we owe her a debt of gratitude for it. A life well lived.
Damn.
As a female attorney, RBG was my hero. I’m livid that I can’t mourn the loss of this incomparable woman properly because my sadness is so mixed with fear and anger at Moscow Mitch and his Republithug cronies who are already dancing on her grave. I feel so defeated, but we can’t give up. Donate! Call your reps! Fight! Honor her memory. We have to try…..
This is the kind of person always made me look at your country with respect and admiration. RIP.
And you Americans: VOTE THE ORANGE CLOWN AWAY.
She fought like a champion, until the very end, and we must too. No despair, we must FIGHT.
I just donated to Amy McGrath’s and Jamie Harrison’s campaigns. A few weeks ago I donated to Biden. Prior to this election I’ve never donated to a political campaign before. Enough is enough.
I have been sobbing for hours. She gave so much of herself for so long for all of us. We have juries of our peers because of her. We have constitutional rights under the 14th Amendment because of her. We can leave survivor benefits through our Social Security, veteran’s benefits, or pensions because of her.
And McConnell couldn’t give us an hour with our grief before announcing his plot to take it all away. I have left angry messages on every phone line at his local offices
Dems need to fight dirty from now on. Mitch puts another nominee through then Dems should promise to increase the SC to 13.
Dems has to regain majority and if possible, get supermajority by winning 17 out of 23 Republican seats up for election.
The fact that the GOP is willing to push through a nomination for the Supreme Court with a little over a month before Election Day shows how scared they are of losing any power in Washington. McConnell knows that there’s a good chance that he’ll be in the minority party in the Senate after Jan. 21, so he’s trying to do what he can to retain power for his ideology.
I know I’m being optimistic but I really don’t think that Senate Republicans have enough votes to get a Trump nominee confirmed, let alone out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski are on the record opposing pushing another nominee through. There’s also multiple Republicans on the Judiciary Committee facing a tough re-election bid, including Thom Tillis who has been trailing in most polls and Lindsey Graham and Jody Ernst, who are tied with the Democratic challengers. Plus, there’s a couple of what passes for intellectuals in the GOP, Ben Sasse and Josh Hawley, who would like have a male temper tantrum about the sacred nature of the constitution if the prospect of a Biden administration potentially adding more Supreme Court justices. The prospect of a court packing plan and the chance of statehood for Washington, DC and Puerto Rico under a Biden administration would probably be enough to convince Graham to back off on replacing RBG.
To be fair, it would not be much different than what McConnell has done in the lower courts, pushing through judges that have no business being on circuit or appellate courts. At least potential Supreme Court justices that may be nominated by Biden would at least be recommended by the American Bar Association.
I know how hard this must be for someone like you. A warrior at arms length who has taught this little community so much, offering insight and tough love and made us a little more well informed of so many complex events and situations.
Take care of yourself and try and find moments of peace these coming days. I know there is little to celebrate, but we all need time to grieve. And there are so many things pressing at our buttons right now.
She was so much to so many. As are you. As are all of us in our own ways.
Nice message, Teebee. I always appreciate Lightpurple’s posts here on Celebitchy, too. The community here is great. Right now things are very intense with the pandemic, wild fires (not far from our house), the dangerous political scene in our country, and some personal concerns (sick pet)…it’s overwhelming but I find your message soothing. So thanks for that!
RIP RBG. Like all of you, I was gutted when I heard this sad news last night. Do not despair fellow Dems, but ACT. Now is the time to be strong like RBG and support your state’s Dem candidate in her honor. Large or small, make a donation to your state’s Democratic candidate. She would approve.
I came across this on another site and immediately came here because I know what a rockstar we all thought she was. I can’t believe I immediately started bawling and I can’t explain why it hit me so hard. Maybe she was a bit of hope in the current landscape and now, she isn’t here fighting for all of ‘us’ every day anymore. Heartbreaking and thank y’all for being here and sharing in this. Love u guys.
RBG’s death is even felt over here in Europe.
I talked to many female friends today, and, like me, they all cried not only about what we have lost, but about what the immediate future, destroyed by misogynist old white Republican men, will bring.
The (female) world has lost a huge advocate for equality, and a fighter for justice for all.
Please vote blue wherever you are, these elections in the US will influence the world’s fate in more ways than any US election has ever before.
Something we can do is reach out to our undecided or 3rd party friends and have conversations with them about why a Biden vote is really a vote for LGBTQ+, immigrants and minorities. I am trying too.
AOC Posted a lovely, moving Instagram video I encourage you all to watch. It cheered me up and gave me encouragement
What an amazing woman. I’m so sad to hear this.
Also, we are screwed.
RBG was a WARRIOR. And we must follow in her footsteps.
Mitch McConnell and Trump can both DROP DEAD.
Canada sends its sincerest condolences to America on the death of a true hero. We pray that she is replaced with someone who can stand proudly in her shoes and continue her unstinting work for equality and justice. Am getting all teary-eyed typing this….
Thank you for loving us and supporting us. This is an awful time.
Same from the UK. This awful news is front page here & heading up the news channels too.
2020 just gets worse & worse. Our only hope (& this will have massive impact here too) is that Biden/Harris win in November. We’re thinking of you all.
Go well RBG. Eternal thanks for everything you fought so hard for. This is a very sad day.
May she rest in peace….the fight continues even more so now.
I guess we are bound for a round of complete hypocrisy from the GOP especially after 2016…….it is time the democrats stop trying to be rational. You can only be rational with those who are willing to be; not with people who have no remorse when they try to destroy this country!
Just gutted by this news. Gave to McGrath and Harrison. And also Sara Gideon, Susan Collins opponent in the Maine senate race. This is because 1. Susan Collins said publicly that she would not vote yes to confirm a SC nominee in October of this year. She will be under a lot of pressure from the Rs to change that stance. Fine, let the money flow to her opponent.
2. Holding a grudge against her after the Kavanaugh shit show, when Susan Collins has her coming out as a trumpette party.
Probably Mitch McConnell has told Susan Collins he doesn’t need her vote to confirm a nomination (he can lose up to three Republican votes and still confirm) and she needs cover to win re-election. They’ve played this game before with the American people. They only care about power, not integrity.
I wouldn’t trust Collins if she said the sky was blue.
This was a such a shock to see. I knew she was going through medical crisis, but after so many success in that area, I was holding out for her to continue to kick the butt of whatever medical crisis she was fighting at the moment. This really was unexpected though it shouldn’t have been. I’m inspired to fight, fight, fight in her honor, she would want it that way.
I’ve been crying since last night. Great tribute for an amazing woman
The death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg leaves a vast hole in the SCOTUS. I’m sure every right winger is salivating at the possibility of Ted Cruz or Tom Cotton coming on board to overturn Roe v Wade. Overturning Roe v Wade is often the “single issue voter” issue for the right- I’m convinced most of them would vote for the devil if it meant overturning Roe.
Here’s the kicker though: It will not stop with Roe. Griswold v Connecticut will be next, and overturning Roe will set that up beautifully. That’s what these men really want to erase: Griswold. If Griswold goes, ladies, there goes your birth control. Griswold is what allows for it, and these men who want to overturn Roe have ending birth control as their main goal. It’s never been about saving lives, just controlling women.
After Griswold, there will go the woman’s right to vote. The Republican party has already had people advocating for women to be stripped of the right to vote. It will happen if the GOP gets its way. And a bunch of other protections for women will go too.
What I’m saying is thanks a lot for bringing about the Handmaid’s Tale through your ignorance, rwnjs.
All of this. I’m so afraid and even though this affects so many other countries, I have got to get out of the US
RIP. Great woman. She will be deeply missed by America, she was really something, wasn’t she?
I know it’s not a surprise that 2020 would take her from us but I’m still gutted. That being said – my grieving friends, let me shine a light on some positives. Democrat fundraising has broken all records every hour since the Notorious RBG left us. The fight has been renewed within everyone who had been feeling politically weary. The first days of in person voting have seen unprecedented voter turnout. Passionate fury is being channeled constructively and will only gain momentum. Don’t lose hope. It won’t be a blue wave; it’s going to be a blue tsunami that will obliterate the stranglehold on our country. We are not beaten.
Thank you for this. As dark as things seem, we can’t give up! Hope is still there if we all join the fight.
Sending all the comfort to everyone here who is processing this tremendous loss. I literally collapsed on the floor and started sobbing when the alert of RBG’s passing came through on my phone. I woke up with a puffy face and emotional hangover from crying so hard, and have still cried a few times this morning, but I will fight like hell through a tsunami of tears to preserve RBG’s legacy. If you haven’t already, PLEASE request your ballot in your state, and submit it ASAP. Go to votesaveamerica.com if you need information on the process and requirements.
Devastating and terrifying all at once. Praying for America right now.
So heartbreaking. She was an incredible supporter of women’s rights, a glass-ceiling-shattering attorney, force on the Supreme Court and fixture of DC. Trump will try to force some ultra-conservative/authoritarian judge through confirmation in the next 6 weeks, despite the pandemic, despite the election. I am truly frightened.
Yes…there was precious little praise on sites I saw today of what she did. Much calling her a baby killer, with a side of bashing of liberals in general. Good luck America….many people on there could be your neighbour. I was astounded at how one note some people were and how unchristian they were.
Thinking of all of you in America and sending hugs from Canada. I couldn’t name a single Supreme Court Judge in Canada, but I know yours. And RBG was amazing. Please VOTE in all those elections where the Dems have a solid chance. Flip that senate. Elect Biden and Harris. The rest of us are watching and hoping for change. We all need it this year.
Thank you for that laugh, LittlePenguin. I really needed it. I too can name several US SC judges, but none of ours.
I’m so glad I found this site.
May her memory be for a blessing and aleha ha-shalom..
Thank you for this tribute to RBG. This site is the first place I go when we get kicked in the gut by 2020. We morn and then we need to fight like hell is coming.
Everyone, I know we are all grieving the loss of such a special and fierce judge and woman but let’s take real action in her memory. While it is out of our hands whether or not Trump gets a replacement passed through the senate, we can help ensure evil Mitch loses his seat. Donate whatever you can to Amy McGrath running against him in KY. She is behind him in the polls and needs our help to teach him a lesson. RIP RBG
I can’t bear this news.
I believe with my whole heart that she did everything in her power to hold on until a worthy justice could replace her. I hope she didn’t suffer much in trying.
A remarkable woman, a remarkable life. We can ill afford losing the likes of her.
RIP RBG.
I just recently watched the movie “On the Basis of Sex”. Her life story is amazing and inspiring. I was saddened to hear about her passing yesterday. She will be missed by many…but damn she left a good legacy behind !
May she rest in peace. She has left an amazing legacy and she deserved to enjoy her retirement knowing the US was in safe hands.
I’m so sad, she was a warrior for women. If they replace her we add seats to the bench. We need to win & make them the minority & do to them what they’ve been doing, we can’t be nice.
I just feel like the lights have gone out in America. So bleak.
Check when your state opens early voting to vote in person if you can.
No matter how well the USPS works normally, these are not normal times and Trump and DeJoy will try to disenfranchise mail-in ballots as much as they can.
I was so depressed all morning but it got me thinking that this might finally ignite white women and push them to go vote blue. Nothing is more effective in getting voters getting to the ballot than the threat of them losing their privileges. Trump hasnt received much positive support from his own base wurh his announcement which tells me how republicans are worried. The clips of McConnell and others protesting to Obama’s nominee back in 2015 are 💥🌟 once democratics use them on campaign ads everywhere it’ll help destroy that party’s remaining power.
RIP RBG. She was a warrior for women’s rights and justice.
I am so frightened right now.
May she rest in eternal peace, and may her wishes be honoured that she won’t be replaced until a new President is installed. Watching on from the Caribbean, I hope and pray that light and love returns to the USA in the form of a Democratic win in November.
I’ve been silent and mourning since news broke of her passing. I mourn her death. And I mourn her legacy. Not only can we NOT mourn her properly, we can’t celebrate all her achievements because at this very moment plans are being drawn to undercut everything she fought for so spectacularly. We are staring at generations of appalling legislation in the face.
The urgency fell upon us almost immediately following the cascade of news distribution, because there is no decency left. No respect. No proper honor coming from this administration. Only political annihilation. Hubris and lies and hate. And they can make sure this devastation has a permanent foothold for decades. I’m despondent.
This beautiful, smart woman lived and fought as a giant amidst seas of trolls. I can’t imagine where our lives would be without her. How despicable she should have to leave us drowning in this cesspool, aware that we’re treading and having to utilize her last words to provide some direction through her wishes. And also knowing, full well, how this administration would behave. It’s sickening.
Cried when I saw this news yesterday and crying today. This woman tried so hard to hold on for all of us.
2020 feels like the end of the world. I’m voting for Biden. I’ll throw my money at these close election races.
But I want Democrats to start playing by a different set of rules. I want them to be progressive. I want there to be extremes so that we can start pulling this country back to the left. I’m tired of people accepting the middle ground. We can’t afford moderates anymore. They are why we are here. I hope Biden realizes that. He may be one of our only hopes to convince moderates that toeing the line just means accepting the Republicans and everything they represent.