By Britt Nelson

Editor’s Note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.

President Obama’s choice to replace the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has turned 100 percent political as Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vows the U.S. Senate will not conduct confirmation hearings for Federal Appeals Judge Merrick Garland.

On Sunday morning news talk shows, McConnell said again he will not take action on another Obama U.S. Supreme Court nomination during this presidential election year. In his first seven years, Obama has had two Supreme Court nominations confirmed without controversy – Sonia Sotomayor in 2009 and Elena Kagan in 2010.

Republicans are saying that two appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court are enough for Obama. This situation may soon change dramatically due to the advanced age and health of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 83, who has been diagnosed with colon cancer and pancreatic cancer. Not to mention that Justice Anthony Kennedy is 79 and Justice Stephen Breyer is 77. Two other justices are in their mid-to-late 60s.

Ideological control of the U.S. Supreme Court is at stake. With Scalia gone, there are currently four conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court to four liberals. That’s why Republicans have stalled out President Obama’s nominee, who is considered a moderate. Garland, in the past, has supported changes to the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution concerning additional gun control measures.

Over the next four to eight years, up to five more vacancies may occur on the U.S. Supreme Court, so the next president could alter the court to be more conservative or more liberal for an entire generation to come. That’s what all the fuss is about over Obama’s nominee, who if confirmed would slant the court more liberal than conservative.

Looking out over the political horizon, this year is turning out different from all expectations of only a year ago and all bets are off. Political season 2016 is in high gear with rough and tumble politics getting more extreme with each passing day.

Political protests — with some turning violent at political rallies– are popping up across the nation involving both political parties.

Despite the protests, New York billionaire Donald Trump is riding high in the Republican polls and in the delegate count as more primary elections and caucuses are set for Tuesday, March 22 – Arizona’s winner-take-all primary for Republicans and Democrats, Utah caucuses for Republicans and Democrats, plus Idaho caucuses for the Democrats.

Trump leads in the Arizona Republican polls 34 percent to Cruz’s 21 percent and Kasich is at 12 percent.

Cruz, however, has a large lead in the Mormon state of Utah, according to recent polls — 53 percent to Kasich’s 29 percent with Trump at 11 percent.

Clinton leads Sanders by a wide margin in Arizona 53 percent to Sanders’ 23 percent.

Trump leads in his total delegate count up against Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, while Democrat and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has a wide delegate lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Establishment Republicans, including McConnell, have not let up on their determination to derail Trump’s campaign. Millions on top of millions of dollars are being spent on angry, negative TV attack ads aimed at Trump and they are coming from both political parties through their political action committees better known as PACs.

So far, the more establishment Republicans try to stop Trump the stronger he becomes and they are unleashing a monster of sorts they will not be able to tame if Trump wins the presidency.

The voters are fed up and angry about nothing meaningful changing within the Federal Government and Trump fills the bill. For Trump supporters, it’s time to circle the wagons and protect the American way of life for all citizens, but not illegal immigrants.

For Clinton’s supporters about all they seem to want is to elect the first woman as president of the United States just like they elected the first black president. After that, Clinton’s campaign is shallow and she has a plan for changing everything. Included in her platform for change is to use the U.S. Supreme Court to go after the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, thereby limiting gun ownership.

It’s true that gun violence in the USA claims about 90 people every day – men, women and children — and changes to gun laws is in order.

Trump wants to preserve the 2nd Amendment as it is, but improve access to mental health treatment. A worthy goal — but that, too, seems too little, too late. The size of the gun problem in America is the problem.

Meanwhile, several hundred anti-Trump protesters attempted to block an Arizona highway Saturday briefly limiting access to a Trump rally outside Phoenix. Out on the highway, local police made three arrests and they are to be commended for handling a tense situation without resorting to violence. The Trump rally went on as planned.

For now, it’s clear that President Obama’s most recent nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court is going nowhere fast. It’s also clear that Sanders is going nowhere fast. It’s clear, at this point, Clinton will be the Democrat’s nominee for president. It’s clear that Cruz and Kasick are still in the race only to drain delegates away from Trump. It’s no secret that Cruz, second in the delegate count, is also not liked by establishment Republicans and they are holding their noses while they outwardly support Cruz over Trump.

What’s not clear is what will happen to Trump’s candidacy at the beginning ofthe Republican National Convention in July.

About the Author

Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.
Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.