Would It Have Been So Hard

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of our president. Last night though, there were several moments that made me feel a little less than. Of all of them, this one stuck out the most:

”With all due deference to separation of powers, last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests –- including foreign corporations –- to spend without limit in our elections. (Applause.) I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. (Applause.) They should be decided by the American people. And I’d urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to correct some of these problems.’”

Did he really need to call out the Supreme Court like that? I mean I am sure some people will call it "bold" or something; necessary, responsible maybe. But in a speech where he takes congress to task for partisan politics and goes on about wanting to work with the legislative branch do we really need a shot across the bow of the court?

Really it seemed to me a little unfair. The court is usually rendering judgment based on the case in front of them. We always want to hear that we are getting judges that will vote against their personal belief when the law and the evidence points the other way. Is it too much to assume that even though the decision overturns prior decisions that it might still be correct for this case? Maybe the judges are just as upset about the ramifications as the rest of us, but their responsibility to the law doesn't allow them to be as reactionary as the average person.

So what I was wondering was, would it have been so difficult to have just said in the middle, right after he said he didn't think corporate money belongs in our elections (and that's simplifying things right away, yes? the case is about advertising I think) that he's fairly certain that's not what the court wants either and that it is now on Congress to craft a law to protect elections without violating the law. Make the problem the problem rather than making the court look like the problem.

Things are tough all over. No reason to go poking the Supreme Court Justices when we don't have to.