ObamaCare and Gay Marriage Rulings Were Key
In an op-ed at PJ Media, titled "Judicial Activism Set the Stage for Trump Win," Curt Levey writes that:
"Doubts about Trump faded when Republicans and like-minded voters looked back at the High Court's unmistakably activist decisions on ObamaCare and same-sex marriage, and considered the consequences of a Court dominated by Hillary Clinton appointees. ... Reminding voters that they are living under the rule of judges rather the rule of law motivated them to go to the polls, so they could have a say over which judges will rule them."
Mr. Levey notes that "voters who called High Court appointments the most important factor in their presidential choice constituted a full 21% of the electorate, and they voted overwhelmingly for Trump."
Levey contends that "Trump's anti-establishment campaign was perfectly timed and perfectly aligned with the center-right's conviction that the elite were using judicial activism to impose their values on the average American." He explains that:
"At the deepest level, the realignment of blue-collar voters that enabled Trump's victory was engendered by their resentment of an elite class that looks down upon those who do not share its values. The gay marriage decision in particular reinforced that resentment, when the Supreme Court declared that the traditional definition of marriage -- a definition favored by half of the nation, but few of the elite -- was irrational bigotry."
Read Mr. Levey's op-ed here.