Antonin Scalia and a Bygone Era

Whether or not you agreed with Antonin Scalia’s philosophy, you have to admire his towering intellect, forceful defense of his views, sense of humor and joy of living. He died several days ago in his sleep following a day of quail hunting.
We do not need to mourn his loss. He lived a long and happy life. We should mourn how our political system has changed for the worse since he was appointed. Today both parties are petty, hypocritical and mean-spirited.
I don’t think a Scalia could be confirmed today. We much prefer candidates without a long paper trail. He counted Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan as close friends. Forming friendships with political opposites was once quite common. Ted Kennedy had a number of Republican friends. Now the other side is the enemy, not the opposition.
Both sides showed their hypocrisy and lack of class after Scalia’s death. They staked out their position within hours of the announcement. Democrats proudly speak of fulfilling constitutional responsibilities while Republicans talk of letting the people decide. We all know if the current president was a Republican, each side would take the opposite position.
It is understandable why so many people share my disgust with both parties. However, voting for an egomaniacal billionaire or cranky socialist is not the solution.