Politics & Power Quote by Ron Kind

Invoking “over 200 years” is less a history lesson than a legitimacy weapon. Ron Kind’s line is built to sound neutral and civic-minded, but its real work is preemptive: it frames judicial review not as a contested power that can expand or contract, but as a settled inheritance that decent people should stop questioning. In today’s political ecosystem, where court decisions routinely function as de facto policy, that move matters. If you can make judicial review feel as old and continuous as the Constitution itself, you can recast contemporary battles over the Supreme Court as reckless tampering with the nation’s operating system.

The phrasing is carefully calibrated. “Our democracy” invites broad emotional ownership; “this constitutional government” tacks on a note of formal seriousness, a reminder that the U.S. is rules-first, not vibes-first. The sentence doesn’t cite Marbury v. Madison (1803), the classic origin story, because name-dropping law-school canon would narrow the audience and invite debate. “Over 200 years” does the job more elegantly: it compresses a complex institutional history into a simple, vote-ready credential.

The subtext is defensive and strategic. Kind is likely speaking into a moment when calls to curb courts, expand the bench, or ignore rulings are in the air. By presenting judicial review as long-established, he nudges listeners toward institutional restraint: accept the referee, even when you hate the call. That’s not purely principled; it’s also political triage, a bid to make stability sound like the only patriotic option.