Dems forcing the Nuclear Option would unite the Republican Party
Please Chuck Schumer, make us do it.
I’m not sure the Republican Party ever has been united. There always were factions at odds with each other and at each other’s throats.
It reminds me of the Tom Lehrer song National Brotherhood Week, paraphrasing:
Well the RINOs hate the Tea Party, and the Tea Party hates the Neocons, and the Neocons hate libertarians, and everybody hates D.C.
Whatever momentary, purely superficial unity was created by the Trump presidential win and the hold of the Senate and House quickly evaporated during the Obamacare repeal and replace battle.
It’s civil war again in the Republican Party.
So what we need is something to unite around, something that is a clear victory.
And Chuck Schumer is just the guy to give it to us. He’s been blustering for a filibuster of Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Gorsuch is so clearly qualified, so clearly should be approved, so clearly is an intellectual giant compared to Sotomayor and Kagan, who sailed through, that Republicans have been making clear we are ready to go Nuclear Option.
Even Mitch McConnell is talking tough:
“Several have suggested that a Supreme Court justice needs to get 60 votes. I think you already know no Supreme Court justice has ever been stopped with a partisan filibuster. … That is obviously what the Democratic leader has announced they will do.
“We are optimistic that they will not be successful in keeping this good man from joining the Supreme Court very soon.”
McConnell, according to Reuters, said Gorsuch will be confirmed on “Friday of next week.”
I think that if Democrats force Republicans to go nuclear, it could be a singularly uniting event. It will feel good. For a moment.
[Featured Image: Photoshop of Riding the Bomb]
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Comments
I love Mitch in the role of Slim Pickens! Great graphic!!
Slim Pickens has a lot more balls and charisma than Old McTurtle.
Tom Lehrer, hooray! I have a 21 year old friend who’s just discovered him – and likes his music as much as I did when I was her age 40 years ago.
Rather than the words to “National Brotherhood Week,” I prefer Lehrer’s patter introducing it: “Now I realize that there are some people who do not like their fellow man, and I HATE people like that.” That describes a certain portion of our population, does it not?
I’m not so sure that the R’s will get 51 votes using the nuclear option. Collins and Murkowski and possibly Alexander are a 50/50 bet. Throw in Rand “Look at me” Paul and that could really end this confirmation.
Alexander likes his job too well to buck the party. Corker on the other hand, has his eyes set on the TN governor’s chair, and has been extremely unpredictable.
Neither Corker nor Alexander will deny Trump his nominee, unless they want their head on a pike in the Nashville town square. Trump carried Tennessee by something like 27%.
After garnering some more “Me, too” attention to himself, Rand Paul will vote yea.
In the end, Murkowski will vote yea.
Collins, as always, remains problematic.
Why on earth would either of those block it? I’m not aware any have signalled it either.
They would claim they were “standing up for the traditions of the Senate”.
I agree. History has shown us Republicans talk tough for the base but their action favors comity even if it means failure.
Then they “act” like Democrats!
I seriously don’t understand the stupidity of the Democrats in this case.
Nobody laid a glove on Gorsuch, not so much as a single sound byte to even suggest he wasn’t completely qualified for the position.
So here, on this hill, is where the Democrats are going to fight to the death? Over somebody with not even a speck of dirt on him that won’t change the court’s political makeup anyway?
Save your fight for when Ginsberg dies or finally gets forcefully removed by the other judges when they can’t hide the fact she’s too old to do her job anymore. When Trump may nominate somebody more vulnerable.
But as it stands now there is no scenario under which Gorsuch doesn’t get confirmed. Forcing them to use the nuclear option now accomplishes nothing but give them the most favorable possible environment to go nuclear in.
From the Democrats point of view they are like sharks in the water and blood has been spilled over the health care fiasco.
They are calculating the odds that the Republicans will be so weak and stupid as to not even support a nuclear option to confirm Gorsuch.
If they think they can win that nuclear option vote they will filibuster him.
I prefer to think the Democrat Party fears they’ll be extinct before another opportunity…..
Plus, this is just more Kabuki theater for their deluded cult followers……
Schumer is a perfect as* but no fool. A Dem filibuster would not be a prudent move right now. I suspect there will be lots of noise but no smoke or fire from that side of the Senate.
I’m sorry. I don’t agree. Personally I think if they are forced into the nuclear option it will be very close just on using the option. Too many Republicans just don’t have the fire to win like the Democrats do.
I don’t see it uniting anything.
Democrats want to win; Republicans want everyone to love them.
It appears clear to me. The Dems want to talk a big game of bluster…. making their base happy about ‘resist’ and pretending to filibuster. But there will be enough Dems that ‘just happen’ to cross over that the vote will happen.
They are continuing to fund raise by making it an emotional issue. They may reach a goal and then allow a few to peel off so the precedent of the nuclear option need not be set. They real fight will be the next SCOTUS nominee.
I long believed that invoking the nuclear option would prove a long-term negative, even after Democrats filibustered (or threatened to) the likes of Estrada for an Appeals seat. But they haven’t even a flimsy pretext to block Gorsuch.
We let the utterly unqualified Sotomayor take a seat. If they threaten to block Gorsuch, screw it, there is no more long-term damage to be done. Democrats are scum and should be treated as such.
As supreme court justices go,there is no bigger dumbness than estimator.
Ironically,she’s also the most arrogant and with the biggest mouth. She’s affirmative action putz, just like the Obamas.
Oops – ‘Estimator’ should read ‘sotomayor’
Prof Jacobson – don’t underestimate the cowardice and corruption of the HOPe.
Trump should quit the party and form a new one.
The filibuster rule has go to go now. The sooner the better.
Eisenhower appointed justices to the SCOTUS using Recess Appointments.
“So what we need is something to unite around, something that is a clear victory.”
Republicans need to unite in support of the OFFICIAL Republican Party platform, the one they ran on and the one that got them elected. I know, too “radical”. Actually delivering on your campaign promises? Crazy!!!
Why the hell is this taking so long anyway? McConnell needs to get off his a$$ and get the vote to the floor.