Mitch McConnell: Keep sending nominees and “we’ll keep confirming ’em and change the court system forever”
At campaign rally in Kentucky, Trump calls McConnell a “rock-ribbed Kentucky leader” and “a tough cookie”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been on a roll. Together Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, McConnell has sheparded through Democrat obstruction a total as of today of 84 Trump judicial nominees, including 15 last week in addition to Brett Kavanaugh.
Included in that group are two Supreme Court justices, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, and 29 Courts of Appeals judges.
Because of the large number of vacancies Trump inherited, Trump has a historic opportunity to reshape the federal judiciary, and he seems serious about it.
At a Trump rally on October 13, 2018, just one week after the Kavanaugh confirmation, McConnell took the stage and told Trump to keep sending nominees:
The president lauded Mr. McConnell as a “rock-ribbed Kentucky leader” and “a tough cookie” before a self-indulgent addendum.
“He’s better when I’m president than he ever was before,” he added, to raucous cheers.
Mr. McConnell, who shared a handshake and a one-armed embrace with the president on stage, offered a succinct promise when offered the microphone.
“Keep sending them our way, and we’ll keep changing the court system forever,” he said.
Angelo Carusone, President of Media Matters and the person behind the Beck, Limbaugh, Fox News and other advertiser boycotts, took note:
The Trump-deranged Kathy Griffin also is upset:
Keep in mind, that the Senate can continue confirming nominees until the next Congress starts in early January. So even if Republicans lost the Senate, which seems unlikely now, the confirmation train can keep rolling down the tracks.
If Democrats are upset now, just wait a couple more months:
There are 32 judicial nominations pending on the Senate floor (one appellate and 31 district), and there are seven judicial nominations (two appellate and five district) ready to be reported out of committee. In addition, there are 14 more judicial nominations (four appellate and ten district) on which a committee hearing has been expected to occur by mid-November.
If all of these nominations are confirmed by year-end, that would take President Trump’s total to 137—two Supreme Court justices, 36 federal appellate judges, and 99 federal district judges.
For sake of comparison: President Obama’s total during his first two years was 62—two Supreme Court justices, 16 federal appellate judges, and 44 federal district judges.
Here are more complete comments with Trump praising McConnell and complaining about how badly Kavanaugh was treated:
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Comments
If Paul Ryan hadn’t sandbagged the first legislative year on Obamacare when he didn’t have consensus, and the Republicans instead concentrated on issues like judges where there is agreement, then the first two years would have gone much better.
What on earth does Ryan have to do with judges?
He doesn’t.
But his contribution to everything else was about as useful as boehner’s, and as obstructionist as mccain’s.
This is important primarily because the Left has made it important, with the constant end-runs around legislative authority with judicial fiat. If the people don’t want it, and the legislature doesn’t enact it in law, they still got their way by having lefty judges legislating from the bench. I rarely agree with what Ben Sasse has to say, but his remarks at the Kavanaugh hearing about Congress abdicating its responsibility were spot on.
Congress has gotten in the habit of avoiding making clear concise law, so they aren’t to blame when courts decide what it means or doesn’t mean. If judges go back to reading a law as written rather than wishcasted, they will force congress to do it’s job.
….And Congress is so much better able to do its job than the courts. Congress has access to outside resources and expertise, while the courts have only the parties before them. Congress is designed to balance the many, different, legitimate interests found in this broad country. The courts, again, have only the parties before them.
Our legislative system is set up for a certain amount of gridlock, so that our laws might be more carefully considered before passage. Of course, people of ill will can ruin the process as was done with the passage of Obamacare.
1000 page laws are designed to snooker voters. That’s their main purpose.
“Keep sending them our way, and we’ll keep changing the court system forever,” he said.
That’s a strange statement. McConnell usually isn’t so deliberately inflammatory, and it’s not obvious that there’s any reason to start now. It’s also untrue. The R’s aren’t “changing the court system” at all. They’re just doing their jobs, as specified in the Constitution, and approving Presidential appointments in the same old way. The D’s are trying to sabotage that system, but not terribly successfully.
While accurate, that sort of statement doesn’t get the troops enthused. At this point in the electoral calendar, absent a war the primary issue is GOTV.
Oh come on. There are many ways to get folks to the voting booth. From the bottom (GOTV) and from the top (rallies). Rally speeches not only get folks to vote, they generate more money & more publicity which pays for the GOTV effort.
Bottom line is that the Trump-McConnell-Grassley judicial confirmation effort is nothing short of miraculous, esp given their razor thin majority. I still do not know how they were able to get the RINOs on board. Just incredible.
If you don’t believe me, ask Chucky and DiFi. They were rolled.
After the most recent 15 there are still over 120 vacancies. They need to step it up dramatically.
Re: Kathy Griffin “If this doesn’t get you to vote, I don’t know what will…”
It is, Kathy, it is…
Unless you control the border, the number of judges you appoint is meaningless. Once the Democrats have a one-party country, they’ll just pack the courts and America is over.
Immigration control is the most important issue in the long run.
Keep your eye on mcconnell – and remember his surrender to odumbo.
When RBG dies, Trump should nominate a woman: Anne Coulter.