It has worked so well for Dems in the past.

used so often during W's years.

Do they have any clue why people don't come out and vote for them?

that he needs to keep the powder dry at this time.

Or that's my fear.

It's going to be up to us to charge the hill, and drag them with us.

They have done this too many times and republicans laugh all the way to getting what they want.

Anyone Democrat that doesn't fight this tooth and nail is on my perma-shit list.

Republicans have no integrity -- letting them claim this stolen seat in the expectation that they won't eliminate the filibuster down the road is the type of stupidity that you would think Democrats would have gotten over by now.

that means NO now.
N O W.

Trump the wannabe dictator needs complete opposition! I am not a fan of Schumer as minority leader, but will wait and see. He needs to back up words with actions.

if not, he gets primaried.

Fight, goddammit.

I'm expecting that they'll do it for shits and giggles - because they can.

I just love the "Liberal Firebrands" slant.

melting into a pool of disgust

What's to stop McConnell from trying it anyway? What's to stop McConnell from trying it in the future with another justice?

The Trump poor excuse of an Administration is taking damage, but here some Senators are willing to snatch defeat and concession from the jaws of victory.

An all-out war is here, it is happening now. If you can't or won't see that, then you need to get out of the way.

Don't give us the keep-the-powder-dry bullshit.

You just keep thinkin', Butch. That's what you're good at.

It bombed.

They really need to stop acting like they can control the repubs. They can't. Playing nice now will not change their behavior. If it did we wouldn't be in the mess we're in now.

Vote for them again. We need Dems with intestinal fortitude.

Tactical reasoning for the strategic value but it is no less infuriating. This vacancy should have been filled by President Obama months ago.

I want them to fight like hell and obstruct, but this is basically the "filibuster on appointment positions" debate all over again. Dems listened to the calls from the base to get rid of it and now we are stuck with anyone that Trump chooses.

Do we push the Republicans to get rid of the filibuster on a conservative nominee that doesn't shift the court from where it was during the Obama presidency and accept having no say when the RBG or Breyer inevitably resign due to age? It's a gamble that could have generational consequences.

That being said, I'd like to see them call Turtle's bluff.

Follow that up by saying he's not going to be in office for too much longer. Totally fuck with their heads as to what is meant by that. Say nothing. Just smile at the cameras like Joe Biden as if he were about to have Paul Ryan's bony ass again for dinner.

Next, to really send Trump into a tertiary stage syphilitic Twitter rage, the Senate Democrats should tell him that the Kremlin won't get to fulfill its advise and consent role with his Supreme Court nominees.

How about they just do what they are told and stop playing games designed to extend their careers.

It would be an unimaginable slap in the face to the women of this country. If they don't fight tooth and nail, I will resign my party membership.

Preserving a filibuster on SC nominees is more vital for Dems than Republicans right now. RBG is 83 and Breyer is 79. A conservative replacing Scalia leaves the deciding vote to Kennedy. A conservative replacing RBG or Breyer means it's game over for the next 20-30 years.

Our entire government is about to be run by unqualified asshats because the filibuster on cabinet appointments is gone. The Dems have to be worried about whether the SC left leaning can survive such a change.

and hope the next nominee fore Ginsburg or Kennedy doesn't come until late in Trumps term. Then they may be able to do the same thing Republicans did to Garland and hold out until after 2020.

I see nobody here except you is able to think rationally and strategically though, its all emotion.

Does not work on a Supreme Court pick. This was made into the rules when Reid dismantled the 60 vote test for Presidential Nominees outside of the Supreme Court pick, from what I heard.

The same process could be used to change them again

I saw William Pryor was also on the short list. He would be not a no but a HELL NO!

He's gonna go with the one most likely to piss people like us off.

They damn well better fight, or plan on being out of power for good. If we can't count on them now, they're fucking useless.

in retaining long standing rules of the Senate". Has he changed his mind already? PIA!!!

He also thinks he had other options to get past a filibuster.

If a 2nd Supreme Court pick comes up, why wouldn't he use the nuclear option then just because they got their first pick through?

because it would likely be for Ginsburg or Kennedy. This nomination is just a conservative replacing a conservative.

Its also later in Trumps term so he will be weaker as president. Theres the possibility of picking up seats in 2018. Theres a chance to hold out until after 2020 like they did with Garland. There's no way you could do that this early for 4 years.

There's all kinds of reasons why a second nominee would be easier to oppose. The only way this one would be is if its an extremist like Pryor and thats not who its going to be

Mitch will never gut the filibuster now!



==============

In 2018, for the next fight.

IMHO, they cannot count on that.

Hard to see where they pick up seats.

Easy to see where they can lose some.

Tester, McCaskill, Manchin for starts.

Having a spine is really uncomfortable for some people.

I think Sen. Schumer should use the same approach he did with the cabinet vetting letter:

Refuse to give the nominee a hearing.

When the Republicans exclaim, "You are obstructing!"

Schumer says "That's just what you did with President Obama's nominee."

When the Republicans come back with, "But that's because Obama had less than a year left in office!"

Schumer retorts, "Exactly. Same, same."

because he is in the minority. Republicans control the Senate and therefore make those decisions.

like repubs won't use it whenever they want despite what dems do? how stupid is that?

Who had changed their party affiliation from Democrat to Independent (No Party Preference here in California) years ago, but they always vote Democratic--they just don't want a D--big one or little one--next to their name.

I'm close to doing the same thing myself, changing my party affiliation from D to I. Democrats caving in--tapping out like the fighters in MMA. The more things change the more they stay the same. WHY not just change their name from Democrats to Capitulators

Democrats caving yet AGAIN.

Just WOW

I would say go for it. If your state has closed primaries you would have to change back to D for every primary.

There is no telling when the next SCOTUS vacancy will occur. It could occur well into Trump's first term, after he has royally pissed off certain Republican Senators (and possibly after Democrats gain 1-2 seats in the midterms). I could then imagine an extremely unlikely but possible situation where a few Republicans state they will not vote for the nuclear option, giving Democrats much more leverage.

As I said, it is very unlikely. But it isn't beyond the realm of possibility, given Trump's incompetence, immaturity, and disregard for Congress (or any other check on his power).

especially if they had already voted for Trumps first nominee. That will make them seem reasonable and give them cover to pressure him on his second. They will not want to be a part to stacking the court with conservatives, their moderate republican constituents wont want that.

Thats the only hope, to wait and go all out against Trumps second nomination which will change the balance.

The only thing they ever do is email saying, "the GOP did something awful; give us money"

Spineless.

This is another idiotic mistake. The grassroots folks are going to abandon this party if it won't stand up.

HELL. is it going to take to get these Democrats to take things seriously????

I give up. I fucking give up. They have learned nothing.

you fucking weenies. It's the only thing that will help, and don't fucking pick your battles. Fight ALL of it. ALL of you!

They don't care if we lose America as long as they keep their jobs.