After the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Senate Democrats vowed “nothing was off the table” if President Trump nominated a replacement for Ginsburg and the Republican-controlled Senate confirmed that nominee.
Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer said, “Let me be clear: If Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans move forward with this, then nothing is off the table for next year. Nothing is off the table.”
RELATED: Schumer Vows To Use ‘Every Tool In The Toolkit’ To Delay Trump Supreme Court Nominee
NEW: Democrats step up hardball tactics as Supreme Court fight heats up https://t.co/z3DWVXv14L pic.twitter.com/b7bkMZX0Yv
— The Hill (@thehill) September 22, 2020
Democrats’ Extreme Lengths To Stop Trump
The “nothing is off the table” threat is a grab bag of left-wing priorities:
Packing the Supreme Court with additional justices, ending the filibuster in the Senate, statehood for Puerto Rico, and statehood for the District of Columbia.
Nancy Pelosi one-upped her Senate colleague, going as far as to threaten to impeach President Trump and/or the Attorney General to try and stop confirmation of a new Justice.
From Vox: ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked Pelosi about the idea floated by some activists that Democrats could use impeachment hearings against Trump or Attorney General Bill Barr to tie up the Senate if Republicans try to push through a nomination during a lame-duck session (after a potential win for Democrats in Congress and the White House).
“Well, we have our options,” Pelosi replied. “We have arrows in our quiver that I’m not about to discuss right now, but the fact is we have a big challenge in our country.
“This president has threatened to not even accept the results of the election with statements that he and his henchmen have made.”
NeverTrump Republicans Already Surrendering?
Some on the establishment right immediately responded to the threats by suggesting the GOP negotiate with Democrats.
NeverTrumper David French suggested that Trump make his pick, the Senate proceeds to hold hearings on the nominee, but that the Senate only confirms his pick if Trump is re-elected.
French explicitly says the reason for this compromise is because of Democratic threats:
After all, while much can happen between now and November 3rd, the Democrats may well hold the House, narrowly take control of the Senate, and win the White House.
At that point, they’d have the legal and constitutional power to not just reverse conservative control of the Court by amending the law to increase the number of Supreme Court seats (a process popularly known as “court-packing”), they could also permanently alter the balance of power in the Senate by admitting new states – namely Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.
Me, in @Time – a path forward that holds politicians to their promises. If it’s just about power, we’ll strain this country to the breaking point. But there’s a statesmen’s path that relies on principles and prudence to decide who holds Ginsburg’s seat: https://t.co/Vx6ZyTZ6il
— David French (@DavidAFrench) September 21, 2020
While some conservatives have attempted to counter French by arguing the Reaganesque “we don’t negotiate with terrorists” line, I would take it one step further:
Senate Republicans can – and should – do whatever they want, Democrats have already shot the hostage.
Let’s be clear, absolutely everything the Democrats have threatened to do if Republicans proceed with the nomination, they will do if they take power – regardless of whether Republicans play nice or not.
Democrats Will Not Respect Norms – Vote On Trump’s Nominee
If Joe Biden wins in November and if Democrats maintain majority in the House and retake the Senate, they will eliminate the filibuster, move to pack the Court, press forward on statehood for Puerto Rico, and do the same for the District of Columbia.
Hell, Democrats have already impeached the President for purely political reasons.
As Maya Angelou famously said, “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.”
Democrats have shown the American people time and time again exactly who they are – and it is time we believe them.
RELATED: Gowdy Hammers Biden – If You Don’t Want Trump Picking Supreme Court Justices, Win An Election
Joe Biden won’t answer questions about things like Court packing because he doesn’t want to tell the American people the truth, which is: if he can do, it he absolutely will.
Quote:Biden “doesn’t answer key questions. And his media friends calculate that if they give you the inside scoop on the amazingly deft political strategy behind not answering questions, you’ll be so wowed you won’t notice that the answers are what matter” https://t.co/KDd1I6zDlM
— Brit Hume (@brithume) September 23, 2020
I firmly believe that Donald Trump will be re-elected in November – in spite of Democratic shenanigans – but if for some reason the President isn’t re-elected, a conservative Supreme Court majority for a generation would certainly be the most important and lasting piece of President Trump’s legacy.
