Red-state Democrats face 'terrible' bind on Supreme Court pick

WRAL.com ^ | 7 Jul, 2018 | Carl Hulse, New York Times

[MtnClimber]

WASHINGTON — Democratic senators running for re-election in red states where President Donald Trump remains popular face an agonizing choice over his coming Supreme Court nominee: Vote to confirm the pick and risk demoralizing Democratic voters ahead of the midterm elections, or stick with the party and possibly sacrifice their own seats — and any chance at a Democratic majority in 2019.

The actions of a handful of Senate Democrats struggling to hold their seats in those states — notably Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia — will have broad implications for the party at a critical political juncture

[MtnClimber]

I don't remember where I saw/heard this. The whole thing is:

When in danger

or in doubt.

Run in circles,

scream and shout.

[rebel25]

he will be i have all of his compilation books

[apillar]

Manchin, Donnelly and Heitkamp all voted to confirm Neil Gorsuch, all three are up for reelection in November. I have a hard time seeing any of them voting against the eventual nominee (baring some major scandal or other issue with the nominee).

Where it will really get interesting is if a couple Republicans defect, these three democrats votes didn't "matter" with Gorsuch because he would have been confirmed without their votes, so they could appeal to their red state voters with no consequences. However, if their vote will actually be the difference between confirming or rejecting the nominee you are going to see the democrat party putting pressure on them like never before.

Funny thing is, like this story suggest it my be a pyrrhic victory. The democrats force these Senators to vote against the nominee, the nominee is rejected. Then all three lose their seats to Republicans in November, Trump renominates the candidate after the new Senate is sworn in and then Republicans confirm the nominee with no democrat votes needed. Then democrats get nothing other than a delay of a few months in the seating of the Justice and lose several seats in the senate for at least the next two years to boot.

[DoodleBob]

Trump will seize control of the narrative

This is unlikely but if Trump nominates Amy Coney Barrett, on some level I'd LOVE to see what I lay out below...and bet it'd work.

Let the Dems do their pre-hearing thing...ya know, she's a racist, Nazi, she'll send us back to coat hanger abortions blah blah blah.

While the hearings are ongoing, Trump Tweets these images...

...with an ominous message like "Which Franken-like Dem Senator on the Judiciary Committee is about to have THEIR slime come out? #MakeMyDay."

Everyone loses their mind, Dems go into damage control mode and tone down the questioning and we get a great replacement for Kennedy.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

That would be the only outcome that would increase my all consuming sadness over my current bereaved state.

[MtnClimber]

Al Franken, the hero of democRATs.

[JohnEBoy]

Note: Already posted at 5:45 PM

[grey_whiskers]

+1

(But you forgot the Russian Squat Dance part. Or am I confusing him with Scott Adams of Dilbert?)

[BwanaNdege]

I’d forgotten that part.

https://tinyurl.com/McManus-Russian-Squat-Dance

I was on a smallmouth bass fishing trip in Maine when I first read McManus during a lunch break at the cabin. I was laughing so hard that I nearly fell off the couch.

Then I remembered reading about Crazy Eddie Muldoon in Reader’s Digest decades earlier... So much enjoyment from the pen of one man!