Posted on 07/14/2018 9:59:05 AM PDT by yesthatjallen
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W. Va.) had strong words for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (N.Y.) efforts to unify the party against President Trump’s Supreme Court pick.
Manchin suggested to Politico that Schumer does not have any influence over whether or not he supports Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination.
“I’ll be 71 years old in August, you’re going to whip me? Kiss my you know what,” Manchin told Politico, referring to whipping votes among the party caucus.
Schumer has spoken out harshly against Kavanaugh and vowed to oppose him “with everything I’ve got.” Democrats will need at least two GOP votes, in addition to all Democrats, to block the nomination.
But Democrats up for re-election in Trump states are not guaranteed votes against the confirmation, and many have signaled that Schumer’s efforts may not be enough to convince them to vote against the nominee.
“My decision won’t have anything to do with Chuck Schumer,” Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) told Politico. Donnelly, in addition to Manchin and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) all voted in support of Neil Gorsuch.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) told Politico that Schumer “knows better” than to try to pressure her to vote a certain way.
“He doesn’t come to me and say: ‘You’ve got to vote with us on this.’ He knows I’ll tell him to take a flyin’ leap,” she said. “I’m going to do what I think is right. It has nothing to do with the party.”
It sounds good, but, knowing how democrats roll, it may just be theater; no different that the other phonies saying things like “I’m keeping an open mind,” or “I’ll decide after hearing him at confirmation,” and other disingenuous drek like that, when they and the rest of the world know they’ll oppose the nominee. My money says manchin will vote to oppose.
Chuckie cant stop it and then his looney left fringe is going to hold him responsible. Love it!
Who knows how Manchin will vote, but I guarantee you it will be based purely on political expediency, and right now that’s not looking good for the guy being invited to kiss the posterior of the poster child for red state democrats. More popcorn, please.
Now that I would pay to see.
They are in a bind.
Every single Democrat, including these vulnerable Democrats, could vote against Kavanaugh, but he could get confirmed anyway, with united GOP support. So what would be the point, of hurting their own re-election efforts, in a losing cause?
And, longer term, why would Schumer want to see the Democrats lose Senate seats, in a losing cause against Supreme Court nominees??
Suppose somehow Kavanaugh doesn’t get confirmed, but the Democrats lose Senate seats in November? In that case, the next nominee to the court, who will be just as objectionable to Democrats as Kavanaugh, will be voted on by a Senate with more Republican members.
Chuck Schumer is many things, but he’s not a stupid politician, and he knows how to count and evaluate things just as I have noted here.
Though I do wonder, why Schumer chose the Gorsuch nomination to filibuster? All he did, was trigger the “nuclear option”, so that the filibuster option is gone for Supreme Court nominees. If that filibuster was still in place now, he might actually have had some leverge to manuever on this nomination of Kavanaugh.
Looks like Schumer has once again gotten sand in his vagina!
Manchin is still gazing at Trump’s 42% margin West Virginia win.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) told Politico that Schumer “knows better” than to try to pressure her to vote a certain way.
“He doesn’t come to me and say: ‘You’ve got to vote with us on this.’ He knows I’ll tell him to take a flyin’ leap,” she said.
Then he’ll say,”Claire, you remember those election funds you asked for because you’ll lose in the midterms?”
“I’m going to do what I think is right. It has nothing to do with the party.”
“Chuck Schumer is many things, but he’s not a stupid politician, and he knows how to count and evaluate things just as I have noted here.
Though I do wonder, why Schumer chose the Gorsuch nomination to filibuster? All he did, was trigger the “nuclear option”, so that the filibuster option is gone for Supreme Court nominees. If that filibuster was still in place now, he might actually have had some leverge to manuever on this nomination of Kavanaugh.”
Dilbert, don’t you think your comments above are talking at crossed purposes with one another? If, as you say, Schumer IS a “smart politician,” how do you square that comment with him triggering the “nuclear option?”
Because now, when it begins to be more important than ever ( can you say Ruthie’s replacement), Schmucky Chucky has given away his hole card.
Trump will likely replace four (or perhaps more if Thomas decides to call it a day, or the Wise Latrina has to drop out due to her Type 1 diabetes) Justices.
The only person we have to worry about now is McScrotumneck!
You are right. On further review, I give Schumer too much credit for being a smart politician. It was a major blunder on his part, to trigger the filibuster battle on the Gorsuch nomination.
So I take it back, Schumer is not so smart. He would have been wiser to not fight it on the Gorsuch nomination, in order to preserve that rule for another battle.
Placing Gorsuch on the Supreme Court did not tip the balance of the court, since one conservative replaced another. But the Kavanaugh nomination threatens to tip that balance, as the wishy washy Kennedy will be replaced by a strong conservative. In retrospect, Schumer would have been smarter to save the filibuster fight for this nomination, rather than the Gorsuch nomination.
My guess is Schumer chose the filibuster as a test of Yertle's resolve, and as an early test of Trump the President. He lost, bigly. However, the man may have gotten smart after that spanking. He DID get the budget he wanted and he HAS tried to meet with Trump on DACA.
If Schumer has learned anything - he may be dumb but he ain't stupid - he has already passed out the Kabuki Theatre scripts to the Dem Senators. That is, he's said:
"Look, we can defeat this nominee if we all vote against AND pick off Collins or Paul or Murkowsky. But we'd lose up to 3 Senate seats which means we are doomed when RBG or any of 'our' Justices dies or retires. So, let's give the people a little political theater...Manchin, you talk tough against me to win political re-election points, I'll remain a looney on MSNBC . Yea, we will lose this confirmation (the guy may be a stealth Dem a-la Roberts anyway...thankfully he isn't a Gorsuch) but we will keep our 3 seats on the bubble and be strong in 2019 and prepare for the 2020 Presidential run."
Looks like old Joe is feeling the heat, big time.
Claire voted against Gorsuch, but this is different, it’s an election year and elections are the only thing that Claire cares about. Things aren’t looking good for her and her tired old tricks. Missouri has a referendum in August on the question of right to work. The Democrats are behind right now, and if Right to Work is confirmed (already signed by the Governor), then Claire will vote for Kavanaugh.
I think that at least five Democrat Senators will vote to confirm and it may be many more. The smartest thing for Schumer to do is to turn his caucus loose. Vote the way that helps them in the mid-term, will make this issue go away on election day. They will need to keep the Kabuki dance going for a while for reasons to keep the base on their reservation, but the party leaders are never going to tell Democrat Senators to commit suicide.
Not only that, but a vote for Kavanaugh will certainly depress
RAT votes in WV.
Old Joe is certainly in a bind.
Good points as to what is going on behind the scenes. Yes, Schumer will be the looney on MSNBC, while Manchin can sound like he’s not taking any guff from Schumer.
Schumer probably expects to lose a few Senate seats this time around.
I haven’t heard any chatter in many months, about the possibility of the Democrats taking back the Senate. There’s still chatter about the Democrats taking the House, but not the Senate.
Its not what these politicians say that counts, its what they do.
So long as Mitch has 50 GOP yea votes, the red state dems will be free to do whatever they want.
The good news -— there will be plenty of votes to confirm Kavanaugh. The bad news -— it may get those red state dems re-elected.
but the party leaders are never going to tell Democrat Senators to commit suicide.
—
Dick ‘Turban’ Durbin, Minority Whip - party leader - vote no on Kavenaugh and if that cost your seat so be it. or words to that effect.
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