If the Democrats significantly lose the midterms, payback will surely occur. No reason not to ratify the Trump nomination, IMHO. Only if it is withdrawn, and even then . . .The real damage here, so far, at least, is good candidates will decline nomination. Who wants to put up with this kind of drama?
I wonder what will remain of the Judiciary Committee for that reason. “Advice and consent” will consist of the Majority Leader coming to an agreement with the president - and the Majority Leader calling a vote of the full Senate. That will be the price of getting a nominee to accept nomination. IMHO.. . . and that will represent status quo ante 1926; for the first 150 years there was never the kind of circus about a SCOTUS nominee. The Senate just mostly ratified.
That makes it look to me like the Senate Judiciary Committee will be considered too political by any nominee at the appellate or SCOTUS level. In the long run only nominees to the bottom rung of the judicial ladder are likely to accept Judiciary Committee scrutiny. Just my guess.
Midterms...
The Sheep, we only hear rumors, fake polls.
But, the political parties themselves know it down to the tenth of a percentile. They don’t play games, they KNOW.
Remember Hillary cancelling the fireworks the day before the election? She KNEW she was going to lose.
Right now, the Dems are acting VERY desperate, as if they’re trying to change an outcome they see coming. It’s not looking good for them.
Excellent comment, conservatism_IS_compassion.
There is nothing apart from Senate rules that puts these nominations in front of a committee for this horrendous ‘vetting’ process. Once the candidate passes muster in the committee, there is another fight (usually less vigorous) in the full Senate ahead of the vote.
I can support the rules being changed to allow the Majority Leader to bring nominations straight to the full Senate, on a tight timetable.
Cut out the opportunities of histrionics, cut out the circus, and cut out the posturing by politicos on both sides of the aisle.