Let me show you something I saw this morning, posted by my uber-liberal sister. THIS is what we’re up against.
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Here’s something I saw on Facebook. I’m sending it to my senators.
1. Refuse to engage with the nominee. Don’t meet with the nominee. Go on every news show and say that while the President has the right to nominate, the Senate has the right to withhold its consent.
2. Belittle the process, and demean them demanding that we play along. When pressed on why no Democrats will give the nominee the “courtesy” of a meeting. say that “We’re just following the precedent set by Leader McConnell for Merrick Garland” Also point out “We represent more Americans than you do, but since y’all don’t need us for your vote, and you don’t care what the majority of Americans we represent actually want, then run along and have your little vote and your little victory party with your little friends, but don’t expect us to play along.” Practice your Southern euphemisms until you can say them with the utmost of sincerity: “How many conformation votes did Ruthie get again? 96 votes? Well I think it’s just precious that [Nominee] will get 51 votes. A proud moment for her, I’m sure.” And “I’m sure [nominee] truly believes her views are mainstream, bless her heart.”
3. Keep highlighting the outcomes of a conservative majority, but keep it simple. At the Judiciary Committee hearing, ask pointed yes-or-no questions about the real world impacts of a conservative court: Do you believe in a woman’s fundamental right to control medical decisions for her body, including abortion? Do you believe that insurance companies should be able to exclude health coverage based on preexisting conditions? Do you believe that employers should be able to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people because of their sexuality? Do you believe that states should restrict voting for economic reasons? For racial reasons? Do you believe that immigrants seeking asylum should be separated from their children? Make sure to phrase the question so that it states the preferred conservative outcome (even if they would prefer not to say it out loud). Maybe ask a few incendiary questions: Do you believe black and brown people are inferior to white people? Do you believe that women should be subordinate to men? Do you believe that some Americans deserve more rights than others?
4. For God’s sake, don’t grandstand. Don’t explain. Don’t deliver windy wordy closing arguments. The Republicans aren’t listening and they’ll just accuse of you grandstanding anyway. Instead, just keep asking yes or no questions, and every time the nominee tries to explain or evade, repeat the question as though she is a recalcitrant child. “I’m sorry, Ms. Nominee, but you didn’t answer my question. Let’s try it again, shall we?” If the nominee ducks on the grounds that the issue might come before the court, say, “Yes. It’s not a question of might. It will. And that is precisely why we would like to know what you believe before we give you life tenure on a body whose opinions are not subject to review.” Remind the nominee that this is not a panel discusion or colloquium at a judicial conference, this is a JOB interview.
5. Refuse to engage with Republicans on any substance or process. When it comes time for the committee to vote, vote “Present” instead of “No”. When the vote comes to the Floor, do the same. This makes clear you are objecting to the process having been hijacked rather than engaging with the nominee or her qualifications. Let the talking point be “Democrats decline to participate in the GOP’s hypocrisy and double standards. We are prepared to vote today on jobs and support for individuals and small business affected by the pandemic. We are prepared to vote on disaster relief for Hurricane, derecho and wildfire damage. We are ready to vote on making the ACA even better. We are ready to vote on the over two hundred bills that the House has sent to the Senate. We will vote on any of these bills but we will not participate in this shameless double standard being foisted on us by a party that lies to the American people without any compunction.”
Sounds like a positive plan to reach across the aisle eh? LOL! Is there any doubt that had hildabeast won, a new justice would have been seated already if the democommies had control of the senate? Sorry about your sis. We have a couple of family members that are out of touch as well.
My response?
That's all well and good for rhetoric. When the nominee is confirmed, no matter how many votes they get, they'll be on the bench, and not a damn thing you can do about it.
Needless to say, she had to call and give me an earful, which I didn't listen to because I set the phone down while she ranted.