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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsA. B. Stoddard just laid out the GOP calculus on going all the way with Kav & blew my mind
She was on Brian Williams 11th Hour.
In her observation/opinion Kav is one of the "most beloved" nominees ever, absolutely sterling credentials in the eyes of the GOP, etc etc, gag choke.
Beyond that, and this is absolutely key, it is of paramount importance to the GOP that Brett Kavanaugh get on the Supreme Court -- it is more important to them than losing the House, more important than losing the Senate.
Is it even about Trump's survival per se ? I couldn't tell from what she said. Election cycles come and go. This is about the next 40 years on the Supreme Court.
That's how much the Far Right wants control of the Judiciary.
JHan
(10,173 posts)no_hypocrisy
(45,774 posts)No more Social Security. No more Medicare. No more Medicaid. No more ACA.
CincyDem
(6,283 posts)Hes not a wolf in sheeps clothing. Hes a white walker dragon disguised as a dove with his choirboy aw shucks style.
As was said about Neo...he is The One.
roamer65
(36,739 posts)Take back both houses, elect a Dem president and nuke that damn filibuster.
We can then pack the court with 2 or 4 new justices with simple majority votes and a signature from the president.
hedda_foil
(16,368 posts)And if it was in place Kavanaugh would never get 60 votes. How he just needs 50 +1 and the +1 can be Pence.
Pack the court. There is nothing constitutional about 9 members: reform the Court, do away with lifetime appointments and add more people to tip the balance toward where the people are, not where selected and minority presidents want it to be. #basta
euphorb
(279 posts)Congress can change the number of justices on the Supreme Court by legislation (though it may be politically iffy), but doing away with lifetime appointments would require a constitutional amendment.
calimary
(80,700 posts)Last edited Thu Sep 27, 2018, 10:36 AM - Edit history (1)
I think we should realistically look at a Plan B. If worse comes to worst, are we ready with a Plan B?
Impeachment of a Supreme Court justice. If we get either house back in November, let the investigations begin! If we get either house back, WE get subpoena power. Then we can drag Mark Judge's ass in to testify, whether he wants to or not. Same thing with Kavanaugh. What are the penalties for defying a Congressional subpoena? Hmmmm... let's explore...
We need an army of Michael Avenattis. I know it's superficial as hell but we need people with a fast turn of phrase in the verbal combat department - which unfortunately is the way the bad guys have decided the game is played now. We need some mean, nasty, swaggering, snarling, hit-below-the-belt street fighters. Attack dogs. We need our own Newt Gingriches and other "back-bench bomb-throwers" who figuratively speaking take no prisoners. Regretfully, I think WE need some weasels. We need our own versions of Trey Gowdy and even, I almost hate to say it but, Devin Nunes. Shrewd, manipulative, calculating, even vindictive. Being nice is yesterday. I wish that weren't true. I wish TO DEAREST GOD this weren't true. I wish this weren't how it is. But in politics, that's EXACTLY what AND how it is. The other side will NOT play fair or follow rules or stop sneaking around behind, over, and under to get their way and their agenda through. The other side will not stop trying to screw, savage, and sabotage. We're dealing with a crowd of latter-day bomb-throwing Machiavellis. The gunfight-and-napalm crowd - whom we're so accustomed to "fighting" with powder puffs, butter knives, and feather dusters. And as long as we keep playing fair and they don't, and as long as we don't play mean and nasty and they do, we're gonna get rolled every time. EVERY. DAMN. TIME.
A friend of mine, who sank down into the Dark Side years ago, recently commented in shock and bewilderment, with dander up, and a whiff of condescension, "you're SO ANGRY!" Yeah? What's it to ya, pal? You bet your damn bippy I'm angry! How can you see what's going on now and NOT be angry - angry as ALL HOLY HELL????????
shanny
(6,709 posts)Packing the court would just be a shirt-term fix and we need a long-term fix as well. On that issue and others.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)fishwax
(29,146 posts)Yeah, sure they want the supreme court for the next 40 years. But right-wing hacks are a dime a dozen. Why this one?
Hekate
(90,202 posts)AB Stoddard's take on it is the first thing that makes any sense, in a twisted sort of way. I thought the Repubs would be all torn over the dilemma of maybe losing this election cycle, but not according to her.
Have I mentioned lately how much I hate the GOP?
Separation
(1,975 posts)Why such the damn hurry to get Kavanaugh confirmed? I mean, there are already other allegations against him from people who havent even come out yet i.e. the report about the incident in Colorado. They also know about his drinking issues.
So they knew he was dirty the whole time. It's just that he is their guy, and they got caught with the oh shit deer in the headlight look and immediately had to confirm this guy.
I've heard of the whole ask for forgiveness is easier than asking for permission, but this is taking it to a whole new level. You would have to go back to 1805 and Samuel Chase, who by the way was later acquitted.
ProfessorPlum
(11,252 posts)and bribery. They are holding back all of those documents about him for a reason.
Garrett78
(10,721 posts)They also know that it's still unlikely that they'll lose the Senate.
So, yeah, getting Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court is a priority. Why Kavanaugh and not Barrett or some other right winger? I'm not entirely sure. Maybe because of his views on executive privilege. Maybe because he's easily blackmailed. Maybe just to stick it to feminists.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)they took a look at what happened to Bork and said, never again. The Court does indeed matter in the long run, plus, look how what Thomas went through cemented him to GOP policies completely. They know that at this point, Kavanaugh is solidly on their side now and forevermore.
Freethinker65
(9,934 posts)They could also die unexpectedly.
The courts are extremely important and the GOP is in a position to really curb individual rights, but losing control of legislature and the executive branches for a generation because the GOP becomes forever identified as the party of racist misogynistic anti-science anti-education alternative fact assholes hardly seems worth it.
They could get a qualified baggage free Federalist society approved nominee approved without a problem. Trump picked a really atrocious nominee.
Garrett78
(10,721 posts)chimpy's disastrous presiduncy should have meant no more GOPee control of anything, ever, and yet look where we are a mere 8 years later--another idiot puke in the white house, plus control of every branch of government (for not much longer, we hope).
Jarqui
(10,110 posts)to get a number of them off the hook with Presidential pardons
marylandblue
(12,344 posts)They want a permanent Republican majority based on a compliant SCOTUS. Gerrymander, disenfranchise, trample on blue states to your heart's content because the courts will approve it all.
JI7
(89,182 posts)quakerboy
(13,901 posts)Control for decades. Insta-veto on all legislation and presidential actions
And dont forget, with firm SCOTUS controll, they can OK any voter suppression measures they like, or veto those they dont.
And protect the president from any consequences of his actions
And thereby protect the rest of their elected officials from consequences of knowingly colaborating with him.
Doing the right thing, or even the thing that gets them reelected becomes less important by the day. The march to Authoritarianism and fascism is not just rhetoric. Its a real thing.
Xolodno
(6,341 posts)When John Adams lost the Presidency, he appointed judges practically at the last hour on the Supreme Court. This kept Federalist politics on the court for a considerable amount of time....long after the party was dead.
I have to think, the GOP thinks there is a real chance they may be out of power for awhile. The TEA Party shenanigans was their last hurrah for awhile and they know the base in shrinking and dying off. And rather than start, reforming the party...decided to pass the buck. In otherwords, they would rather keep the status quo and die with it rather than do the hard work to fix their party.
Grasswire2
(13,564 posts)It has been explained by a handful of commenters on MSNBC in the last month or so. I believe that David Frum was the first to say that GOP leadership would let democracy go in order to maintain the majority. But it's even more complicated.
JHB
(37,132 posts)It was clear when GHW Bush nominated Thomas: why this guy with an undistinguished record? Because he was a black guy who could be relied upon to decide cases in a conservatively correct fashion, and was young enough that he's be on the court for three, four, maybe even five decades.
There were more distinguished and qualified people. There were more distinguished and qualified conservatives. There were more distinguished and qualified black conservatives. But those other people either had areas where they balked at the conservatively correct line, or were older and would retire in only 10-15 years.
Grasswire2
(13,564 posts)His analysis is something we should have more widely discussed.
[link:https://www.vox.com/2018/1/18/16880524/donald-trump-democracy-republicans-trumpocracy|
Awsi Dooger
(14,565 posts)I use the term "big picture" here all the time for a reason.
Republicans may be scum but they have a vastly superior grasp of big picture than we do.
I'm forever astonished at the daily overreactions on this site, and on the MSNBC programming and occasionally CNN. Day to day developments should be properly understood as not much of anything, merely something to wade through. Republicans fully understand that aspect while Democrats seem to think you have to change your mind and change your plan based on the most recent item on the table.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)Congress and the White House flip from blue to red and back again, lately a couple of times within a decade. After the GOP can shake loose of Trump, they can go back to politics as usual. The only thing is, while that concept is easy to sell to the party, it is a tough pill for an individual officeholder to swallow.
Kablooie
(18,572 posts)They know they are likely to have a terrible election anyway so pushing Kavanaugh into a lifetime appointment would be the best thing for their ideology in the long term.
Kavanaugh will probably be appointed.
brewens
(13,400 posts)Thrill
(19,178 posts)Not likely