We've lost the Supreme Court. What now?

[MineralMan]

Well, we could continue to write about it on DU and other places, but that won't accomplish anything, really.

I suggest we take our disappointment and anger at what has happened and direct that energy into some really serious GOTV efforts. We can't really influence the course of things here on DU, even though it's a great place to vent. What we can do is convince people that voting isn't optional. It's imperative.

Wherever you are, even in red states, there are races that can be won. Wherever you live, there are frustrated people who can't see how their vote will affect anything.

Whatever else you do between now and November 6, you can help convince someone or many people to get up and go vote. It matters. It matters more than ever this year.

Please. GOTV!

[dalton99a]

1. We must retake our government.

[BigGermanGuy]

45. We haven't lost all yet

we haven't had control of the court in decades. I know we sometimes viewed Kennedy as a middle ground, but he wasn't. Kavanaugh is his replacement. He clerked for Kennedy, and while there isn't proof, it seems Kennedy personally approved of him.

We were however, robbed, of our Merrick Garland pick. As such, I would contend the next democratic president expand the court by two. This will flip the Gorsuch Garland Seat, and an additional will give us a liberal court as we would have had, had Garland been appointed (yes I know he was a moderate republican, but he would have been viewed as a liberal pick).

So. Vote. Control the Senate to prevent any further appointments. And in 2020, expand the court.

[dalton99a]

50. +1. Expand the court.

First, win in November to stanch the head wound bleeding.

Then win in 2020.

[onetexan]

83. Agree, and push for local police/Maryland AG to investigate and prosecute

If he's convicted this sexual predator won't be able to stay on the SCOTUS and we can get a liberal candidate on with 2020.

[BigGermanGuy]

121. is there a law

saying a sitting justice can't rule from prison?

[onetexan]

125. LOL there's no law to my knowledge but in the history of the SCOTUS

there has been no sitting justice ruling from prison. There is a "good behavior" clause. You can google the qualifications to be a supreme court justice.

[StarryNite]

65. Good points.

Welcome aboard BigGermanGuy!

[DownriverDem]

99. I hope it works

FDR tried to add SC seats and it didn't go through.

[BigGermanGuy]

103. his own party

stopped him, and this was towards the end of his tenure.

but now that the right has decided to upend decency, i'm not so sure the left would stand in the way.

[calimary]

111. Yes. VOTE, Dammit!

Actually, today, it's more like Vote, DAMMIT!

[bdamomma]

2. Young people

need to VOTE period. This will affect them. I'm sure those dirty repigs do not care about generations to come.

[MineralMan]

3. Young people. Old people. All people.

We need to reach out to every demographic category.

[FakeNoose]

97. Young people are the good news - we have to make them understand

Many of them already do understand.

[olegramps]

108. Hopefully, this will be the bridge too far. They have exposed their grap for power at any cost.

[underpants]

4. I knew they had to push this through.

They'll never have a chance to push an operative like this onto the court.

I don't think they realize what they've awoken. This may be the best GOTV of all time.

BTW - Lindsey is a simple little bitch.

[john657]

8. Like what Japanese Adm. Yamamoto said after the attack on Pearl Harbor,

"I fear we have awoken a sleeping giant".

[BarbD]

104. Exactly!

[bdamomma]

18. geez, Graham

blew a gasket yesterday afternoon he is was off his rocker, and very very rude. Something or someone is leaning on him just like McConnell too.

[leftynyc]

22. That was audition

He wants the AG job.

[dembotoz]

5. we refer to it as the pervert court

we remind folks anytime the gop blathers about their moral high group about what hypocrites they are

we shout the bastards down


at least thats what i plan to do

[manor321]

6. The Supreme Court will strike down almost everything we vote for

Just think about the math. Think about how many Senators we need to overrule the Supreme Court (assuming we have the White House!). Think about how small a population is represented by Republican Senators. It's math.

And I'm old enough that this will go on until after I'm dead.

The time for this fight was November 2016 and many of the previous elections.

[MineralMan]

17. So, you're suggesting that we not bother? Really?

Defeatism is not going to provide a solution.

[KPN]

69. You may be right. But we also have to give it our

best over the next 40 days or so, and over the next two years and 2020. If then we fail because of further obstruction and GOP chicanery, then we fight harder. Good always prevails over evil in the long haul. It will this time as well.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

124. point of information:

"The Supreme Court holds the power to interpret laws and declare them unconstitutional under the principle of judicial review. While Congress doesn't technically have the power to overrule a Supreme Court decision, it can take actions to lessen, or even negate, the effect of a court ruling. Congress can thereby render the court's interpretation obsolete, either by passing a new law or amending the old law to better achieve its original intent."
https://classroom.synonym.com/can-congress-override-court-ruling-9639.html

[MarcA]

126. What's to keep the supreme court from continually ruling against

the new or amended law? Or to the point where the law is watered-down
as to be meaningless?

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

130. First, I'm not a lawyer or even any degree of expert but...

Last edited Sat Sep 29, 2018, 09:08 AM - Edit history (1)

...this is my understand and I welcome any correction. Cases generally, but not always, reach the SC by appeal. The SC may decide to or refuse to hear a brought to it on appeal. Once nominated and confirmed, an SC justice may be removed by retirement, death or impeachment.

Relevant excerpts from the Constitution:
Article III (Article 3 - Judicial)
Section 1 - The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.

Parliamentary sovereignty (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_sovereignty) is not a part of US government. The SC is the final arbiter of that which is conforming to the Constitution. The SC maybe overruled by Constitutional amendment which requires (as of now) ratification by 38 of the legislatures of the existing 50 states. The SC does not act out of volition but only in response to case brought to it. Whether a majority or a unanimous opinion on a law or case that maybe shared by the justices, until a case is brought and accepted the opinions of the justices are their own.

[avebury]

7. I want Democratic candidates willing

to bring napalm to a gun fight with the Rethugs. The GOP must be shrunk to a size small enough to flush down a toilet.

[Nay]

85. THIS in spades. nt

[aggiesal]

106. The GOP must be shrunk to a size small enough to flush down a toilet. ...

Just like California.
The GOP in CA. is now pretty useless.

This was because we had a legitimate state redistricting committee of
5 Dems, 5 Reps & 5 Ind to keep the R's from gerrymandering this state.

What we got was a pretty good distribution of districts with Dem's everywhere
without cheating.

If the Dems screw this up in Sacramento, the rest of the country will point
west and say, "See what the liberals want to do?"

[uponit7771]

9. See if someone will file charges in MD against KNaw

[MineralMan]

21. That's a good idea, but will do nothing to correct

the fundamental crisis we are facing. We have just over a month to work on getting voters to the polls. Filing charges in MD won't accomplish anything quickly enough to make a difference.

[KPN]

71. It's still a good idea. We need to stick these

guys with a fork. We need to go after them.

[calimary]

123. Yes. Let's have more history being made. A sexual predator - no, a SECOND sexual predator

installed on the Supreme Court by REPUBLI-CON presidents. No, make that... installed on the Supreme Court by a republi-CON president and a RUSSIAN ASSET who cheated his way in with the help of a HOSTILE FOREIGN POWER.

Let the games begin. How nasty and dirty can WE play? Is it time yet?

There are lawsuits. There IS a move to make in Maryland, to file a complaint, where there's NO statute of limitations.

There is activism. INDIVISIBLE. LOOK FOR YOUR LOCAL INDIVISIBLE GROUP. AND GET INVOLVED. Yes, I'm SHOUTING!!!

https://www.indivisible.org

The thing I like about the Indivisible movement is this: one of their top priorities is meeting with our reps. Senators and Congressmembers. And taking our "asks" - that is, our concerns, our issues, our demands, DIRECTLY to them. Usually it's a staffer or a local/regional manager or somebody. But as I've observed going to many of these, they take notes. They ask questions. They pass it up the food chain if it's not the rep him/herself in the meeting. Sometimes, as I have found, personally, the rep him/herself IS there or DOES show up, stop by the conference room on the way to his/her office, and takes a seat. It happened exactly that way with Richard Bloom, the state assemblyman for our district. In Dianne Feinstein's office, it was a regional manager both times I went. In Kurt Schrader's office (Oregon CD5), we meet with a young lady on staff, and she takes notes to pass on upwards. Haven't met Schrader yet.

There's LOTS of activism and outreach that Indivisible generates or sponsors - like tomorrow's canvassing for a State Senate candidate who seeks to flip his district from red to blue. That candidate actually showed up last night during our planning meeting, gave a brief talk listing his key issues and what HE'S learned from his own canvassing efforts, meeting people and engaging with them. If he wins, first of all, he offers better representation than the GOPer in that seat now. AND we all have personal connections with him, since he's seen several of us during various kinds of meetings. He's gonna be at that canvassing event tomorrow when we go to sponsor and participate.

FURTHER: Since it looks like Kavanaugh's gonna make it all the way through, seems to me we DO INDEED need to consider impeachment once we get power back.

The ONLY way we can follow through on that is if we VOTE, en masse, SHOW UP to the polls on November 6th, in numbers so big that it is NOT close enough to steal. Whether it's Kris Kobach or the Russians. Numbers BIG ENOUGH that it's beyond stealing.

That will enable us to flip the House of Reps, AND the Senate. So we can not only put the brakes on this monstrous, racist, regressive, despicable, AND deplorable "administration," and present some proper checks and balances as envisioned by our Founders when they originally set this up, but finish the job that these jackals refused to do. Call in the FBI. Get them started on an investigation.

If we're the majority in the Senate, WE have subpoena power, and WE have the power to set the agenda in all the committees because we'll have majority membership on those committees and OUR people will chair those committees and determine what's done therein.

We can subpoena jerks like Mark Judge and COMPEL his testimony under oath. We can devote the time to a full investigation, so that ALL these potential witnesses who wanted to come forward and tell their story can do so, on the record, under oath. And with OUR DEMS in the leadership positions, wouldn't it be nice to swat away any objections from what would probably be Ranking Member Chuck Grassley - the former committee chairman who now has no power to do anything except interrupt with a bunch of harrumphs. AND we can engage the FBI to do a full investigation.

And that can be only the beginning.

We can begin impeachment proceedings in the House of Reps. A Supreme Court Justice CAN be impeached. Why not him? It's been a long time since the last one. Only one justice has been impeached by the House of Representatives (Samuel Chase, March 1804), but he was acquitted in the Senate (March 1805).
Supreme Court of the United States - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States

And frankly, if all we get is impeachment of him, and somehow the Senate doesn't follow through, that will STILL be a mark on his record, in the history books, in his biography, and more. He will be the second justice to be impeached, and many years beyond this, people can google him and go to Wikipedia and read all about the big blot on his record. He'll go down in history with that as his legacy.

And one other thing, too. If we can flip both houses of Congress, we can start dismantling the CONS' efforts to destroy our rights, our institutions, and what protects us, our privacy, our right to vote, our future, and our very survival on this planet - our PLANET'S survival! They care not. WE DO. And WE MUST.

Otherwise, the Supreme Court will from here on be permanently blemished.

This ISN'T over, and this must NEVER be over. Until true and genuine justice is done.

[KPN]

132. Great post Calimary. It needs more visibility.

[Hoyt]

10. Excellent. And, even small donations help.

[SummerSnow]

11. What now Our very lives will be lost.

[JaneQPublic]

12. Channel the anger and vote in historic numbers.

We're likely to take the House in November, and taking the Senate is not impossible. In fact, it's chances are no steeper than once given to a Trump win.

Then we begin the work of rebuilding the Administrative State.

[MineralMan]

41. Exactly!

[TheBlackAdder]

13. There is an ever slight glimmer of hope, ever slight.

.

Flake could have stopped this in his tracks and spared Murkowski and Collins the grief of a vote.

However, Collins, Flake, Manchin & Murkowski supposedly have an agreement to vote as a bloc.

In order for them to do this, Flake has to release the nomination to a full floor vote.


Perhaps Murkowski wants to go on record stopping him, so there is no doubt she supports the indigenous of AK.

.

[qazplm135]

59. no

once he voted here, then we know how the others are voting.

He's not looking all hang dog like he did in the elevator and in the room now if the group had decided to vote no.

[KPN]

63. That's my read on this. If you take a good hard look at

what Flake actually said, he was extremely ambiguous about his personal views re: Kavanaugh and he also said there’s “more doubt than certainty”. I read those as a NO vote on the floor.

We shall see.

[Trust Buster]

14. We cannot lose something we did not have.

Justice Kennedy is being replaced. He was right wing. 2020 is the real battleground. If her health holds out, Ginsburg will need to be replaced. Thomas will be getting up in age and might also be a possibility between 2020 and 2024. Let us not make the mistakes in the run up to 2020 that many dems made in 2016.

[Texin]

53. This is very true, but Kavanaugh is not Kennedy. He's a serial sexual assaulter & blackout drunk.

As someone personally victimized by someone much like him, NO ONE except the victims of such a person would ever conceive of such a man being able to do and to have done the things he's been accused of. His banality and his family's affluence and influence, together with his collective victims' traumatic shock in the aftermath of his wretchedness that kept them silent until now, have given him over thirty+ years of cover. And now he's a lock for perhaps the single most powerful position of judicial authority in the world.

[Trust Buster]

57. He is a right wing political activist. I was just responding to the OP claiming that we lost the

Court.

[KPN]

72. WE LOST GARLAND!

[Trust Buster]

81. He was supposed to replace right wing Scalia. I was just responding to the OP claiming we

Lost the Court.

[samnsara]

15. canada...

[bdamomma]

25. what???

Canada probably is getting very strict with their immigration laws because if anything does happen in the US (not that I predicting/assuming that) Canada will be the next little America.

[Freddie]

35. I talked to my daughter about that

She’s an RN and her husband is a construction worker so I think they’d be most welcome. Told her it would be a better place to raise their kids. She’s not giving up hope on the USA quite yet.

[bdamomma]

38. it's an option.

I hope everything works out for your daughter and her husband.

[Codeine]

16. To be fair,

we lost the Supreme Court nearly two years ago. All the Kabuki theater wasn’t going to halt the inevitable. America’s young people need to understand elections matter.

[Gothmog]

19. We lost the SCOTUS back in 2016 when trump was elected

The SCOTUS was on the ballot in 2016. The GOP hardcore voters who hated trump still voted for him due to the SCOTUS. We had sanders voters who either stayed home or voted for stein because they did not care about the SCOTUS

[MineralMan]

23. While that's true, it is in the past and can't be changed.

We must, as always, look ahead.

[Gothmog]

39. I am looking ahead and we are working hard to turn Texas blue

I first met Beto at the National Convention where he was a super delegate and I was a mere pledged delegate. I liked him. I met Beto at an early campaign event at a bar in early 2017 and liked him. I never thought that Beto could beat Carnival Cruz but gave him some money. Texas may be in play in the Senate and the confirmation of an asshole like Kavanaugh will help Beto

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Even if Kavanaugh is rejected, trump has a dozen other possible nominees who will vote to overturn Roe that we can not blocked. Mitch McConnell told trump not to nominate Kavanaugh due to issues and a bad paper record. Kavanaugh's confirmation may still be defeated but Rove v. Wade will be overturned. I suspect that trump and the Senate may be able to get another less controversial nominee through before the mid terms. FBI and other due diligence will not matter for the next nominee if Kavanaugh is rejected by the Senate. Roe v. Wade is dead no matter what.

We need to win at least the House in the mid terms. There are House seats in play that I am excited about. Lizzie Fletcher and Collin Allred are tied in their races. I never thought that I would see my own district in play but Sri Preston Kulkarni is competitive. Pete Olson is a piece of furniture and has never been challenged. Sri has been turnout so many new Asian voters that the GOP got nervous and did this offensive ad

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

We need to get control of the House and if Kavanaugh is confirmed the Senate. However make no mistake, Roe v. Wade will be overturned no matter what

[Hortensis]

44. Yes, and let's have a week of silence from those who helped

turn our government over to the Republicans. It's really the very least they could do, instead of this eternal bitching and whining about how other Democrats should have done more.

That's regardless of how the committee vote turns out and regardless of how the full senate votes. If they didn't want Republican control, they should have done their job.

[BumRushDaShow]

89. We actually lost the SCOTUS in 2014 when we lost the Senate

as Democrats "ran away" from Obama. That meant that the GOP could then eliminate "regular order" in terms of Senate business, and torpedo the rest of the rules regarding confirmations so they could also hold up the Garland nomination once he was selected, until the nomination died at the end of 2016. The loss of the 2016 election sealed the fate.

[moose65]

105. Actually it wasn't just 2016

It was also 2014, when we lost 9 Senate seats in a complete bloodbath. Democratic Senators (like my own, Kay Hagan) tried to run from Obama and be Republican-lite, and it cost us dearly. I do really wish that Democrats would take a long view of elections, not just panic for the one that is coming up! If we had just held onto a few of those seats, Garland would probably be on the court right now, and this wouldn't be a problem!

[OliverQ]

20. I want to move to another country. I'm sorry, but I hate America.

It's a cesspool of corruption and stupidity.

Sadly, no other country I'd be inclined to go to has options for me to move.

[MineralMan]

24. Well, OK, but before you go, how about helping out

for this election?

[mythology]

26. The same thing we should do even if Kavanaugh is defeated

Vote, support our candidates with time and money and efforts, work in our local communities to make the world a better place.

[MineralMan]

27. Yes. Absolutely.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

28. We were always going to lose the Supreme Court; the fix was in when Trump was elected.

But nothing lasts forever. We have to play a long game, a very long game. Some of us probably won't even live long enough to see the outcome. Work from the bottom up. Someday, maybe as soon as 2020, there will no longer be a GOP president. And even Supreme Court justices don't live forever (although I desperately hope RBG can hang in there for a few more years). If we work hard at grass-roots politics we will no longer have a GOP House and Senate, and maybe even more importantly the GOP may be kicked out of at least some - maybe many - state legislatures and governorships.

State level elections will become crucial if the current Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, because right now, in many states, there are a lot of retrograde legislators who are frothing at the mouth for the chance to outlaw all forms of abortion. Without the restrictions of Roe they will be able to do it. And if Roe is overturned as a result of a majority decision that there is no Constitutional right to privacy, Griswold v. Connecticut (birth control), Loving v. Virginia (interracial marriage) and Lawrence v. Kansas (consensual gay sex) could go right out the window, too.

GOTV. It's all we've got left.

[MineralMan]

29. Yes. A long game, indeed. One which I will almost certainly not

see the end of.

[charliea]

82. You and me both

In 2016 I was thinking that we were on the right path. The President had nominated a reserved centrist to the Court to replace the odious Scalia, who McConnell had actually gave as an example of who he could vote for but who he said Obama would never pick. Hillary was about to be elected and the likelihood that she'd get a pick for the court was high.

Now I know that pathway is gone and we're in the long battle for an honest society. I want to re-establish that for my kids and grandson. I don't expect to outlive that weasel if he does get on the court, but I'll fight him and his ilk until I'm gone.

Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it. Mark Twain

I don't think ours currently deserves it...

#RESIST

[bdamomma]

40. starting at the State Level

is a good suggestion. We are not in good place right now, but we will have to fight back hard and not do this

[redstatebluegirl]

30. We need to get rid of the purity tests to being a good democrat.

I have been making calls the past year and knocking on doors for candidates. I have come in contact with a number of older and middle aged voters who have been lifelong democrats who feel the party no longer wants them and no longer cares about them. One man said he was told by some people he volunteered with at a call center that because he was in the middle instead of far left he was a DINO. He said that was his last time volunteering for the party and he would not be doing it again. I asked him when this was and he said it was during the heart of the primary season in 2016.

I wish this were an isolated incident but it wasn't. We are losing people who have traditionally voted in every election because we are not respecting the various views in our own party. We just need to keep our eyes on the prize and quit that nonsense. Do we need to welcome young people with more left leaning views into the party, of course, but they should not come in with the notion of pushing others out of the tent. If we do that, we are doomed to more of the same.

I will keep doing what I do, I go two or three times a week to the call centers, or walking precincts as much as I can with my back. I try to ignore the nasty stuff here and when I volunteer, I refuse to answer questions about my views when they are trying to litmus test me, I won't play that game with them. We all need to vote, or our republic will be no more and it won't matter what test you passed.

[MineralMan]

33. Thank you so much!

[Raster]

31. Correct me if wrong... but isn't there still a full vote of the Senate?

[MineralMan]

32. Yes, there is.

I don't expect there to be enough no votes.

[Raster]

37. But you don't know, because that vote has not yet happened.

You have a phone, right?

You know how to write letters to editors, right?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

42. Yes, but even if Kavanaugh isn't confirmed by that vote they'll just

go down the Federalist Society's list and find another right-wing judge (maybe with fewer skeletons in their closet) who holds the same antediluvian legal theories as Kavanaugh. Even if K. wasn't a likely sex offender he'd still suck as a Supreme Court justice.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

34. I'll vote for the Democrats, as usual.

I don't think that I'll be optimistic about the USA until lots of privileged people here suffer, and suffer badly.

I'm not referring to privileges of skin color.

I'm referring to privileges like the dollar being the reserve currency of the world, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people with our military for pointless reasons without enduring similar losses, etc.

Our government chose to stimulate the economy with "Military Keynesianism" long ago, and we'll eventually reap what we've sown. Reality will only "sink in" when enough Americans are shown that the rest of the world doesn't NEED them and they endure great hardships themselves.

[MineralMan]

36. That's good. Now, please try to convince a few more people to do the same.

[KPN]

74. That's real man.

[mbusby]

43. Do what FDR almost did....

...add two more justices to the supreme court.

[MineralMan]

46. Can't do that unless we win in elections, see?

It all comes down to that. We can't do anything until we regain control of Congress. We can begin that process next month.

I can't believe anyone doesn't understand that, but apparently many do not.

What you suggest isn't a bad idea, but it's impossible if we don't have the votes in the House and Senate. So, go GOTV, please...

[geardaddy]

47. I live in one of the bluest and safest for DFL candidates districts in the country

(Ward 10 Mpls), but I still urge everyone I think is on our side to vote. If they say they're not registered, I give them them website on my phone so that they can register.

I agree with you 100% MM — this election is too important to not vote.

[Fla Dem]

48. Court-packing, Democrats' nuclear option for the Supreme Court, explained

Why an FDR plan from the 1930s is suddenly popular again.
By Dylan Matthews@[e-mail] Updated Jul 10, 2018, 3:33pm EDT

Almost as soon as Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement from the Supreme Court, putting the legality of abortion and the safety of protections for LGBT people in immediate jeopardy, calls started pouring in from liberals and leftists for a drastic response: court-packing.

>>>snip<<<
And the selection of Brett Kavanaugh as Kennedy’s replacement, ensuring the court will move dramatically to the right, only led the calls for court-packing to proliferate.

There is nothing in the Constitution mandating that the Supreme Court have nine members, and a simple act of Congress could increase that number to 11, or 15, or even more. That effectively creates a way for a political party in control of the House, Senate, and presidency to add a large number of ideologically sympathetic justices to the Court, all at once.

To many leftists and left-liberals, such drastic action is needed if any progressive legislation in the future is to survive. The concerns in question have less to do with hot-button social issues like abortion and LGBT rights and more to do with the constitutionality of economic regulation and redistributive programs. Just this past Wednesday, the Supreme Court effectively gutted public sector unions under the guise of the First Amendment. In 2012, there were four votes on the Supreme Court (including Anthony Kennedy) for striking down the Affordable Care Act in full. And there’s an emerging movement of judicial conservatives, championed prominently by Donald Trump’s appellate appointee Don Willett, which wants the courts to become much more aggressive in blocking economic regulation.

If that kind of judicial conservatism comes to dominate the Supreme Court, then even winning back the White House and Congress won’t be enough for programs like a $15 minimum wage, or Medicare-for-all, or a free college plan, to be passed and secured. The Supreme Court would stand ready to rule them unconstitutional nearly as soon as they are passed. In such a scenario, court-packing starts to look like a reasonable defensive measure.

More>>>>>
https://www.vox.com/2018/7/2/17513520/court-packing-explained-fdr-roosevelt-new-deal-democrats-supreme-court

[Danascot]

49. There are millions of low information, sporadic voters out there

who have only the dimmest notion of what's happening to our country. If we can wake some of them or at least get them to vote because you're urging them to and they trust you, it would help a lot. Think about who you know who fit the description and talk to them.

[MineralMan]

52. Exactly!

[NewJeffCT]

51. The SCOTUS was already lost

Kennedy was a moderate sometimes, but generally voted with the Republican majority.

[still_one]

54. Not quite yet MM. It isn't over. It still needs the full Senate, though the odds are against us.

Regardless of what happens though, as you said this should be a motivating force for us to GOTV, especially since the republicans have declared war on women

[OliverQ]

61. It is over. Hatch hinted that Collins and Murkowski are going to vote yes.

Manchin might too. Kavanaugh is guaranteed to get confirmed.

[still_one]

77. I pretty assumed that anyway, but it isn't over until it is over. As for Murkowski, there are other

issues regarding Alaska fishing rights that Kavanaugh were involved in that might have a greater influence on her vote, though I doubt it

[Amishman]

94. Doesn't look good. They wouldn't risk putting C and M on record unless they were sure.

They know the outcome before the vote

[JCMach1]

55. If we gain the Senate... R's are douching it up

Right now

[eleny]

56. Take back the other two Branches, expand the Court by two and start to rebuild democracy

[hibbing]

58. Start drinking heavily n/t

[mulsh]

60. work our asses off to win majorities in both houses on 11/6/18.

It's not too late to register to vote in some states. Here's a site listing voting info an links to on line registration in states where that is an option.

[link:http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/electronic-or-online-voter-registration.aspx|

Lynx is offering free rides to the pols

https://blog.lyft.com/posts/2018/8/22/get-out-the-vote

this is part of my on line Pester The Vote project. Help me help people to register and vote from the comfort of your chair or couch.

[elmac]

101. the problem is

it doesn't matter what party is in charge, a fascist supreme court can destroy everything good, safety nets, everything, for decades.

[mulsh]

113. the greater the dems control both houses the more likely it is a SC judge can be impeached

merely because it's rare doesn't mean it can't happen. this bottom feeder is an unusually bad specimen and I refuse to give up hope.

A feeling my all boys Catholic high school reinforced back in the 70's.

[elmac]

119. impeachment has only been tried once,

and it didn't even come close so I don't think it can or will ever be a thing. The Court was never a good idea and is now a monster that cannot be controlled.

[MarcA]

128. How about a Congress that gives the court $1 a year on which to operate?

No private donations allowed.

[elmac]

131. that would be great, starve the beast. nt

[PubliusEnigma]

62. Did Collins and Murkowski announce support?

[in2herbs]

64. What do we do? Vote so that we control both Houses and then immediately stack

the USSC with 5 or 6 more liberal judges so that progressive decisions will void the decisions of the conservative judges on the USSC. I can't remember which Dem senator was talking during the K hearing when I got the impression that, regardless of whether or not K is approved, with a democrat majority there will be an investigation of the allegations against K.

The depth of what the R's are doing to our country exposes a traitorous influence that is so evil that patriotic Americans cannot go to that space in their minds and so the comprehension of what is happening is lacking.

[grantcart]

66. Going door to door tomorrow

[bettyellen]

75. Thank you! I'm doing calls.

[The Liberal Lion]

67. Sooner or later many here will understand that the system of government we curretly have

is too corrupt to allow to continue. Until then, I suppose, we of conscience will sit back and continue to hope for the unicorn that will never come. I think after the midterms many will acknowledge the reality of the current situation we are in and the behaviors we will have to adopt as a result. As for me I don't care what the congress legislates, what the execute promulgates, or what the court adjudicates, I will not conform. I am fearless.

[inwiththenew]

68. If we don't have 51 Senate seats come January 2019 we in even deeper shit than we are now

You think it's bad now wait until Trump gets another 1-2 more Supreme Court justices on the bench. If we don't get enough to block the Pence tiebreaker then we are in a world of shit. At a minimum I think that Thomas will retire and we have to hope like hell the other 4 can hold on. Breyer is 80 and RBG is 85. That does not give you a warm and fuzzy.

If we don't get 51 seats then 2016 could end up going down as probably one of the most crucial election in the recent history of the country if Trump gets to put possibly 4 judges on the bench.

[Johnny2X2X]

70. Roberts is now the swing vote

Gulp.

He’s a corporatist, but he’s not an insane righty in most social issues and he cares about the country.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

76. I agree. The other thing is that this court has his name on it

and I can't imagine that he wants "the Roberts Court" to go down in history as somehow debased or illegitimate on account of an absurdly biased and downright lawless appointment process that has resulted in the seating of a judge who has been credibly identified as a sex abuser and who is known to have spent much of his career as a partisan political operative and ratf*cker in the tradition of Karl Rove.

He does have some control as an administrator - he can manage who actually is assigned to write opinions, and he can control recusals. He is also known to prefer consensus over partisanship, and we can only hope he has enough influence over Kavanaugh to keep him isolated in Storeroom B with his red stapler, writing nutty minority opinions like Thomas.

[bettyellen]

73. The vote is Tuesday. I hate inaccurate OPs that can cause people to give up. Been seeing them for

weeks from DUers discouraging people from activism.
I’m sure it’s not your intention to mislead people, but...

[TNLib]

78. For me this isn't about winning or loosing the SC at this point

It's about putting a sexual predator on the bench and when there is one victim there is likely to be others.

This is going to be horrible for our country. Because the truth always comes out and in these types of cases it usually slow and painful.

[Dopers_Greed]

79. After he's removed and convicted, we need to nullify Trump's presidency

Which involves removing Gorsuch and Kavanaugh from the SC

[D00ver]

80. Supreme court

I find it interesting that in today’s world of firsts, the sitting Supreme Court as a whole has not come out and made a joint unanimous statement asking for a complete investigation before seating this nominee. A sad day

[onetexan]

84. they can't, they're supposed to remain impartial. Selection is up to Congress, not existing SCOTUS

members

[D00ver]

87. Nothing is normal

None of the things that have been happening should of. Nothing is normal. Making a statement would at least signal that they prefer to stay neutral

[Eliot Rosewater]

98. Agreed, rules no longer apply, at all, well they do to us and decent people but not the

GOP or nazi party.

welcome

[fleabiscuit]

134. Judges are just politicians in robes. nt

[infullview]

86. If the vote goes in favor of Kavanaugh on Tuesday

when the the Dems take the house, they should start a full investigation into the accusations of sexual misconduct and possible perjury. If sufficient evidence is found they can impeach him. I realize that this has only been done once in US history, but desperate times require desperate measures.

[elmac]

107. anything can be stopped by the supreme court

the fascists will block any attempt by a Democratic government to go after tRump or nullify anything, they will also keep us fighting for our safety nets for decades. Close elections will also be decided in the fascists favor.

[infullview]

129. Pretty dim view of the future there....

things may get worse before they get better, but I have to have faith in people's humanity. I for one am willing to expend some shoe leather to help make it happen.

[elmac]

133. at the cancer stage of capitalism

there is little hope for the patient. Things need to drastically change fundamentally, elections just aren't going to do it.

[fishwax]

88. Vote. Encourage and help others get to the polls.

Great post, MineralMan. K/R.

[W T F]

90. We retake the House and Senate and impeach Kavanaugh for sex crimes.

[MineralMan]

91. And the first steps involve GOTV, as I said.

[saidsimplesimon]

92. K&R, I agree with you.

My great appreciation goes out to Mrs. Ford for her testimony, to Senator Feinstein and all the Democratic Senators who spoke up or walked out. The outcome was predictable with a Republican controlled Senate. All of the possible Republican vote no Senators will fold.

I will make a contribution to a Democratic campaign today. There are many excellent Democratic candidates running in November. It is likely many candidates will win by small margins. We must GOTV, it's worth the effort.

[PatrickforO]

93. He hasn't been confirmed yet. Yes, Grassley will pass it out of committee on

a straight party line vote, but then it goes to the floor. Yes, Flake is now saying he will vote yea.

BUT...

It ain't over til it's over.

My wife and I together called my state's republican senator Cory Gardner. His DC office - leave a message. His offices all over Colorado - sorry this voicemail box is full.

We finally got through to Jack in Yuma, which is a little one-horse town out on Colorado's eastern plains, and we registered our displeasure. Jack assured us he'd pass it on.

But look at what happened. Gardner's mailboxes were all full. My whole state is basically against this pasty-faced privileged prep-school guy who acted like a five-year-old throwing a tantrum while being questioned. I mean, it's not like we're calling for the guy's head - but he clearly doesn't deserve a lifetime job at a quarter mil a year with great benefits on the highest court in the land. He isn't good enough. He doesn't cut the mustard.

Let's all keep the pressure up on this thing, and as you say, MineralMan, let us also get downright angry and work hard on getting people to vote.

Most Americans don't even know we're in a constitutional crisis. Lots of work to do this next five weeks. Lots of work.

[TommyCelt]

95. Yes...GOTV!!!!

I'm disheartened, more than I imagined I would be, by what has transpired the last week. But I/we cannot allow this to keep us down.

Go door to door. Old people, young people, sane people, people with a brain and a heart who will not allow our country to die; we ALL have to vote as yellow-dogs, I don't fucking care. Vote D all the way down. Protest loudly and in-your-face EVERY injustice, like the women did to Flake on the elevator this morning. Make them AFRAID of the consequences of IGNORING the will of the people for their own good ol'boy security & comfort .

Our freedom is being threatened in a most egregious way. Time to fight.

[DFW]

96. SO far, all we've lost is the Judiciary Committee vote. Kavanawful is not confirmed yet

OK, so they voted to pass him on to the full Senate for a vote. That probably isn't going to happen until next week. No, we don't have any more McCains around to give us hope for a welcome surprise, but we have a weekend to bombard Senators with messages, especially ones up for re-election now and in two years. "We will never forget your vote on Kavanawful. EVER. And that goes for those who vote either way."

Unfortunately for those who held out hope of getting a favorable vote from Flake--remember, more often than not, he has been true to his name. He sometimes talks the talk, but he never walks the walk.

[elmac]

100. This was the prize of the 16 election, the main objective

40+ years of fascist control of the supreme court so they can dismantle every safety net, no matter who in in the White house or congress. we were warned about this.

[MineralMan]

102. Yes. Many of us warned about this consequence. Not all listened.

[jalan48]

109. What happened in the 60's when our elected representatives refused to end an immoral War?

[MineralMan]

114. We protested. We took to the streets.

I was in the DC area then, and was deeply involved in anti-war activity.

Guess what? We didn't end that war. Nixon did when there was no way to continue it further. Nixon, for Jebus' sake.

I remember all of that very, very well.

[jalan48]

118. The War ended because people organized and protested against it. Without that pressure it

would have continued. How long have our wars in the ME been going on? No massive protests, no end to those wars.

[tiredtoo]

110. In Ohio's May 2018 primary election

Fifty-nine (59) races were either tied or determined by one vote. Your vote does matter! For the record I have been door knocking weekly for the past two months and will continue to do so.

[MineralMan]

115. Yes. Exactly!

[usaf-vet]

112. Some how we need to change the process by which SCOTUS nominees get a hearing &

a proper investigation (FBI) for ALL no matter who the nominee is. We need to insure the country never again see a nominee DENIED their hearing and an up or down vote. No more bulls**t it's to close to an election. No more let the voters speak. No more one set of rules for one party and one set of rule for the other.

Kavanaugh would never have gotten close to that seat if. Obama's nominee had gotten a fair hearing.

And finally I take Senator Whitehouse at his word when he told Dr. Ford he would (no matter how long it took) get to the truth about her assault. If we where right and and Kavanaugh lied he should then be impeached.

I'll bet Lindsey Graham will be the next AG after Session is fired he need Kavanaugh on the court so Mueller investigation will not expose HIS complicity in the 2016 election. He is guilty of something IMO that he wants to cover up.

[MineralMan]

116. And how would we do that, do you suppose?

Would that not take majorities in both houses of Congress and enough state legislatures? Such a thing would require a Constitutional Amendment. Surely you know that...

[usaf-vet]

120. I believe I said "some how"! If I knew the answer I would be first to spell it out.

And yes believe it or not I do know what it would take to open a Constitutional convention. I also know that it is not what would solve the problem it would only excerbate all of our current Constitutional problems.

The Koch brothers would like nothing better than to open a Constitutional convention so that their money and organizations could alter the current Constitution to make it a document that would ONLY BENEFITs the 1%.

Better than 50 years ago I took and oath to "support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic." I intend to honor that oath to my dying days. As did my father before me and his father before him.

[Gothmog]

117. I could not stand listening to or watching Carnival Cruz

His performance on this committee should help Beto

[onenote]

122. We do the same things we've been doing since November 2016

which is when we lost the court.

We resist. We do it on social media. We do it with our friends and colleagues. We do it by supporting groups that are bringing lawsuits challenging Trump's actions. We do it by registering to vote, getting others to register to vote, and by voting.

[FreepFryer]

127. Never stop fighting till the fight is done.

Cheers, Mineral Man!