Discussion: McConnell Threatens To Hold Kavanaugh Hearing Right Before Midterms

[greylady]

McConnell seems to have forgotten that the GOP is the majority in both the House and Senate - he’ll be keeping more Republicans off the campaign trail than Democrats.

And, to make things even more interesting - one of the Russian firms indicted by Mueller (Concord Management) is trying to use one of Kavanaugh’s rulings in their defense - on the rights of foreigners to spend money to influence US politics. Key words from the article: In the case of the foreign national decision, Kavanaugh said the government would have to prove that foreign nationals had knowledge of the law’s restrictions before seeking criminal charges. And he said the ban did not include foreign spending on “issue advocacy and speaking out on issues of public policy.”

We need to make certain US votors know that Kavanaugh supports expanding Citizens United to include foreign money!

Here’s the link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/russian-firm-indicted-in-special-counsel-probe-cites-kavanaugh-decision-to-argue-that-charges-should-be-dismissed/2018/07/19/0faace34-8aba-11e8-a345-a1bf7847b375_story.html?utm_term=.d84fc2f95b58

[the_loan_arranger]

Yesterday he yanked a presidential appointee to federal court over racist writings… (when was that a problem for GOP?)

No, he didn’t pull the appointee over racist writings – he yanked the nomination because he realized he didn’t have the necessary votes for confirmation. If he’d had the votes, racist writings would have been a net plus.

[honeyboywilson]

Remember, it takes 51 senators to have a quorum.

[loss_mentality]

Historic obstruction, eh? Historic projection, more like.

[gryka]

Interesting development: https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2018/07/19/one-nation-ad-joe-manchin-733151
Inquiring minds and all.

[gryka]

Of course.

[sfaw]

Traitor Turtle trying to get tumbreled. First the CSA, now Russia, eh, Mitch? And you’re apparently hoping that the Traitor-in-Chief will return the favor, after you give him a SCOTUS Shill who will keep his fat orange ass out of prison? Good luck with that.

[the_loan_arranger]

McConnell seems to have forgotten that the GOP is the majority in both the House and Senate - he’ll be keeping more Republicans off the campaign trail than Democrats.

Fine, except that it doesn’t work that way. All Representatives are up for election every two years, but the House is not involved in Senate confirmation hearings so no Republicans or Democrats will be kept off the campaign trail by Senate hearings.

There are 33 Senate seats up for (re)election in 2018, 24 Democrats (including 2 Independents) and 9 Republicans, so considerably more Democrats than Republicans will be kept off the campaign trail by Senate hearings in October. In addition, there are 2 special elections to fill vacated Senate seats, one in Minnesota and one in Mississippi. Consider this a wash.

So there is definitely an advantage to the Republicans by keeping the Senators up for reelection in Washington in the last month of the campaign since the Democrats have to defend 24 seats while the Republicans only have to defend 9.

[ncsteve]

What, isn’t your morale devastated by the very thought?

One begins to see how the prospect not having a reliable ideologue beholden to him personally on the Court would be making McConnell a little frantic, however.

[carolson]

The power this POS wields is obscene. When, oh when, can we have another LBJ as majority leader…

[captain_america]

That’s our Mitch.

Bringing a flintlock to a machine-gun fight.

[reggid]

But her emails.

[riverstreet]

Do we have any photos of McConnell dancing in the moonlight with the adorable Mariia Butina?

Or accepting bags of money from the adorable Paul Erikson?

[desertdweller]

On the other hand, if they can install another fascist swine onto the SC, we are screwed.

[dr_coyote]

Do it, Turtle. See who wins the narrative.

[edhedh]

give JJ Cale’s “The Problem” a listen.

[littlegirlblue]

“Vulnerable R state Dems” would include Manchin, Heitkamp, and Donnelly. I think it’s clear we’ve lost Manchin who’s probably the most vulnerable and so the most afraid. The other two are not reliable either. But it’s anybody’s guess what they’re thinking as they do the dance of being Ds in R states.

[littlegirlblue]

You’re right. The Rs beginning with Grass are secure but Cruz may not be.

Chuck Grassley, Iowa, Chairman
Orrin Hatch, Utah
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
John Cornyn, Texas
Mike Lee, Utah
Ted Cruz, Texas
Ben Sasse, Nebraska
Jeff Flake, Arizona
Mike Crapo, Idaho
Thom Tillis, North Carolina
John Neely Kennedy, Louisiana

[thunderclapnewman]

I think it’s clear we’ve lost Manchin who’s probably the most vulnerable and so the most afraid.

Recent polling shows Manchin in the lead over his GOP challenger.
A Trump-allied PAC has just pulled anti-Manchin ads from WV television stations.

[paulw]

So there is definitely an advantage to the Republicans by keeping the Senators up for reelection in Washington in the last month of the campaign since the Democrats have to defend 24 seats while the Republicans only have to defend 9.

I’m not sure this is true. Candidates are only part of every campaign. And they’re mostly scripted. If their talking point for every phone-in, video interview, recorded appearance etc is that they’re staying in Washington to protect the nation’s interests while republicans get to play games, it’s a message that will energize democratic voters – and likely at lower cost than a traditional campaign.