Not a surprise. And McConnell will go crazy with federal judgeships.
Fuck.
Starting tomorrow, Democrats need to begin an under the radar campaign to make expanding the Supreme Court an achievable goal for when we next win the Senate and Presidency.
With another two years of GOP Senate control, the best we can hope for is no more changes to SCOTUS before 2021, but that relies on both Ginsburg and Breyer remaining healthy enough – and alive enough – to hang on until then.
If either leaves SCOTUS before 2021 – if the GOP gets to put another fascist on the Supreme Court – we will absolutely need to expand it once we get control of the Senate and Executive Branch, if we are to have any hope of a Democratic agenda surviving judicial appeals.
There is no choice but to expand it. It is the right thing to do even if it wasn’t for this mess. The appointments have become too high stakes. It is too much power in the hands of too few. That power needs to be distributed among more people regardless of ideology. But the concern is also for the lower courts. We may need to do something there too. We will need to clean the rot out of those courts also. Perhaps a stronger ethics review board and disclosure laws for judges with real consequences for corruption that include expulsion from office through an expedited impeachment process. Something has to be done to make sure these guys being stacked in the courts are not on someone’s payroll.
What is the matter with you, Tennessee?
Wasn’t happy to see Nelson go down, but, after the 2016 election, I looked at which Senators were up for a vote in 2018 and was worried about the GOP ending up with 60 Senators by the end of it.
It would be lovely to wake up tomorrow to see Tester still in and Heller out, but the Senate is enemy territory for at least 2 more years no matter what happens the rest of the night.
The Dem House has a job to do – expose Trumpp, force compromises on spending priorities and tax breaks, work on voting rights, and pass sensible, popular legislation that will make the Senate and President play a little defense.
Our job? Keep up the support for each other and our elected officials, keep organizing, keep getting people registered, keep after elected GOPers who display or encourage racism, nationalism, misogyny, and so on. Demand more from our party organizations. Give more time to our party organizations. Be visible. Tell our stories – if we got hurt by the GOP tax scam bill, or if we have had problems caused by GOP efforts to undermine Obamacare and to pull healthy people out of the ACA exchanges.
Demand more of our elected officials, especially those who are in states with term limits and so are always looking ahead to the next office. We want effort and competence from them, not just resume polishing. Find out where their local office is. Call or visit, and ask what they have been doing in and for the district. Give feedback.
It’s a ridiculous collective action problem, but the solution is to act. We know how important it is to restore sanity, and we know other people who know. Try things. Share your stories with the people who would care. Learn from each other what works.
Practice the ability to ignore Trumpp’s distraction of the day and choose for yourself what you will keep your eye and mind on.
“The Republican-controlled Senate will likely spend much of its time fulfilling Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) longtime dream of packing the federal courts with conservative judges.”
With lifetime appointments. The judiciary has become hyper partisan yet they never have to face the voters once they are rubber stamped. Once that balance is really lopsided in their favor it will matter little what or how much we control in elected offices. The courts have the last word.
You’ve fallen into the same trap as the talking heads on TV. All I hear is how Trump pulled off a big Senate victory-despite the map. Did you analyze the change in the victory percentages from 2018 to 2012? Almost every state shows a significant narrowing of GOP winning percentages. Cruz’s margin of victory in 2012-16 points. Margin of victory in 2018-3 points (without all the votes). John Kasich’s ® margin of victory in 2014 Ohio governor race-27 points. Mike DeWine’s ® margin of victory in 2018 race-1.8 points. Scott Walker’s ® margin of victory in 2014 Wisconsin governor’s race-6%. 2018 Wisconsin is too close to call but Dem is ahead now. Bob Corker’s ® margin of victory in 2012 Tennessee Senate race-30 points. Marsha Blackburn’s ® margin of victory in 2018-9%. Not every state was the same-eg: Florida. But I haven’t read or heard anything about these shifts. Its all “Trump wins” or “no blue wave”. I didn’t except the wave to crest a mere 2 years after 2016-but its coming.
Thank you.
Every step has to be measured. Would it have been Nirvana to get it all? Of course, but now we strategize and finish the job. Work on those states that need change at the local level. No state should allow it’s overseer of elections to remain in the position while he/she is running for higher office…hmmm, GA. Total conflict of interests here.
Pat Toomey-PA, should be afraid, very afraid. His seat will be up in 2020. PA will not be going to Trump this time around. Pennsylvania learns how to correct mistakes.
10 more million Americans voted for Democrats in Senate races yet the GOP expanded their margin. The Senate, like the Electoral College, is an archaic, anti democratic institution. That a state like Montana, where about 500,000 people voted has as much say in a Supreme Court nomination as a state like California, is an abomination.
This wasn’t a good night for Dems. The DNC, Tom Perez and Pelosi will claim a huge victory, though it wasn’t. This was the “wave” that wasn’t.
Tom Perez is weak and has zero right to claim he had anything to do with taking back the House—that was the result of candidates who put their lives out there and got hammered by the moneyed Reeps.
The Senate and Gubernatorial losses this evening are devistating. McConnell will continue to pack the courts and this will leave a 50 year plus mark. How many more SCOTUS seats will Trump get to choose within the next two to six years if or when he wins a second term?
Lastly, the Florida Democratic Party lost every statewide seat this evening, not to mention losing Nelson’s senate seat. This next presidential election will again hinge on Florida and this isn’t a good look to say the least. The Democratic Party needs political street brawlers and not the likes of Tom Perez.
Exactly! This system is a mess.
Really? Have you read where Toomey polls in PA among Reeps and Dems? He’s one of the most popular Reeps defending and won’t lose in 2020.
Toomey could lose if Chuck Schumer wasn’t leading us into another campaign cycle. The Dems need to win races from school boards up through state houses.
This is why Dems lose…
The important thing at this point is that Dems control at least one of the houses. Now the Mueller report will be given the light of day, now hearings can be held, and there will be an alternative to the 24/7 bullsh*t machine in Congress.
How will we expand it anytime in the next 10 years? I don’t see any way the democrats take back the senate in 2020 or any time in the foreseeable future.
I don’t think it is a coincidence that every red state senator who voted against Kavanaugh lost. Maybe Joe Manchin wasn’t so stupid after all.
Kavanaugh was the bait, the Democrats and the activists went for it hook line and sinker and not only did they lose the battle, they lost the war.
The federal judiciary is permanently lost.
Schumer is a miserable failure…as was Reid…under the Demopublican Party.
Dems won’t win until they give America an alternative vision to Republicans instead of stumbling around lost!
Repubs win the senate because they give the American people answers…albeit they are horrendous answers but they are certain ansers.
The Democrats don’t give an answer on immigration and US over population, the Democrats don’t give an an answer and sell Universal Healthcare and especially how it will help businesses and corporations, the Democrats fail to talk about tax policy and a BALANCE budget to end deficit spending without hammering SS and Medicare (which we pay for outside of taxes).
Trump will get to appoint TWO more justices to the SCOTUS: Thomas will retire and RBG won’t last 2 more years.
Apparently lead paint chips comprise a basic food group in Tennessee
One interesting side effect of the increased GOP margin … Pence now has even less utility. No need for any tie breaking VP votes to be cast.
This sucks. I knew it would go down like this because of the Kavanaugh hearings. When the Dems attacked Kavanaugh over something he did in high school and pawed through his yearbook they handed the GOP a great gift. It was one powerful stupid political strategy.