Democrats began debating their options on Saturday, when a new Senate meeting is called by senators and a fierce fight to keep the seat vacant until next year if Biden can take over the White House. And while no specific course of action was detailed, Democrats said they agreed on this: they plan to join the Great War to stop nominations on its tracks by forcing four Republicans to break ranks.
“Mitch McConnell believes the fight is over. What Mitch McConnell doesn’t understand is that the fight has just begun.” Elizabeth W., Ren, Massachusetts Democrat, said speaking at the Ginsburg Awakening on Saturday.
First, Democrats want to close the nomination, and they are considering taking unusual steps to reduce all business in the Senate to drag out the proceedings for as long as possible, senators said. Under the rules, which require the chamber to run unanimously, Democrats can object to the day’s regular business and essentially adjourn the chamber.
If McNeil had the support of 51 senators he would eventually get around the strategy of such a stall, but they would be able to pull the action.
And if Democrats ultimately fail to stop the nominee, they could push the law to expand the Supreme Court by adding extra seats to seek revenge against what they see as Republican heavy-handed tactics.
It’s an option that has garnered more interest in the wake of Ginsberg’s death – and that’s not one that Democratic leaders are denying.
“We’ve basically left the options open,” Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin told CNN’s newsroom anchor Anne Cabrera on Saturday night about adding more seats to the court.
McConnell vowed on Friday that whoever Trump nominates to replace Ginsberg would get a vote on the Senate floor, arguing that the situation is different now than it was in 2011 because Republicans control the Senate and the White House.
The topic of how Democrats respond was a dominant theme at a conference called the Senate Democratic Caucus on Saturday afternoon, according to Democratic sources, where many Democratic senators talked about the events and where minority leader Chuck Schumer warned that “nothing. “If Trump’s candidacy is confirmed in an election year.
Schumer said Friday that the Supreme Court vacancy “should not be filled until we have a new president.”
But many things will have to happen for Democrats to succeed in their approach to the expansion of the Supreme Court.
First, the Senate Democrats will have to win a majority in November – and the fight for control of the chamber is currently on the edge of the razor. If they get a majority, it will almost certainly be a very narrow advantage – potentially one or two seats, or even 50-50 senate. And if Biden wins the presidency, he will have to take a series of steps to make the expansion of the High Court a reality.
But many Democratic senators have already expressed strong opposition to killing Filebuster over fears of a long-running conflict for the organization and the country.
Eventually, adding seats to the Supreme Court will pass legislation once FileBuster changes – a move that would also be a controversial move in the Senate Democratic caucus.
.
