A mass nomination. First, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC):
“There is a clear choice on the future of the Supreme Court between the well-qualified and conservative jurist President Trump will nominate and I will support, and the liberal activist Joe Biden will nominate and Cal Cunningham will support, who will legislate radical, left-wing policies from the bench,” Tillis’s statement reads. [13 News]
Given the quality of some of the nominees, Senator Tillis is foolish in his haste to stand behind the President. But, then, that is the point of the Earl Landgrebe nominees, isn’t it?
And then there’s Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), chairman of the Judiciary Committee:
“We’re going to have a process that you’ll be proud of,” Graham promised. “The nominee will be supported by every Republican in the Judiciary Committee and we have the votes to confirm the justice on the floor of the senate before the election. And that’s what’s coming.” [TPM]
Note how Graham has placed all but two of the Republican Senators into Earl Landgrebe contention, those exceptions being Murkowski and Collins, who’ve already declared opposition.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s vision of Sauron.
In their frantic rush to please their master, Sauron President Trump, the Republicans have ceded to the Democrats the title American Conservatives. A conservative is someone who places great value in preserving the institutions and traditions of the past. It is not the Democrats who have been running roughshod over the valued institutions of the past, the procedures which were in place to assure orderly and just governance. For those who wish to raise a finger in objection, it is the Republicans who forced the Democrats to use the nuclear option in order to pass Judiciary nominations, or be faced by the judicial chaos caused by empty seats.
Remember the Republicans disregard of procedures when formulating the failed replacement of the ACA, and the successfully passed (but unsuccessful) Tax Reform of 2017, as the House, under the incompetent leadership of Speaker Ryan (R-WI), could not even fulfill its duties in formulating competent bills; both were deliberately left to the Senate to rewrite. Failing to respect and honor the traditions of Congress is a key indicator of their moral collapse.
Since then, we’ve seen little but miserable obeisance from the Republican Party and GOP Senators. Their latest advance is proactive miserable obeisance, as they bizarrely permit the tail of the dog, President Trump, wag them with all the vigor of a Roman Emperor disposing of a useless pack of Senators. Their duty, now foresaken? To vet the nominee, make sure he or she is qualified, both in terms of experience and temperament, and not be a howling, temperamental scalawag.
This is simply another example of the failure of the GOP.
And, if you’re wondering, yes, I hate sounding like some sort of ideologue. I’m a goddamn independent, and I am furious that the GOP has become a hollowed out skeleton of what it once was. I want more than one viable choice, but as the Democrats have become the conservatives and the liberals at the same time, that’s no longer viable.
