09-23-2020, 01:01 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-23-2020, 05:41 PM by Eric the Green.)
If we don't want to let Classic Xer have his way, and have to consider the pros and cons of secession, then the Democrats need a big win in the Senate.
RBG's untimely death is in my opinion potentially the worst USA national tragedy since JFK. The congress needs to use all available tactics to block the vote for her successor.
If that fails, the Democrats need to win a several-seat majority this November so that they can overturn the filibuster and pack the Court. They will need more than a majority so that a few reluctant Democrats can't stop filibuster and Court reform. The Democrats currently lead by 5 points or more in Maine, Colorado, Arizona and North Carolina, the 4 states they need to take control if Harris becomes VP. They are also tied or a point ahead in Georgia (Ossoff vs. Perdue), South Carolina (Harrison vs. Graham) and Iowa (Greenfield vs. Ernst), and are about 1 point behind in Montana (Bullock vs. Daines). If the Democrats surge, they are within about 5 points in Alaska, Texas, Georgia (Warnock vs. Loeffler), and Kansas, and Amy McGrath is getting lots of donations to throw against Moscow Mitch in Kentucky. Some claim that the Democrats can win in Mississippi. Democratic Senator Jones in Alabama seems likely to be deposed.
If Kelly in AZ and Warnock in GA both win their special elections, they could take office in late November and stop the nomination if it is blocked that long. I don't know if McConnell or the governor of AZ could block them from taking office, but by law they are supposed to be seated right away. Blocking until January might be easier too when Kelly takes office.
Fall back measures if the Democrats win include reducing the filibuster to 55 rather than eliminating it, but if they can only do that, they should put back the filibuster to 55 for the Supreme Court too. The Democrats also need to make Puerto Rico a state and provide DC with two senators as soon as they can, to help balance the electoral college and the senate from its rural and southern majority, originally created to keep slave states in the union in 1787.
Term limits for the Court have also been suggested, and I wonder if this could be made retroactive. I doubt it. Another idea is that the extra justices could be seated with the proviso that when future justices are added, they don't need to be replaced on death or retirement until the number goes back down to 9. The fanatical and extreme, ruthless nature of the Republican minority that now controls our country through the Senate, Electoral College and Supreme Court is, in my estimation, a temporary aberration, and so these court packing and filibuster measures could be made temporary as well.
RBG's untimely death is in my opinion potentially the worst USA national tragedy since JFK. The congress needs to use all available tactics to block the vote for her successor.
If that fails, the Democrats need to win a several-seat majority this November so that they can overturn the filibuster and pack the Court. They will need more than a majority so that a few reluctant Democrats can't stop filibuster and Court reform. The Democrats currently lead by 5 points or more in Maine, Colorado, Arizona and North Carolina, the 4 states they need to take control if Harris becomes VP. They are also tied or a point ahead in Georgia (Ossoff vs. Perdue), South Carolina (Harrison vs. Graham) and Iowa (Greenfield vs. Ernst), and are about 1 point behind in Montana (Bullock vs. Daines). If the Democrats surge, they are within about 5 points in Alaska, Texas, Georgia (Warnock vs. Loeffler), and Kansas, and Amy McGrath is getting lots of donations to throw against Moscow Mitch in Kentucky. Some claim that the Democrats can win in Mississippi. Democratic Senator Jones in Alabama seems likely to be deposed.
If Kelly in AZ and Warnock in GA both win their special elections, they could take office in late November and stop the nomination if it is blocked that long. I don't know if McConnell or the governor of AZ could block them from taking office, but by law they are supposed to be seated right away. Blocking until January might be easier too when Kelly takes office.
Fall back measures if the Democrats win include reducing the filibuster to 55 rather than eliminating it, but if they can only do that, they should put back the filibuster to 55 for the Supreme Court too. The Democrats also need to make Puerto Rico a state and provide DC with two senators as soon as they can, to help balance the electoral college and the senate from its rural and southern majority, originally created to keep slave states in the union in 1787.
Term limits for the Court have also been suggested, and I wonder if this could be made retroactive. I doubt it. Another idea is that the extra justices could be seated with the proviso that when future justices are added, they don't need to be replaced on death or retirement until the number goes back down to 9. The fanatical and extreme, ruthless nature of the Republican minority that now controls our country through the Senate, Electoral College and Supreme Court is, in my estimation, a temporary aberration, and so these court packing and filibuster measures could be made temporary as well.