Ginsburg has passed!!

[blastula]

RIP RBG.

 

[blastula]

Murkowski (stated at the moment), Collins, and Romney. Is there one more? No SCOTUS justice has ever been put on the Bench with the VP's vote. The GOP would do it, of course.

I also don't believe in coincidence. The callousness of Trump and the GOP knows no end.

Washington — President Trump on Wednesday announced a new slate of 20 potential nominees to the Supreme Court in the event of a vacancy in his second term in office — or the remainder of his first term — building on a key issue that mobilized conservative voters to support him in 2016 and that has been a major achievement of his presidency for Republicans. The 20 names he listed Wednesday are additions to an original list that has been updated throughout his presidency.

Kelly could be seated by Nov. 30.

Arizona U.S. Senate race: Mark Kelly could be sworn in early if he wins - Arizona Republic

 

[lpetrich]

RIP, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Mitch McConnell Brags About Blocking Barack Obama - YouTube

Sean Hannity: I was shocked that former President Obama left so many vacancies and didn't try to fill those positions.

MMC: I'lI tell you why, I'll tell you why. I was in charge of what we did the last two years of the Obama administration. (laughs)

SH: And I will give you full credit for that.

Yes, MMC laughed as he thought back over his record of obstructing the Obama Admin on judges.

Something that reminds me of this:
Almanac: Bertrand Russell on Lenin’s sense of humor | About Last Night

“When I met Lenin, I had much less impression of a great man than I had expected; my most vivid impressions were of Mongolian cruelty and bigotry. When I put a question to him about socialism in agriculture, he explained with glee how he had incited the poorer peasants against the richer ones, ‘and they soon hanged them from the nearest tree—ha! ha! ha!’ His guffaw at the thought of those massacred made my blood run cold.”

Bertrand Russell, “Eminent Men I Have Known” (courtesy of Richard Brookhiser)

 

[Brian63]

I also don't believe in coincidence. The callousness of Trump and the GOP knows no end.

What "coincidence" are you referring to? All I have is a hunch, but it would be helpful if you could state it explicitly to avoid misunderstanding. Thanks.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

That's probably it for democracy.

 

[Ford]

I find it devastatingly ironic that in 2016, Moscow Mitch and the GOP cited the "Biden Rule" as to why they couldn't accept a nominee during an election year.

Now that it's an election year, and actual Biden is running for President, they're falling all over themselves to break the "Biden Rule."


America: Founded 1776. Failed state 2020.

 

[Terrell]

She should have retired in 2009.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I also don't believe in coincidence. The callousness of Trump and the GOP knows no end.

What "coincidence" are you referring to? All I have is a hunch, but it would be helpful if you could state it explicitly to avoid misunderstanding. Thanks.

They knew she was dying. And they headed out and bragged about their list.

 

[Rhea]

I wonder if any action on this by Trump will show up in polls within 3 days on what will happen to Red Senate Candidates. If SC, AZ, IA, MT and yea, even KY polls tank for the GOP, they might be inspired to stay heir hand. This would get out the Dem vote like nothing else.

It is possible that the timing is not a disaster. It will not be quiet. At. All.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I wonder if any action on this by Trump will show up in polls within 3 days on what will happen to Red Senate Candidates. If SC, AZ, IA, MT and yea, even KY polls tank for the GOP, they might be inspired to stay heir hand. This would get out the Dem vote like nothing else.

It is possible that the timing is not a disaster. It will not be quiet. At. All.

The GOP is suffering from OJ Simpson disease. They feel like they can get away with anything. And they’d be right.

 

[Ford]

I wonder if any action on this by Trump will show up in polls within 3 days on what will happen to Red Senate Candidates. If SC, AZ, IA, MT and yea, even KY polls tank for the GOP, they might be inspired to stay heir hand. This would get out the Dem vote like nothing else.

It is possible that the timing is not a disaster. It will not be quiet. At. All.

For about a nanosecond, I was thinking that maybe the few remaining "moderate" Senate Republicans (Murkowski, Collins, etc.) who were facing tough races could perhaps be counted on to put the kibosh on a new Justice, but then I remembered who we're dealing with.

Let's say four of these Senators said "not until after the election!" Then once their seats were saved by their "bravery" in "standing up to Trump," they'll knuckle under and vote to confirm whatever right wing potted plant he nominates as a lame-duck President.

I'm at a loss to see how this turns out as a win for America.

 

[lpetrich]

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies At 87 : NPR
then
NPR Politics on Twitter: "Just days before her death, as her strength waned, Ginsburg dictated this statement to her granddaughter Clara Spera: "My most fervent wish is that i I will not be replaced until a new president is installed." https://t.co/tmqt9wUt1k" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "We have lost a giant in the history of our nation with the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. ..." / Twitter

We have lost a giant in the history of our nation with the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

It is heartbreaking that in her final moments she was, as are many others, preoccupied with what would happen after her passing.

I want to make one thing clear: we can, and must, fight.

Now is not the time for cynicism or hopelessness. There is and continues to be political possibility to preserve our democracy & move forward.

It will require each & every one of us, from the streets to the Senate, to grow in courage, strength, and strategy. But it is possible.

Our first, no 1 priority is to do everything possible to secure electoral college victory in Nov.

This is the fight of and for our lives. That has always been true, & it becomes more true each day.

Opponents of democracy need your resignation to succeed. Don’t give it to them.

You do not need to, nor should you, ignore your fears - there is plenty to be afraid of - but we have possibilities before us.

We can win, we can succeed, but we cannot do it alone. We will need the people.

We must get to work.
Everyone matters.
Everyone has something to give.

In short:

Don't feel helpless. Get active. Vote. Become an activist.

 

[lpetrich]

She showed up on Instagram Live: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Instagram: “Some thoughts on the evening of RBG’s passing and her final wish.”

She urged people to vote, and to reach out to other people to get them to vote.

Also, be sure to check one's voter registration. One can do that at Everything You Need to Vote - Vote.org

Austin Vesely on Twitter: "watching @AOC on live, [generally quoted:] "we're all tired, but this is what authoritarianism is supposed to do. It's supposed to wear you down until you give in. And you never give in. That's our #1 job right now."" / Twitter

Eliza Orlins on Twitter: "“If Mitch McConnell isn’t going to honor RBG’s final wish, we will. We will. And we have to.” Thank you, ⁦@AOC⁩. For your voice. For your fight. Tonight. And always. https://t.co/2P5ttuvJsx" / Twitter

 

[Deepak]

I wonder if any action on this by Trump will show up in polls within 3 days on what will happen to Red Senate Candidates. If SC, AZ, IA, MT and yea, even KY polls tank for the GOP, they might be inspired to stay heir hand. This would get out the Dem vote like nothing else.

It is possible that the timing is not a disaster. It will not be quiet. At. All.

For about a nanosecond, I was thinking that maybe the few remaining "moderate" Senate Republicans (Murkowski, Collins, etc.) who were facing tough races could perhaps be counted on to put the kibosh on a new Justice, but then I remembered who we're dealing with.

Let's say four of these Senators said "not until after the election!" Then once their seats were saved by their "bravery" in "standing up to Trump," they'll knuckle under and vote to confirm whatever right wing potted plant he nominates as a lame-duck President.

I'm at a loss to see how this turns out as a win for America.

Hitching their hopes to perfidious 'moderate' Republicans is idiotic. If they had a sense for strategy they'd commit to passing a law expanding the size of the court should they win the election if the Republicans consider an appointee.

I doubt they'll do it, since it flexes political power and gives their constituents something they could believe in, but it would be a more prudent move than expecting Susan Collins to do the right thing.

 

[Patooka]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LIi14hpYmo[/youtube]

Food for thought.

 

[TV and credit cards]

I actually think the country's best hope is, regardless of the makeup of the court going forward, the justices individually recognize the need for balance to maintain our democracy in these troubling times. No one expects Thomas or Alito to move toward the center but Kavanaugh, short as his record may be has been so far straddling the ideological fence with Roberts. So I ask myself, would these most learned individuals brazenly push a contested election toward Trump?

 

[Brian63]

I also don't believe in coincidence. The callousness of Trump and the GOP knows no end.

What "coincidence" are you referring to? All I have is a hunch, but it would be helpful if you could state it explicitly to avoid misunderstanding. Thanks.

They knew she was dying. And they headed out and bragged about their list.

If that was all that was meant, I do not see what is so severe and callous about it. It is relevant to governing and good politics to do so. If all you were implying was that the GOP would make political calculations out of the possibility of RBG dying, then so what? That is not any more callous than what the Dems are doing, or what we here are discussing.

 

[southernhybrid]

I knew Mitch would try to appoint a replacement ASAP, but I actually thought he'd wait until the body was cold before celebrating her replacement. Sad to say I was wrong.

There were actually about 5 Republican senators, including Graham and Grassley who previously said that they wouldn't support putting someone on the court this close to an election. I'm guessing that they will all or mostly all change their tune and proof once again that they are hypocrites.

 

[Harry Bosch]

I wonder if any action on this by Trump will show up in polls within 3 days on what will happen to Red Senate Candidates. If SC, AZ, IA, MT and yea, even KY polls tank for the GOP, they might be inspired to stay heir hand. This would get out the Dem vote like nothing else.

It is possible that the timing is not a disaster. It will not be quiet. At. All.

For about a nanosecond, I was thinking that maybe the few remaining "moderate" Senate Republicans (Murkowski, Collins, etc.) who were facing tough races could perhaps be counted on to put the kibosh on a new Justice, but then I remembered who we're dealing with.

Let's say four of these Senators said "not until after the election!" Then once their seats were saved by their "bravery" in "standing up to Trump," they'll knuckle under and vote to confirm whatever right wing potted plant he nominates as a lame-duck President.

I'm at a loss to see how this turns out as a win for America.

It could turn into a win if it leads to a rallying around the democrats in November. Prior to this, Trump had a lot of momentum (economy recovering, the protests, infighting within the left, and etc.) But maybe this will wake us up and unite the party. To me, the most stunning stat from the 2016 election was that a majority of white women voted for Trump over Clinton. I've yet to see a compelling analysis as to why he appealed to them so much. My personal believe (not scientific) is that he (and the general republican party) do a better job of convincing the public that their side will keep people safe. Anyway, maybe this will turn the tide and send the moderates back to Biden.

 

[Harry Bosch]

I actually think the country's best hope is, regardless of the makeup of the court going forward, the justices individually recognize the need for balance to maintain our democracy in these troubling times. No one expects Thomas or Alito to move toward the center but Kavanaugh, short as his record may be has been so far straddling the ideological fence with Roberts. So I ask myself, would these most learned individuals brazenly push a contested election toward Trump?

View attachment 29423

That's a very interesting graph. Yes, Alito is too hardened to move to the center. I hope that you're right about Kavanaugh. I hadn't realized that he had been demonstrating the courage to move center. There have been many rumors that Thomas is in bad health and has been considering retirement.