WSJ

With health care and abortion rights at issue, focus is on moderate Republicans and red-state Democrats

Judge Brett Kavanaugh launched his courtship Tuesday of the senators who will determine whether he ascends to the Supreme Court, the first salvo of the summer’s fiercest political battle.

In their opening move, Republicans touted Judge Kavanaugh’s academic credentials and long record of decisions, while Democrats flagged concerns about how he could tilt the court to the right on health care, abortion and other polarizing issues.

Judge Kavanaugh walked up the steps of the U.S. Capitol next to Vice President Mike Pence before starting a marathon series of meetings with individual senators that will stretch over several weeks.

Republicans have 51 seats in the 100-member Senate, but with Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) fighting brain cancer in Arizona, they are currently operating with only 50 lawmakers to the Democrats’ 49. A simple majority is required to confirm the nominee, with the vice president able to break a tie. A handful of Democrats from states that supported President Donald Trump, a Republican, in 2016 are considered possible “yes” votes.

“Obviously, we want to have all Republicans on board because we’re going to need all Republicans on board,” Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, a member of Senate GOP leadership, said on Tuesday.

Judge Kavanaugh’s first stop, after being introduced by Mr. Trump at a White House ceremony Monday night to succeed retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, was at the office of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), who already has shepherded one Supreme Court justice and more than 20 appeals court judges through the Senate since Mr. Trump took office.

Meanwhile, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the chamber’s Democratic leader, and other Democrats warned that key positions supported by many in the party were at risk with the nomination, given that Justice Kennedy at times had sided with liberals on the high court.

“With Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination, the president has put women’s reproductive rights and vital health-care protections, particularly those that protect families with pre-existing conditions, at grave, grave risk,” Mr. Schumer said in front of the Supreme Court.

The two Senate Republicans considered most likely to oppose Mr. Trump’s nomination are Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, both of whom defied their party last year by opposing a GOP bill to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama’s 2010 health-care law.

Ms. Collins made clear Tuesday that she viewed the Supreme Court nomination as very different from the legislative battle over the Affordable Care Act. “This is the Supreme Court—it’s not a legislative fight. There’s no parallel at all,” she said.

Both Ms. Collins and Ms. Murkowski voted for Judge Kavanaugh in 2006, when then-President George W. Bush appointed him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Ms. Collins has supported all five Supreme Court nominees that have come before the Senate since she was elected in 1996. Ms. Murkowski voted against Mr. Obama’s two nominees: Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

Ms. Murkowski said Tuesday that she had “a lot of work to do” in reviewing Judge Kavanaugh’s record.

White House officials believe that Judge Kavanaugh will be crucial in making the sale to senators. They believe his record and persuasive skills will win over lawmakers who might be wavering.

“It’s a marketing campaign, and we’ve got a great product,” one White House official said Tuesday.

Around noon Tuesday, Judge Kavanaugh met with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will hold his nomination hearing later this summer.

Republicans have said they hope to confirm Judge Kavanaugh in a time frame comparable to Mr. Trump’s first pick, Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was confirmed in 66 days last year. The White House’s aim is to win confirmation in time for Judge Kavanaugh to join the high court when it meets in late September to review petitions for the new term.

But lawmakers said Judge Kavanaugh’s long paper record may take longer for them to review. He served for the last 12 years on the appeals court, and before that was involved in controversial political work, including writing much of independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s report that prompted the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton.

Mr. Grassley said it was too early to say when the hearings would begin. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said she anticipated the hearing would take place in September, after Labor Day.

“Maybe it could be done sooner, but there are a lot of records we need to look at,” she said.

Democrats said they want to see documents from Judge Kavanaugh’s tenure in the Bush White House, where he worked as a lawyer and eventually staff secretary to the president.


Mr. Grassley said he would request documents “based upon the precedent of past judges.”

The most vulnerable Senate Democrats up for re-election this year in conservative-leaning states gave little indication Tuesday of how they plan to vote, in part to keep the pressure focused on Republicans.

Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who was one of three Senate Democrats to vote for Justice Gorsuch, hasn’t indicated how he would vote. He signaled he would be weighing the impact a confirmation would have on the ACA.

The Supreme Court could hear a challenge to the ACA after the Justice Department said last month in a brief in a lawsuit brought by 20 state attorneys general that it won’t defend major provisions in the law, including the bans on insurers denying coverage and charging higher rates to people with pre-existing health conditions.

“That’s just very, very concerning to me,” Mr. Manchin said.

Looking to build coalitions outside Congress, the White House has been calling faith-based groups, local politicians and activists to try to build momentum for Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination.

“There is no issue more unifying for Republicans and conservatives than the Supreme Court,” said Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity, a political group backed by conservative billionaire Charles Koch.

Link

I dunno, I think Kavanaugh will be confirmed according to plan. I think morons like Pelosi and Schumer have worn out the public's patience. "End of civilization as we know it" Keep it up Nance.

quote:

Originally posted by oddball:
I dunno, I think Kavanaugh will be confirmed according to plan. I think morons like Pelosi and Schumer have worn out the public's patience. "End of civilization as we know it" Keep it up Nance.

Yeah, you know the saying about the little boy who cried wolf...

quote:

Republicans have 51 seats in the 100-member Senate, but with Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) fighting brain cancer in Arizona, they are currently operating with only 50 lawmakers to the Democrats’ 49. A simple majority is required to confirm the nominee, with the vice president able to break a tie. A handful of Democrats from states that supported President Donald Trump, a Republican, in 2016 are considered possible “yes” votes.

Anyone know what is going on with McCain? If he is too sick to vote why has he not retired from the senate yet? Can he be forced to retire?

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:

quote:

Originally posted by oddball:
I dunno, I think Kavanaugh will be confirmed according to plan. I think morons like Pelosi and Schumer have worn out the public's patience. "End of civilization as we know it" Keep it up Nance.

Yeah, you know the saying about the little boy who cried wolf...

As we all devoutly hope. Pictures seem to be emerging in the media of signs with "We Oppose" followed by a blank to be filled in with a Sharpie. Chuckles Schumer has already pledged to oppose the nominee with everything he's got. Nancy keeps running around shrilling that every interest group represented in the DNC is going to lose legal rights.

When they don't find anything in Kavanaugh's record to substantiate their fears, Chuckles and Nan are going to look silly. When Kavanaugh is confirmed, they're going to look impotent. When Kavanaugh has participated in a few decisions without the sky suddenly falling on their heads, people are going to remember why they usually switch the channel every time they see Chuckles' or Nan's smiling mug on the TV.

I'm pretty stoked about Justice Kavanaugh.

Roe is Wade is the liberal sacred cow, and theyre shitting themselves over it. That's fine.

I see a challenge to California's gun laws looming in the future, and a good probability of if going the right way.

It's been a long time since we I've felt this optimistic.

'The Donald' is the only president in my lifetime, who's absolutely kept his campaign promises.

I was wishy washy on Trump during the election, but voted for him just to spite liberals.

Now, I'm happy as a clam.

quote:

Originally posted by Il Cattivo:

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:

quote:

Originally posted by oddball:
I dunno, I think Kavanaugh will be confirmed according to plan. I think morons like Pelosi and Schumer have worn out the public's patience. "End of civilization as we know it" Keep it up Nance.

Yeah, you know the saying about the little boy who cried wolf...

As we all devoutly hope. Pictures seem to be emerging in the media of signs with "We Oppose" followed by a blank to be filled in with a Sharpie. Chuckles Schumer has already pledged to oppose the nominee with everything he's got.

Many years ago, I concluded that Schumer was the most dangerous man in America. Still, I maintained a hope to eventually hear him say something that made even a lick of sense, and I must say, hope is dimming. It seems like every day he goes down to the Senate floor and says things even dumber than the day before.

quote:

Many years ago, I concluded that Schumer was the most dangerous man in America. Still, I maintained a hope to eventually hear him say something that made even a lick of sense, and I must say, hope is dimming. It seems like every day he goes down to the Senate floor and says things even dumber than the day before.

My wife and I were discussing which is the most reprehensible scalawag of these three: Schumer, Durbin, or Blumenthal. Tough call.

JALLEN, no more new threads on Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court, or any related subject. Please take it easy.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
JALLEN, no more new threads on Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court, or any related subject. Please take it easy.

No worries.

Several of us were thinking to close out the “Kennedy retires” thread and the “Nominatee pool” thread and post confirmation topics into a new thread, so I started this one.

what shall we do?

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:

quote:

It seems like every day he goes down to the Senate floor and says things even dumber than the day before.

My wife and I were discussing which is the most reprehensible scalawag of these three: Schumer, Durbin, or Blumenthal. Tough call.

Blumenthal seems to have settled comfortably into semiretirement and Durbin still thinks he can be President someday. My wild-ass take, FWIW, is that Schumer is getting to the point where he goes to work every day, sees Feinstein and Pelosi tottering through the door, and thinks: "My God, in five years that could be me - old, shrill, and without a hope in hell of accomplishing anything in public office before I'm called to that great smoke-filled back room in the sky."

And then he panics and says something even sillier than he said before.

Once again, the man in the White House is playing the Leftists like the deranged morons they are. Judge Kavanaugh appears to be a phenomenally qualified pick that no rational human being could vote against. The pre-canned outrage against this man, even before he was selected, pulls back the curtain completely on just how irrational, hateful, and angry the Left really is. IMO they will greatly regret their behavior when November has come and gone.

Personally, I hope all the Senate Dem's in close re-election races heed the direction of their leadership and oppose the Kavanaugh confirmation. That move should likely be the final nail in their political coffins.

quote:

Originally posted by grumpy1:

quote:

Republicans have 51 seats in the 100-member Senate, but with Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) fighting brain cancer in Arizona, they are currently operating with only 50 lawmakers to the Democrats’ 49. A simple majority is required to confirm the nominee, with the vice president able to break a tie. A handful of Democrats from states that supported President Donald Trump, a Republican, in 2016 are considered possible “yes” votes.

Anyone know what is going on with McCain? If he is too sick to vote why has he not retired from the senate yet? Can he be forced to retire?

What an incredibly petty, small, man McCain is to refuse to give up his seat when everyone knows he's not ever coming back to Washington again. If I were a citizen of Arizona, I'd be beyond angry that I had no representation in the US senate because an angry, childish, man refuses to do what's best for his state and country.

McCain may not be a problem here. He was quoted as saying the following in yesterday's The Washington Examiner:

quote:

In selecting Judge Brett Kavanaugh to fill the vacancy left by Justice Kennedy, President Trump has chosen a nominee with impeccable credentials and a strong record of upholding the Constitution. Over the course of Judge Kavanaugh's impressive legal career, he has built a reputation as a fair, independent and mainstream judge who has earned widespread respect from his peers. One of the Senate's highest constitutional responsibilities is to provide advice and consent on nominations to the Supreme Court, and I look forward to the Senate fulfilling this critical duty through a fair and thorough confirmation process.

Original text at http://www.washingtonexaminer....inee-brett-kavanaugh

If McCain supports Kavanaugh (and Kavanaugh's Bush connection can't hurt), then the Dems have to count him as one vote for confirmation even if McCain has to be rolled in on a gurney (a periodic favorite stunt in the Senate, BTW). For all practical purposes Schumer has to figure he's up against a solid 50 votes and that Pence will be willing to cast the 51st vote to confirm. That, in turn, has to drive Schumer's decisions about whether the Dems fight the nomination at all, as well as how hard and just plain how they fight.

McCain could always pull something obnoxious out of his butt, but we're still at the stage where the Dems can at least theoretically be buffaloed into putting up no more of a fight than they need to in order to pacify most of their voters.

Let's just say the Senate is 100% sure they would win a confirmation vote, can the leader call for a vote on say - this Friday (without any hearings)?

Does it disrupt some new "that ain't the way we do things now" procedure which was not in place 200 years ago?

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
Let's just say the Senate is 100% sure they would win a confirmation vote, can the leader call for a vote on say - this Friday (without any hearings)?

Does it disrupt some new "that ain't the way we do things now" procedure which was not in place 200 years ago?

No. Nominations, and most everything else, gets run through committees.

It does make one wonder, though, if the God Damned Commies are dead set against this, why do they want to pore through every paper Kavanaugh ever laid hands, or eyes, on? It won’t cost him their vote.

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
Let's just say the Senate is 100% sure they would win a confirmation vote, can the leader call for a vote on say - this Friday (without any hearings)?

Does it disrupt some new "that ain't the way we do things now" procedure which was not in place 200 years ago?

Theoretically, that could happen. But it won't.
1. Mitch McConnell wouldn't do it.
2. It would likely result in defeat of Brett Kavanaugh's nomination if he did pull a stunt like that.
3. Yes, it would disrupt some "that ain't the way we do things now" procedure. It has to go through the judiciary committee first. Do you really think they are going to give up the chance to hear themselves bloviate? This is theater!

Never fear liberal social justice warriors! New York's Mensa candidate governor has vowed to sue the Supreme Court if they "roll back" Roe v Wade!!

I can see how a state can sue if it doesn't want the federal government to force it to do something. How does a state sue the federal government to get the federal government to force the states to do something? What standing does Coco, er, Cuomo, have to insist that the Feds ensure Roe will continue to be governing law in Wyoming or Louisiana?

Cuomo is an idiot. Roe v Wade!! is just a rallying cry used to stir up the Dem. Socialists.