Remember back when Justice Kennedy announced his retirement and we all screamed....

[scheming daemons]

....for the Dems to fight this tooth and nail?


Remember how everyone was skeptical?


Well, the Dems *HAVE* fought this with every arrow in their quiver. There's only so much a minority party can do. But they're doing everything they can.


And we have to have their back in the elections in six weeks.... and GIVE THEM A MAJORITY.

[JHan]

1. K&R

[olegramps]

36. I also remember when Democrats thought Kennedy was in the camp. All Republicans are scum.

[Amimnoch]

2. Athiest AMEN!

Don't believe in "god", but I'll still give THAT one an AMEN!

[Hoyt]

3. Got to admit, I thought there was no way to stop Kav.

But it’s very possible now.

I am concerned that GOPers will ramp up swift boating of nominees in the future. But Democrats will just have to handle it if it occurs.

[Eliot Rosewater]

6. Yeah, Roe is gone no matter what, Griswold, Gay marriage , all civil rights

all workers rights all women's rights all voting rights ALL gone NO
MATTER who we fight to stop.

But some are worse than others and keeping RAPISTS off the court is a start.

I am so fucking angry at how we got here

[kairos12]

18. I'm so pissed

I got off my couch for fear of spontaneous combustion and burning down the house.

[mythology]

23. This is defeatist nonsense

Not to mention utterly inaccurate. There is zero chance that "all women's rights" will be rolled back. I don't get the woe is us, we're helpless stuff you and others keep spreading.

Maybe you haven't noticed but we've been doing a hell of a job stopping the Trump agenda. We've still got the ACA, the Muslim ban had to be dramatically scaled back. The border wall unbuilt. The child separation policy stopped. We're fighting against gerrymandering finally. The MeToo movement is fighting back against sexual predators. The EPA regulation roll back being challenged in the courts. Russia investigation collecting heads and moving ever closer to Trump.

[lagomorph777]

24. +1 Happy to agree with you today!

[Eliot Rosewater]

37. The reason I say these things is in HOPES that not ONE person will WHINE about our next

candidate like so many did about Hillary.

Because everything I said is actually now possible in the short term FOR SURE and NONE of it had to be possible but for WHINING about speeches and so on.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

40. Excuse me . . .

Maybe YOU have been spared some of the more egregious examples of reprehensible behavior in this nation.

But right now, there are thousands of people all over this nation who are suffering roll backs in their health care services, especially WOC/people in rural areas/marginalized citizens. Unable to obtain critical (and sometimes even basic) care due to cut backs in services available in CBOCs and their satellites, they have no where else to turn.

Right now, Muslims are being harassed and tormented in this country at unprecedented levels. I guide you to the CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) website. The stories will horrify you.

Right now, Border Patrol Agents have increasingly become worse than any Wall could ever prove to be. The arbitrary fashion in which they "process" people borders on the barely legal. The lawsuits are revealing just how far these agents will go to push the limits of their authority. Worse, they are permitted to stop anyone, anywhere within 50 miles of a border/coastline/boundary water to question them about their citizenship.

Right now there is an all-time high number of children in internment camps across the nation. And the administration is cooking up new policies to circumvent the laws on returning these children. They are being separated from their parents as young as SIX MONTHS OLD. They are housed in dirty and cold environments with sub-standard nutrition/water. Children who have been released have been in filthy clothing, covered in lice and bruises and scabs and some have been seriously ill enough to warrant medical attention, which they are NOT getting in their caged surroundings. They are not getting mental health services. They are not permitted to call their parents - who frequently do not know and cannot find out where their children are being held. They are being sexually abused. Some by the "guards," others by other children, some of whom are known to be predators.

Don't even get me started on the issues surrounding the MeToo movement, except to say that the WAR on WOMEN continues every day and that in the past few weeks women all over this nation have been re-traumatized by the ugly politics of the geriatric, white men of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Right now, the EPA - having been gutted of its scientists - is under perpetual attack, as corporations, more concerned about their bottom line than the air we breath, the food we eat and the water we drink, are getting a sweepstakes in the undermining and roll back of pollution controls designed to keep us healthy. Talk to the people in Flint, MI ask them if their water is drinkable yet.

The office within the WH that coordinated policy on cyber-attacks on our nation's voting grid has been decimated by John Bolton. I'm sure the Russians are pleased.

So pardon me if I'm not dancing in the street with a glass of Dom Perignon in my hand. It is this kind of "whew, we're almost there" rhetoric that makes people sit back, thinking that we've accomplished something and becoming complacent about the future. The operative word here is "almost."

We are "almost" one vote away from the repeal of Roe v. Wade.

We are "almost" one vote away from seeing minority rule by the rich, white, privileged, self-entitled elite.

We are "almost" one vote away from being told that a sitting president in above the law, and therefore, untouchable, by justice.

[lunasun]

50. All this . Thank you

[zanana1]

53. I'm a 66 year-old woman.

I've had to deal with sexual harassment and molestation all my life. ENOUGH ALREADY!

[yellowdogintexas]

55. Yep beginning with the high school sociopath

Every high school has at least one. He cornered a friend and me and literally backed us into a corner then like lightening grabbed our breasts. Then ran. We reported him, he got his licks with the really bad paddle (the one with holes in it) which he laughed at. Another friend heard her name called as she was going into the gym and turned to see who it was, and he was standing in the door to the men's shower room, stark naked. I have no doubt that he raped some woman somewhere. This was in the "morning devotional" days, and I'm sorry but required prayer and Bible in the classroom had no impact on him or any other of the really scary bad boys who were in our very small school.

Every woman has been catcalled by construction workers. Do they still do this? I have not had to walk through a construction zone in a long time. Back in the Stone Age when I did, it seemed that the workers considered it their absolute right (even responsibility) to verbally harass us and make us feel demoralized and afraid even in broad daylight with lots of people around.

Every woman has had the office creep, who makes slimy remarks and just manages to keep from crossing the line.

Every woman has had a date who assumed you should be so grateful you would do whatever he wanted.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

59. I am sorry for the pain you have had to endure.

I feel like all across this nation, women are being re-traumatized this week and it sickens me.

[Eliot Rosewater]

4. Less WHINING might result in MORE SEATS for our party, so yes, thanks.

I sure hope we take back the house and senate.

Because even when we vote we have to overcome voter obstruction and suppression along with the KGB or GRU if you insist HELPING the gop, the GOP now works with our enemy.

[KenCol]

5. I wish I was more optimistic

The expert gerrymandering of 2011 is a tough hill to climb.

[scheming daemons]

7. Gerrymandering has NO impact on getting a majority in the Senate

You can't gerrymander a senate race.

[quakerboy]

48. I mean, states are kinda the ultimate gerrymander

Wyoming and California each getting two senators? Im pretty sure not even the craziest gerrymandered house district approaches the inequality/unfairness of representation that that is.

[yellowdogintexas]

56. that is NOT gerrymandering. If the Senate races were for

different areas within the state, then you could say that.

In a statewide election, regardless of the office, the winner is the one who gets the most votes state wide who wins.

House, yes; state legislature (both houses) yes. District courts, State Boards of Education, yes. Local jurisdictions not so much because they are not drawn by the State Legislature.

Two Senators for every state was supposed to counterbalance the population based House. States with low populations and only one House district would have really bad representation if the senate were also proportionate to population.

At least we the people can vote on them. Originally the State Legislature and the Governor decided this We would be SOL this year in Texas if this were still true. I shudder at the thought of more like Rafael and Cornyn in the US Senate because we have a huge population.

[quakerboy]

58. You make my point:

:manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.
:achieve (a result) by manipulating the boundaries of an electoral constituency.

[Grasswire2]

8. welcome to DU

Despite gerrymandering, we are the massive majority.

It's all about GOTV.

[Drunken Irishman]

9. True but we're talking the Senate here. The House is irrelevant in this right now.

[Tiggeroshii]

10. Gutting the voting rights act actually is the hill to climb

You cannot change state borders.

[Gothmog]

44. The gutting of the Voting Rights Act has been a major pain

[Fred Sanders]

16. It is statistically a 5% hill nationally for the House, so quite scaleable! Welcome to DU.

[betsuni]

11. The "Dems don't fight" talking point is annoying.

[7962]

27. Yet constant. I dont really understand it either. nt

[happy feet]

12. YES!

[Lucky Luciano]

13. Good for the dems. I have been highly critical with...

...their performance re confrontations with the thugs, but they have done well here.

[Freethinker65]

14. I still want to know about that suspiciously timed retirement

[C_U_L8R]

15. Absolutely !

We're fired up !!

[FromTheAshes]

17. PLUS they damn well knew they were nominating someone who is a political operative with

closets full of skeletons...HOW FUCKING DARE THEY.

[libdem4life]

32. Easy.

He was the only one crooked enough to "pre-judge" the Mueller Investigation and pre-agree to bail Trump out. Trump wanted him...he was NOT on the list of the conservatives. Only a crooked judge would agree to that.

[Gothmog]

43. McConnell warned trump but trump ignored this warning

McConnell will be saying "I told you so" soon

[BadGimp]

19. Trump and his minions forced Kennedy out - so they could replace him...

They are playing the long game as usual and winning.

[Azathoth]

20. Credit really goes to the women who are braving right-wing hate by speaking out

Dems have done what they could, but they're really spectators here.

[scheming daemons]

33. Sorry, Feinstein is not a "spectator" here.

[ehrnst]

21. K&R.

[DownriverDem]

22. Saying the same thing

When folks kept saying they aren't fighting enough, I would point that when a party is in the minority, there is very little they can do. Too many folks acted like the Dems could stop the repubs. That's when I said that give the Dems the minority and watch them take up all the issues we care about.

[Lucky Luciano]

25. The republicans have been very powerful when they were the minority.

[scheming daemons]

34. They didn't stop any SCOTUS judges or the ACA when they were in the minority.

It wasn't until they got a majority in 2010 in the House and 2014 in the Senate that they were able to really stop things.

[C_U_L8R]

26. Kennedy really blew it.

Tarnish his whole career on the bench for some self-serving bullshit. He should have known better.

[Hekate]

30. I wonder what the lever was. nt

[geardaddy]

28. K&R

[Hekate]

29. Hell yes we must have our Dems' backs

GOTV! And yay for Mazie Hirono, Diane Feinstein, and Kamala Harris!

[Gothmog]

42. The Democrats did a great job here

[BigmanPigman]

31. Call them and thank them for their hard work...they need encouragement

like everyone else.
[phone] DC Senate directory.

[Johnny2X2X]

35. What if Kennedy takes back his intent to retire?

Kennedy retired after being bribed by Trump and with the agreement that he'd be able to pick his own replacement, now that his hand picked replacement is going down in flames maybe he could change his mind about retiring altogether.

[Tiggeroshii]

38. I would like to know how plausible that is.

Are there any rules against it? Has he officially stepped down and would have to be re appointed if he did? My understaning is there have already been a couple major 4 4 rulings so reversing his retirement might need a new confirmation as he is officially off the court now.

[quakerboy]

49. And then he would just vote as Kavenaugh would have

He showed his true colors.

[Honeycombe8]

39. Yes! I'm so shocked! And so PROUD of them! They're doing everything they can.

No more stereotypical Dems, letting the Republicans walk all over us.

[Gothmog]

41. The Senate Democrats have done an amazing job fighting this nomination

The Democrats had no real tools to use but have managed to put this nomination into doubt and generate a pink wave for the midterms

Good job.

[RandiFan1290]

45. Senate Democrats better not vote for this scumbag! nt

[D23MIURG23]

46. They've really taken it to the republicans on Kavanaugh.

I'm impressed.

[SunSeeker]

47. K & R

[cbreezen]

51. Ignore the skeptics...

I was thinking 50/50 last week. I think the odds in his favor a diminishing...

Thank you Christine!!!

[UCmeNdc]

52. Agree 100%

Vote these GOP bums out of office. All of them must go!

[KPN]

54. I get your point. But it's not about the present, it's about the past.

If we can be honest about ourselves, we would all admit that sometimes we simply do not possess the same degree of unconscionable ruthlessness that propels the GOP. We are thoughtful, tolerant folks in comparison. That is normally a good thing, except when it results in unintended harm to real people. So let's be honest here. We are -- and have been for quite some time -- at war politically with an enemy that would like nothing better than to permanently cripple any political force that is left of today's "conservatives". Bringing anything less than what we've brought to the Kavanaugh battle will -- and has -- beat/beaten us at many turns.

Yeah, Democrats are putting up a heck of a fight right now. Let's just make sure we continue to do so in the future -- on every issue.

[INdemo]

57. True Democrats have finally shown backbone

So why in the hell didn't the Democrats fight this hard when McConnell refused to give Judge Merrick Garland a hearing and conformation vote when this was a violation of the Senate rules and an absolute violation of the
U S Constitution.
If Democrats would have fought this hard in 2010,2012 when Republicans blamed them for the Bush recession and the bank collapse maybe they could have held the house.
And
Im convinced Republicans didn't win the Senate majority in 2014 ,it was just too damn easy for them So good chance the Russians were involved in the 2014 election and McConnell's comeback to win reelection.

So its good to see Democrats have finally woke up..
Lets see what happen the Red State Democrats? I hope they make us proud.

[Blue_true]

60. The people that bashed Dems when Kennedy retired

will find another reason to bash Dems. They always do. They want things perfectly their way, 95% their way is not good enough.