Democrats Exploring Deal With McConnell On Gorsuch Nomination

[yurbud]

I hope this story isn't true because

A) They have no reason to believe McConnell will keep his word

B) The truck case alone shows that Democrats should oppose him as an anti-worker extremist.

Democrats might lose anyway if they filibuster Gorsuch, but at least they will have stood for something, which might inspire more people to stand in line to vote for them.

WASHINGTON ― Democratic senators are quietly contemplating cutting a deal with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.): giving him an up-or-down vote on Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch if he restores the 60-vote requirement for advancing district and circuit court nominees.

That’s just one proposal being floated as part of ongoing conversations between more than half a dozen Senate Democrats, according to two Democratic aides familiar with the talks. Another proposal is offering to confirm Gorsuch in exchange for a commitment from McConnell to preserve the 60-vote threshold just for future Supreme Court nominees, a source told The Huffington Post, and which Politico also reported on Wednesday.

So far, the talks remain very preliminary. Leadership isn’t a part of the group exploring such an arrangement, and there haven’t been any conversations with McConnell himself or other GOP senators. Instead, it is more of an organic dialogue among rank-and-file Democrats looking ahead to Gorsuch’s confirmation vote in the next two weeks.

But the objective among these Democrats is to preserve the filibuster ― the party’s only real leverage while in the minority, with the fear being that McConnell will remove it if Gorsuch’s nomination is blocked. The thinking among the group is that McConnell will end up just shy of the 60 votes he needs to advance the Gorsuch nomination, with all 52 Republicans likely to vote for him and a handful of moderate Democrats likely to join. McConnell has hinted that he’s prepared to nix the filibuster rule altogether if he can’t hit 60 votes. That would mean that going forward, it would only take 51 votes to advance a Supreme Court nominee.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mcconnell-deal-court_us_58d312e9e4b0f838c62f60f9?lwa77zc06nfpzoxbt9&

[lapfog_1]

1. Well sure thing... see how well it worked in the past...

[yurbud]

2. yep

[PhilosopherKing]

3. Illegitimate president equals an...

illegitimate Supreme Court Nominee-Period.

[yellowcanine]

4. Yes, because McConnell can be trusted to stick to any agreement with Democrats.

[red dog 1]

5. " a handful of moderate Democrats likely to join"?

Why would "moderate" Democrats join the Repubs in voting for Gorsuch?

DINO's like Sen. Joe Manchin might be "likely to join" the 52 Republicans in voting for right-wing ideologue Gorsuch, but Manchin is certainly NOT a "moderate Democrat."

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch is a "fine individual, a very good human being" and that he's open to voting for him.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article140057823.html



K&R, thanks for posting.