Merrick Garland

[cloudythescribbler]

8. The GOP will surely dig their heels in totally at least until the election ...

recent praise for Garland from no less influential a Repug than Orrin Hatch notwithstanding

Note that the GOP have set things up so that even if they go through purely ritual hearings before giving a thumbs down in Committee say and not even having a Senate-wide vote -- that would be seen as a "concession". Even if a Democrat wins the White House in November, combined with a Democratic majority in the Senate (a relatively optimistic scenario), the GOP will still fight ANY nomination that isn't "Citizen-United RW-worthy", ie at least as far right as Justice Kennedy, tooth and nail.

The weakness of the Democratic Party in the 93-4 period and then the 09-10 period in dealing w/Republican obstructionism with serious vigor and matching partisanship (bringing a gun rather than a nerf-ball to a gun-fight, showing the spine that the Democratic Party elite displays mainly in dealing with those to their Left) will take years and years to overcome, if ever.

And if Trump gets to be president -- not only the GOP but the weakness and neoliberalism of the Democratic Party for the last 25 years will have borne its protofascist fruit.