Politics Going 'Nuclear': How We Got Here Wade abortion legalization decision in 1973 launched an era of social issue backlash that split the old Democratic coalition. That has often been the case since the Roe v. There is also ample evidence that the Supreme Court motivates conservatives more than it does progressives. Whatever his evident virtues, Garland was another white male who, as a 63-year-old moderate, could not promise decades as a liberal warrior. Some say the Democrats hurt themselves two years ago, first with a nominee who would not excite the party's base. With a slim but steady majority of the Senate, and Vice President Mike Pence available to break a tie, McConnell feels confident he can confirm Trump's nominee and get his people out to vote again - this time, in gratitude.ĭemocrats see all this as what their Senate leader Chuck Schumer called "the height of hypocrisy." But will that move voters in their direction more now than it did in 2016 or motivate the disaffected within their base? Now, of course, McConnell's calculus has changed. Politics Republicans' Senate Tactics Leave Trump Wide Sway Over Nation's Courts And indeed, polling has shown the court vacancy did mean a great deal to Trump voters, especially those religious conservatives who had personal misgivings about him. Many saw a vote for Trump as a means to keep Scalia's seat away from the liberals and give the appointment to someone who promised to name anti-abortion justices supportive of Second Amendment gun rights.Īgain and again in the fall, candidate Donald Trump treated the Supreme Court as a touchstone, sometimes simply shouting the two words to his rally crowds. Second, and more important, the vacancy became a powerful motivator for conservative voters in the fall. Had he performed well on TV, voting against him might have been harder - especially for Republicans seeking re-election in competitive states. Supreme Court nominees nearly always win at least some votes from the party opposing the president, and Garland had a strong law-and-order history. Had he been considered, Garland might have pulled a few majority-party members across the aisle. With or without such justification, McConnell's blockade was doubly effective just as a power move.įirst, it prevented the seating of a Democratic president's choice.
Politics 170-Plus Days And Counting: GOP Unlikely To End Supreme Court Blockade Soon
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