What’s delaying Mitch McConnell? With Lamar Alexander, Charles Grassley, Cory Gardner, and now Mitt Romney pledging to support whomever Donald Trump anoints as our next Supreme Court justice, Mitch has the votes to move forward right now.
What’s he waiting for? Hearings? Just more senatorial and nominee babble; who needs them? Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s funeral? He’s already expressed his regrets at her passing, or at least at the institution of death more
generally.
OK, OK, I get it. Trump hasn’t chosen a nominee yet. But that shouldn’t pose an obstacle to the 51 yes-men and -women who’ve signed the Whatever Donald Wants Pledge and who constitute the majority of the United States Senate.
Since their votes to confirm Trump’s pick are effectively already cast, why not just go ahead and preemptively vote to confirm everyone on Trump’s short list? Barrett? Sure! Lagoa? Of course! Ivanka? Why not?! There may not be enough vacancies to put them all on the Court right now, but there’s no reason not to confirm them today in the sure expectation that other vacancies will eventually occur. (See, above, McConnell’s regrets at the inevitability of death.)
Besides, if there’s one thing in which Senate Republicans believe, it’s that only the
present is real. Didn’t they say in 2016 that they wouldn’t vote on a Supreme Court nomination in an election year? But that was then, and "then" doesn’t count! And isn’t Trump not announcing his pick until the weekend? But that’s the future, and the future doesn’t count either! Living for today, voting for what we want today (and we want a lot)—that’s the Republican creed (well, along with support for plutocracy, white supremacy, and low levels of literacy).
So, Mitch—what’s holding you back? Your drones are aligned. Let’s vote today!
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