Monday Open Thread

37
  by: Colorado Pols September 21, 2020 at 6:13 AM MDT

“The whole life of an American is passed like a game of chance, a revolutionary crisis, or a battle.”

–Alexis de Tocqueville

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    • MADCO says:
      September 21, 2020 at 7:47 AM MDT

      She will be nominated and approved.

      If Biden wins and the Senate flips – she will be seated by lame ducks.

      I thought some old (er) school R senators would think of the instituion, the US Senate – and and back down. Someone like Lamar Alexander. But he's all in too.

      So it boils down to Murkowski, Collins, Romney, Thillis.
      She will be nominated and approved.

      • RepealAndReplace says:
        September 21, 2020 at 8:03 AM MDT

        Tillis has already signed a blank check and said he will vote to confirm whoever is nominated by Trump.  (He's polling in the high 30's or low 40's in North Carolina and clutching to Trump as thought his life depends on it.)

        Romney may join Murkowski and Collins, and delay this until at least after the election. That will create a 50/50 tie.  Pence will break the tie and "Mother" will pat him on the head.

         

        • MichaelBowman says:
          September 21, 2020 at 8:19 AM MDT

          If they stick to their 'not until the election is decided', and if it takes weeks or months to call the election like Trump claims, and if Mark Kelly wins and gets sworn in by the end of November – Mother may not get to pat him on the head. 

          I know, I know. Lots of ifs. 

          • MADCO says:
            September 21, 2020 at 9:17 AM MDT

            An earthquake in just the right place and time would be more likely

          • JohnInDenver says:
            September 21, 2020 at 10:43 AM MDT

            There's a very narrow window there … and I think the desire to have a justice in place to participate in the argument on the ACA on November 10 is more important than waiting for absolute clarity about election outcomes.

            • kickshot says:
              September 21, 2020 at 10:56 AM MDT

              IF a nomination is submitted and hearings proceed ACA will be a primary line of questioning from Kamala Harris, et al.

              AND

              that will clarify the election.

              • MichaelBowman says:
                September 21, 2020 at 11:00 AM MDT

                [a]nd hearings proceed…

                You’re quite the optimist this morning kickshot.  Is a hearing on SCOTUS required by Senate rules or just a norm?

                Can’t they iust take a vote by Zoom and get on with campaigning?
                 

                • kickshot says:
                  September 21, 2020 at 11:19 AM MDT

                  Your scenario would/should be a real stress test on even the most loyal Dump/Moscow Mitch bootlickers.

                  But nothing is too depraved and unAmerican anymore for that gang.

                  There is some sort of balancing act going on, though. If the Rs do "this" then how long or how severely will "this" ban them from existence.

                • kickshot says:
                  September 21, 2020 at 11:33 AM MDT

                  Where did you get this nightmare scenario?

                  Hearings have only been a thing since 1925 and are not required before a vote (the advice and consent part).

                  We could end up with Roger Stone on the court.

            • spaceman65 says:
              September 21, 2020 at 2:36 PM MDT

              As long as the Justice is appointed before the ACA decision is released, the new Justice can participate, even if she weren't on the court at the time of the argument.  The hurry really has little to do with the Court's workload for the Oct. term upcoming, and everything to do with filling the seat before January 20th.  

        • kickshot says:
          September 21, 2020 at 10:17 AM MDT

          RMoney has announced that he is going to talk to Moscow Mitch before he decides/announces his intent.

    • MichaelBowman says:
      September 21, 2020 at 8:24 AM MDT

      Couple good clips from this morning's Bulwark: 

      A couple of data points to start the morning: A new poll finds that 62% of Americans think the Supreme Court vacancy should be filled by the winner of the November election. Since Friday night, the Democratic fund raising site, ActBlue, has raised more than $100 million (which is crazy money), suggesting that the court vote is mobilizing Democrats in a way that Biden alone has not done yet.

      This should give the GOP some pause. But it probably won’t…

      This is mind-blowing. “Biden Has $466 Million in Bank, and a Huge Financial Edge on Trump.”

      Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s campaign said on Sunday that it entered September with $466 million in the bank together with the Democratic Party, providing Mr. Biden a vast financial advantage of about $141 million over President Trump heading into the intense final stretch of the campaign.

      The money edge is a complete reversal from this spring, when Mr. Biden emerged as the Democratic nominee and was $187 million behind Mr. Trump, who began raising money for his re-election shortly after he was inaugurated in 2017

       

      • MADCO says:
        September 21, 2020 at 9:18 AM MDT

        $466 + should be helping int he close senate races.

        Having the Senate will be almost better than having the WH

        • kickshot says:
          September 21, 2020 at 10:20 AM MDT

          A senate w/Schumer as leader is a transient illusion.

          One would think that Moscow Mitch had taught Schumer a few things but just a few is not enough.

          Schumer is a very poor learner. Reid was only slightly better.

      • JohnInDenver says:
        September 21, 2020 at 10:56 AM MDT

        The mind-blowing "cash on hand" at the end of August and the fundraising surge which created it (through August) are impressive. 

        Then add the cash that likely continued to come in.

        The "nine-figures" from Bloomberg for Biden in Florida. (that is a MINIMUM of $100 million, without a certain top end until you get to all 9s and it rolls over to 10 digits).

        The RBG flood of money over the weekend.

        And then realize there are going to be fewer than 200 million votes to be swayed by those millions, and probably 90% or more of those votes are already set.

        I wonder what would happen if the Democrats guaranteed a chicken in every pot … and paid Amazon to get them delivered.

      • RepealAndReplace says:
        September 21, 2020 at 1:02 PM MDT

        All that means is Democrats are finally looking at elections the way Republicans have been doing since 1980. It’s a about time.

    • spaceman65 says:
      September 21, 2020 at 8:24 AM MDT

      Assuming the GOP Senators will succeed in their grand hypocrisy, the dems need to win the WH, win the senate, and begin a structural overhaul of the federal courts.  Expand the Supreme Court with new seats, expand the number of judicial districts and circuits, double the number of judges, implement a statutory process for filling judicial vacancies.  And add PR and DC as states, if we can swing it.  And kill the filibuster.  We have enough anti-democratic structural roadblocks already.  And don't be afraid to divest the federal courts of jurisdiction 

  3. RepealAndReplace says:
    September 21, 2020 at 7:57 AM MDT

    Just sent $50 to Jamie Harrison's campaign.  And it probably won't be my last contribution to that race.

    Blanche gave two reasons for her change in position since the Merrick Garland nomination on not voting on a nominee before an election:  Harry Reid's rules change getting rid of the filibuster for appellate and trial judges, and the Dems' smear (i.e., investigation of sexual assault charges) against Kavanaugh.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gop-brushes-back-charges-of-hypocrisy-in-supreme-court-fight/ar-BB19fOM1?ocid=msedgntp

    The rules change took place before the Garland nomination. And her claim that the Dems wanted to "keep open" the seat vacated by Kennedy is a joke. Trump would still have gotten to fill that seat but with a nominee not accused of rape.

  4. kickshot says:
    September 21, 2020 at 8:58 AM MDT

    Dump and the Senate Rs chase the new BSO (bright shiny object) that is a new SCOTUS vacancy while the rest of the US struggles with pandemic and economic survival.

    The D message now has to become 'Keep your eye on the ball'.

    • MADCO says:
      September 21, 2020 at 9:30 AM MDT

      The pivot should not be a sports metaphor

      instead it should be a pivot to

      – Pandemic is entering next stage

      – Democracy at risk

      Social Security going under
      Fincial fraud and corruption of Deutsche Bank and Russia and those related (hint)
      Courts, including SCOTUS
       

      wait – there's too much, the message is muddled and boils down to Trump Bad!

      You're right – except I dislike sports metaphors

       

       

  5. Voyageur says:
    September 21, 2020 at 10:32 AM MDT

    He groveled to North Korea

    And sold his country short.

    Now he wants to name Adolf Hitler

    To our nation's highest  court.

    The first step to free our nation

    From his lying fascist haze

    Starts when we vote him out

    In just 42 more days

  6. harrydoby says:
    September 21, 2020 at 1:43 PM MDT

    This explains it all

  7. MichaelBowman says:
    September 21, 2020 at 1:53 PM MDT

    ….so Ttump did a thing (hid $300 million for Big Oil inside an ag program). It's been met with the ire of Grandpa Chuck. 

    More Aid for Ag, But Also for Oil

    On Wednesday, Reuters first reported that the Trump administration is looking at providing at least $300 million in cash to oil refiners that do not receive small-refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard for the 2019 compliance year. Reuters reported, "The financial relief could come from funds within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, five sources familiar with the matter said. It was not clear when the aid would be distributed."

    USDA's Commodity Credit Corp. is paying out more direct aid than ever before. The CCC fund — and how USDA uses it — is getting attention in a lot of ways this week.

    The idea of using Commodity Credit Corp. funds for petroleum refiners drew fire from Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. In a statement Thursday, Grassley questioned how it would be possible for USDA to pay direct aid to oil producers.

    "Giving away Commodity Credit Corporation funds to big oil that were meant for struggling farmers would be an outrage," Grassley said. 

  8. ParkHill says:
    September 21, 2020 at 5:34 PM MDT

    WOTD from Hunter at DailyKos: "Government public relations mandude gets outed as frothing conservative anti-mask troll"

    Deep State Self Parody is right!

    So William B. Crews, one of Fauci's employees at the NIAID, moonlights as a right-wing blogger at RedState (intentionally not linked.)

    If there were "justice," says Crews in his RedState persona, we would be sending a "few dozen" of these scientists "to the gallows and gibbet their tarred bodies in chains until they fell apart."

    Crews seems especially vexed about advice to wear masks—literally the least invasive possible means of ending the entire damn pandemic whenever the hell we wanted to, but in the pro-Trumper mind, a "Gestapo" move by the mask Nazis that is only one step removed from sending his burping patriot allies to "the boxcar." Jeebus Emphysema McRib, we can only thank heaven above that Trump’s roving worshippers haven't begun to have similar deep convictions about wearing pants.

    Upon Mr. Crews’ outing at the hands of cruel and uncaring journalists, the NIAID told the Beast that Crews had decided to "retire" from his government job, presumably to avoid having to repeatedly explain at the office water cooler and in the elevators which of his agency colleagues Crews believes ought to be "gibbetted" and for what precise reasons.

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