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Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop
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This is an interesting article.
The question I have is: Is this nomination bullshit another sign that the Republican party is actually in its death throes?
They have completely lost the middle/independents. Neither Hillary nor Bernie may be the right person to pick them up, which will make this election much closer than it should be. But if the left was running Biden or someone who people (i) couldn't label a communist or (ii) didn't consider a shape shifting reptile who rose from the depths of darkness (who is also a woman), this election would already be over.
So what's the takeaway? First, the Republicans are absolutely placing all their chips on this election. If they don't win the Presidency, they can only hope to filibuster everything until midterms when they (probably) win back the Senate and then begin obstructing in earnest again. If they lose, they lose the Supreme Court. And the stakes are much higher than 5-4 decisions going forward because Kennedy is 79. If they lose that lean right-swing vote now that Scalia is gone, they're fucked. Now that they're playing these games, there's no way someone as far right as Scalia ever sits on the bench again. Based on the Senate's current behavior, if I were a Senator, my vote wouldn't go to anyone who even leans right. Ever.* Ginsburg and Breyer could also easily be up during the next 4 years. So they absolutely need this.
Second, the problem they have is that,
because they've lost the moderates, they absolutely must depend on the right wing crazies who make up their base. They need them to come out in overwhelming numbers, so they need the Supreme Court as the key issue. You don't come out to vote? Kiss your Second Amendment rights good bye. There is no way around it. And it's like a snowball. The more they embrace their lunatic side, the less likely they are to win the general. At this point, I don't think the nominee can even pull a Romney and immediately switch to more reasonable stances on issues after winning the primary. He'll lose too much support.
What is the party going to look like in 4 years given the demographic changes that are looming? What are their options if they lose this election and the Senate? All signs point to: Move further right.
TM
*And it's sad, but that's where we're going. If the next President is a Democrat, the Republicans will vote every single nominee down in hopes that they win the Presidency at some point. So, get used to having an 8 Justice Court.
