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RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
CookingCat Since: Jul, 2018
#256627: Oct 5th 2018 at 12:43:47 AM

[up] Those protesters were trespassing on government property (The Senate, Supreme Court and Flake's office in Arizona), just so the usual suspects don't pessimize.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#256628: Oct 5th 2018 at 12:46:01 AM

A small reminder: Back during Watergate after the break in, the Democrats actually went to the police and started a case against the Republicans. Initially everyone was laughing about it, but at the end of the day it allowed the Democrats to bring up the issue again and again and again, which was certainly helpful during the Watergate affair. Oh, and in the end they won their case and got a settlement out of it.

So, democrats keep fighting Kavanaugh is something with which they can only win. Because frankly, while the Republicans will make a meal out of it, they will find something to make a fuss about anyway, so why not giving them something which at the very least makes the Democrats look good in the eyes of their own voter? One big issue they currently have with their voter base is that a lot of people accuse them to have no bite and to give in so easily to the Republicans, that there is little difference between them. By pushing the story they can for once show that yes, they have bit and no, they aren't like the Republicans, there is a huge gab between those parties.

Btw...how does the math stand now? Last time I checked there were four deciding votes, two of which were leaning towards democrats, two of which leaning towards republicans. Does the vote from the guy not around because of the wedding can be given in absence? If not, how does the math look like now?

3of4 Just a harmless giant from a foreign land. from Five Seconds in the Future. Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
#256629: Oct 5th 2018 at 1:10:29 AM

[up] At the Moment, it looks like everyone is voting along party lines. Which, with Senator Daines not present for a Saturday Confirmation vote, 50/49 for Kavanaugh. There's been some rumors of Murkowski meeting with survivors of Sexual Assault and it having some very big emotional impact, in which case it'll end up 49/50 against him, but I'd not bet money on it.

Other Rumors are flying around of not all Republicans being on board, but those are rumors.

Edited by 3of4 on Oct 5th 2018 at 10:10:12 AM

"You can reply to this Message!"
Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#256630: Oct 5th 2018 at 1:17:49 AM

I think there's a couple who claimed to have been turned off by his conduct at the hearing.

"Yup. That tasted purple."
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#256631: Oct 5th 2018 at 1:21:46 AM

Another time Mc Cain being alive would have helped.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
3of4 Just a harmless giant from a foreign land. from Five Seconds in the Future. Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
#256632: Oct 5th 2018 at 1:25:29 AM

Eh, Mc Cain voted more along party lines than he did not. Just like Flake.

"You can reply to this Message!"
BearyScary Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: You spin me right round, baby
#256633: Oct 5th 2018 at 1:52:50 AM

I wouldn't have counted on McCain

Do not obey in advance.
RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#256634: Oct 5th 2018 at 1:59:16 AM

Spite against Trump might've been enough to make him slightly more reliable in this situation.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#256635: Oct 5th 2018 at 2:17:45 AM

Didn't Heide whatsoever say that she would vote no? Or is she a democrat? (How any democrat could even consider vote for the guy is beyond me).

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#256636: Oct 5th 2018 at 2:20:42 AM

She's a red-state Democrat like Manchin.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#256637: Oct 5th 2018 at 2:23:23 AM

So basically they need to find a republican, any republican, which stands to lose his or her seat by voting yes...or a few more which have sudden weddings/funerals/doctor appointments they just HAVE to attend.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#256638: Oct 5th 2018 at 4:19:59 AM

I believe Mc Cain would have voted against the grain out of spite.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#256639: Oct 5th 2018 at 4:25:07 AM

[up] More likely he would have made a big fuss about his vote being up in the air and then vote the party line, which he did on around 90% of the votes he cast over his entire career.

They should have sent a poet.
TheWanderer Student of Story from Somewhere in New England (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Student of Story
#256640: Oct 5th 2018 at 4:29:17 AM

He wouldn't even have needed to vote against it. If he were still alive and too ill to travel, that would deprive Kavanaugh of a critical yes vote. Although it is fun to imagine him coming to Washington just to vote no, (similar to the ACA repeal) and flipping Trump and company the bird with both hands on his way out.

Not that we can be sure it actually would have happened, McCain knew the value of occupying the courts like all other Republicans. But a bedridden McCain would have still been a major hurdle for Republicans to get over.

Edited by TheWanderer on Oct 5th 2018 at 7:29:07 AM

| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |
BigMadDraco Since: Mar, 2010 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
#256641: Oct 5th 2018 at 4:57:48 AM

Really the worst case scenario for the republicans is that putting Kavanaugh on the court convinces the republican base that they've won everything forever leading to an even bigger swing to the democrats and then Kavanaugh is out before the 2020 election due to complications of his alcoholism meaning they've pushed away the very important suburban mom demographic (Kavanaugh's accusers all being white, professional middle class women is going to resonate with that group) in exchange for nothing.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#256642: Oct 5th 2018 at 6:26:54 AM

Really the worst case scenario for the republicans is that putting Kavanaugh on the court convinces the republican base that they've won everything forever leading to an even bigger swing to the democrats and then Kavanaugh is out before the 2020 election due to complications of his alcoholism meaning they've pushed away the very important suburban mom demographic (Kavanaugh's accusers all being white, professional middle class women is going to resonate with that group) in exchange for nothing.

Agreed, if anything this could be argued to be a lose-lose scenario for them.

If they get him through then what you've just said will quite probably happen.

But if they don't get him through then while it may boost their turnout some Democratic voters care more and in a situation where both have high turnout Republicans lose, not to mention that the Democrats will block any replacements so they'll probably lose this opportunity to have a second Supreme Court judge.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#256643: Oct 5th 2018 at 6:33:54 AM

[up] The Democrats still need a good reason to block a replacement (and currently they can't do it anyway, not until the midterms). If they hadn't wasted so much time on Kavanaugh, this could have been done and dusted already.

Edited by Swanpride on Oct 5th 2018 at 6:33:28 AM

BigMadDraco Since: Mar, 2010 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
#256644: Oct 5th 2018 at 6:36:56 AM

I mean technically if they drop Kavanaugh now they have a full 3 months to fill the spot with someone younger and just as conservative that doesn't have rape allegations haunting them or what appears to be heavy denial over a drinking problem.

Gilphon (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#256645: Oct 5th 2018 at 6:44:00 AM

Three months might not be enough- the Democrats will have every incentive to drag things out as long as they can, and if the Republicans take a real shelling during the Midterms, some of them will be skittish about voting to confirm a SCOTUS nominee for their party.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#256646: Oct 5th 2018 at 6:47:17 AM

The Democrats still need a good reason to block a replacement (and currently they can't do it anyway, not until the midterms). If they hadn't wasted so much time on Kavanaugh, this could have been done and dusted already.

Remember Merrick Garland? The Republicans have neatly handed us a good reason, our system runs greatly on norms and precedents and when they stop following it then there's no reason for us to follow it[1].

[1]= Though I am somewhat worried that some moronic Dems might get it in their heads to be the responsible party and not obstruct their candidates, that would be an awful waste.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#256647: Oct 5th 2018 at 6:51:24 AM

I think there's a couple who claimed to have been turned off by his conduct at the hearing.

The amount of times Republicans have expressed disgust with their party's direction since 2016 is not proportional to the amount of times Republicans have actively defected from a vote over that disgust.

Y'know. Once upon a time, years ago, I expressed that there's a reason the comics industry doesn't improve. A reason why people's complaints are not reflected in the direction of the comics. That reason is because people think words matter. There is an attitude in the comics fandom to go, "This direction is absolutely stupid and I hate every single part of it. Naturally, I bought every issue and all of the variant covers for my collection."

That's what Republicans do in Congress. They talk. They express disdain. They give feedback about how much they hate what's going on. And then they buy every issue and all of the variant covers. The party keeps moving the way it's been moving because words are cheap and only tangible results matter.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#256648: Oct 5th 2018 at 6:55:18 AM

See also the AAA game industry. It's practically Gilded Age bad, and we gamers just let them walk all over us, with very few exceptions.

Edited by M84 on Oct 5th 2018 at 9:55:11 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
BigMadDraco Since: Mar, 2010 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
#256649: Oct 5th 2018 at 6:56:37 AM

If they take a major shelling in the midterms that's more reason to fast track the youngest most conservative judge they can find as a from hell's heart I stab at thee moment to make it harder for the democrats to make meaningful changes going forward. The Republican Party has made it abundantly clear that they do not care what the public wants, like when they passed the least popular tax bill in living memory.

Edited by BigMadDraco on Oct 5th 2018 at 7:02:35 AM

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#256650: Oct 5th 2018 at 7:00:57 AM

If they take a major shelling in the midterms that's more reason to fast track the youngest most conservative judge they can find as a from hell's heart I stab at thee moment to make it harder for the democrats to make meaningful changes going forward.

If they take a major shelling in the midterms then it may be too late.

But yes if they were rational they would've ditched Kavanaugh and chosen some young firebrand. But they aren't so here we are.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang

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