Time To Go Nuclear

Democrats now look likely to attempt a filibuster of Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Based on public statements, at least forty-one Democratic senators now say they will vote against the cloture motion, which would allow for a final vote.

I have to say, I’m surprised. Gorsuch won confirmation to the Tenth Circuit unanimously only a decade ago. Many of the Democrats now decrying him as a dangerous and unqualified ideologue were already serving in the Senate then, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. It was to be expected that Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court would be far from unanimous, but I didn’t expect that quite so many Democrats would be so eager to be seen as partisan hacks.

But either way, Democrats have made their choice, and now they must deal with the consequences. Neil Gorsuch is an eminently qualified judge who will make a superb justice. Eliminating the filibuster is not the ideal solution, but it seems to be the only one left.  Apparently, the current Democratic caucus will only accept a judge who has first sworn allegiance to Planned Parenthood and taken an oath vowing to uphold Roe v. Wade at any cost. Anyone else is “outside the mainstream”.

Republicans may well one day regret eliminating the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. But putting Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court is a worthy enough reward. Time to go nuclear.