David Waldeman wrote an important story here today about how “With Biden in the chair on Jan. 3, the Senate can confirm a renominated Merrick Garland.” The idea is that when the old Senators’ terms end, but before the new Senators are sworn in, the Senate will have a majority of Democrats — 35 to 30 (counting Bernie but not King). If Biden and the Democrats played parliamentary hardball, they could use that moment to confirm Garland, or whoever else Obama chose to re-nominate at that moment.
This is an important idea. In 6 of the last 7 presidential elections, a Democrat has won the popular vote; yet though this spans over a quarter century, far longer than the historic average term for a Supreme Court justice, the Republicans have been able to maintain a Court majority for this whole time. Obviously, in order to do that, they’ve had to resort to trickery: Bush v. Gore, the electoral college, Shelby County, unprecedented Senate inaction, and the electoral college again. If Democrats don’t fight back, they will almost certainly get control of all three branches of government, despite their minority status; and with Donald Trump at the helm, the constitution will be in real danger. It is absolutely crucial that the Democrats use every weapon at our disposal, including this kind of parliamentary maneuvering.
I’ve started a petition at wh.gov. You should also call the Senators — the Democratic ones who are “Class I” or “Class II”. Tell the person “I urge (Senator So-and-so) to support the plan to confirm Justice Garland to the Supreme Court during the window on January 3rd when the new Senators haven’t been sworn in and the Democrats have a majority.” Here’s a list, with numbers:
Baldwin, Tammy - (D - WI) Class I (202) 224-5653 Contact: www.baldwin.senate.gov/feedback
Booker, Cory A. - (D - NJ) Class II (202) 224-3224 Contact: www.booker.senate.gov/?p=contact
Brown, Sherrod - (D - OH) Class I (202) 224-2315 Contact: www.brown.senate.gov/contact/
Cantwell, Maria - (D - WA) Class I (202) 224-3441 Contact: www.cantwell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-maria
Cardin, Benjamin L. - (D - MD) Class I (202) 224-4524 Contact: www.cardin.senate.gov/contact/
Carper, Thomas R. - (D - DE) Class I (202) 224-2441 Contact: www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-senator-carper
Casey, Robert P., Jr. - (D - PA) Class I (202) 224-6324 Contact: www.casey.senate.gov/contact/
Coons, Christopher A. - (D - DE) Class II (202) 224-5042 Contact: www.coons.senate.gov/contact
Donnelly, Joe - (D - IN) Class I (202) 224-4814 Contact: www.donnelly.senate.gov/contact/email-joe
Durbin, Richard J. - (D - IL) Class II (202) 224-2152 Contact: www.durbin.senate.gov/contact/
Feinstein, Dianne - (D - CA) Class I (202) 224-3841 Contact: www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me
Franken, Al - (D - MN) Class II (202) 224-5641 Contact: www.franken.senate.gov/?p=contact
Gillibrand, Kirsten E. - (D - NY) Class I (202) 224-4451 Contact: www.gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/
Heinrich, Martin - (D - NM) Class I (202) 224-5521 Contact: www.heinrich.senate.gov/contact
Heitkamp, Heidi - (D - ND) Class I (202) 224-2043 Contact: www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact
Hirono, Mazie K. - (D - HI) Class I (202) 224-6361 Contact: www.hirono.senate.gov/contact
Kaine, Tim - (D - VA) Class I (202) 224-4024 Contact: www.kaine.senate.gov/contact
Klobuchar, Amy - (D - MN) Class I (202) 224-3244 Contact: www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/contact-amy
Manchin, Joe, III - (D - WV) Class I (202) 224-3954 Contact: www.manchin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form
Markey, Edward J. - (D - MA) Class II (202) 224-2742 Contact: www.markey.senate.gov/contact
McCaskill, Claire - (D - MO) Class I (202) 224-6154 Contact: www.mccaskill.senate.gov/contact
Menendez, Robert - (D - NJ) Class I (202) 224-4744 Contact: www.menendez.senate.gov/contact
Merkley, Jeff - (D - OR) Class II (202) 224-3753 Contact: www.merkley.senate.gov/contact/
Murphy, Christopher - (D - CT) Class I (202) 224-4041 Contact: www.murphy.senate.gov/contact
Nelson, Bill - (D - FL) Class I (202) 224-5274 Contact: www.billnelson.senate.gov/contact-bill
Peters, Gary C. - (D - MI) Class II (202) 224-6221 Contact: www.peters.senate.gov/contact/email-gary
Reed, Jack - (D - RI) Class II (202) 224-4642 Contact: www.reed.senate.gov/contact/
Reid, Harry - (D - NV) Class III (202) 224-3542 Contact: www.reid.senate.gov/contact
Sanders, Bernard - (I - VT) Class I (202) 224-5141 Contact: www.sanders.senate.gov/contact/
Shaheen, Jeanne - (D - NH) Class II (202) 224-2841 Contact: www.shaheen.senate.gov/contact/
Stabenow, Debbie - (D - MI) Class I (202) 224-4822 Contact: www.stabenow.senate.gov/?p=contact
Tester, Jon - (D - MT) Class I (202) 224-2644 Contact: www.tester.senate.gov/?p=email_senator
Udall, Tom - (D - NM) Class II (202) 224-6621 Contact: www.tomudall.senate.gov/?p=contact
Warner, Mark R. - (D - VA) Class II (202) 224-2023 Contact: www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact
Warren, Elizabeth - (D - MA) Class I (202) 224-4543 Contact: www.warren.senate.gov/?p=email_senator
Whitehouse, Sheldon - (D - RI) Class I (202) 224-2921
(Note: If Obama picks somebody other than Garland, that’s fine too. But whether it’s Garland or somebody even more progressive, the median vote will be the same, and on our side; the important thing is not to leave the seat open for a Trump nominee and a Republican Senate. Let’s not dilute our messaging by hashing this out publicly; in the end, Obama will decide.)