Senate Democrats are not soon going to forget the 11 month blockade Mitch McConnell and his colleagues conducted against Merrick Garland, President Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court. That, and the huge march against popular vote loser Donald Trump this weekend are are fueling their resolve against the kind of nominee Trump is likely to put foward—an extreme one.
"I haven’t seen the names," said Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont and a veteran of multiple Supreme Court fights. "But when they had a consensus person with Merrick Garland, every single Republican who raised their hand and solemnly swore before God to uphold the Constitution refused to follow the Constitution and even have a hearing."
Top Democrats say they don’t intend to play "tit for tat" with the nomination. But they say they will insist on what they consider to be a mainstream candidate capable of securing at least the 60 votes needed to thwart any filibuster. Otherwise, they promise to do whatever they can to block the nominee. […]
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who sits on the Judiciary Committee, said Democrats were also galvanized by the turnout at last weekend’s protests. He said it would serve as a unifying force for Senate Democrats.
Good. Here's a promise to our Democratic Senators—continue your resistance and we will continue to have your backs. And if your resolve ever weakens, just remember the words of Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, who had the gall to actually say "I have never seen a party in the Senate from its leaders on down, publicly commit to not only opposing virtually every nomination, but to attacking and maligning almost every single nominee." And remember that Hatch was the Republican who touted Merrick Garland as the compromise candidate for President Obama.
That's your opposition, Democrats. Let that example strengthen your spines.