While everyone was hyperventilating about the possible aftermath of the bombing in Syria, Neil Gorsuch received Senate confirmation and is now an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
It all went down quietly on a Friday afternoon, as if he were part of a document dump the DJT administration people wanted people to ignore.
According to the New York Times, he will be sworn in on Monday: first an official private ceremony with Chief Justice Roberts, followed by a photo op ceremony at the White House with Justice Kennedy.
The final vote was 54-45.
Three members of the Democratic Senate caucus voted for him.
Heitkamp, Manchin and Donnelly (H-M-D) will regret their vote today, but they don’t know it yet.
Because Republicons approved the so-called “nuclear option” ending the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees, he would have been confirmed without these Democratic votes. Rs have the majority and did not need their votes to put Gorsuch in the stolen seat.
H-M-D deliberately chose to vote for him because they are all up for re-election next year and imagine it will help them with Rcon voters in their respective states.
It won’t.
I.
The only people really excited about Gorsuch are the forced birth voters who think he is their ticket to overturning Roe v. Wade, and extremists who dare to hope he will also overturn Griswold v. Connecticut and restrict access to birth control.
There are not as many of those voters as people think, even in red states.
Besides, you think folks came out of the woodwork to defend Obamacare once they realized they might actually lose it? That’s nothing compared to how young women will react if Roe is overturned and contraception is on the line. It will be too late to take to the streets, too late to vote, since Supreme Court decisions are not influenced by those things. But that entire generation will blame the Republicon party for it.
Republicons were the dog that caught the car when their chance to repeal Obamacare came along. Now that Trumpcare has been kicked to the curb, they can’t fundraise off it anymore. If they repeal Roe, they can’t fundraise off that anymore either. Two of the most potent weapons will be taken out of their propaganda arsenal. And speaking of arsenal, they can’t fundraise off “the president is trying to take your gunz” while a Republicon is in the White House. What are they going to come up with to replace all that?
II.
These three have hung a “FOR SALE” sign around their necks, begging Republicons to come to them every time they are looking for someone to give them “bipartisan” cover. Again, whatever short term gain H-M-D may receive from cooperating with Rcons on Gorsuch or anything else will not erase the D after their names, and redvoters in their states are not going to vote for Democrats in this increasingly polarized political environment.
If they are going to vote with Rs, even when Rs don’t need them to make a majority, then they might as well BE Republicons. A fair weather friend you can’t count on when you really need help, who when you need help will help your enemy instead even when your enemy doesn’t need help is not someone you stay friends with.
III.
Trump’s approval rating is tanking fast. The Syria bombing is not going to be enough to save him.
Either it is a one-off and nothing will change in Syria, so he will be exposed once against as an empty suit.
Or he will escalate our military involvement in the Syrian Civil War and we will be bombing both sides and suffering casualties in a third theater of operations, and DJT will be exposed (once again) as a liar after all his bloviating about “regime change is bad” and “nation building is bad” and “America First” and other claims that he doesn’t want to be “president of the world”.
For continuing involvement in Syria DJT will either have to form a coalition (something else he is bad at, since a bully never learns to play well with others), which will REALLY freak out his base and be seen as a total betrayal, or he will have to go it alone, which Congress will be extremely reluctant to authorize, or he can go it alone without authorization, and further terrify the people who do not want an autocrat in the White House.
And that’s before we even get to North Korea.
So even though we’ve all been talking about wag the dog for the last two days, DJT’s approval ratings can’t get any better through war.
This will further reduce the number of voters who might be attracted to them for the Gorsuch vote.
IV.
Nothing we have tried so far has helped our position in red states, so maybe we should try something new, that might take advantage of an expected growth in buyers’ remorse among DJT voters and the reinvigorated energy among Blue Team voters.
Perhaps the way to win in red states is to push for a wave of increased participation by exciting the currently non-voting Democrats who have given up thinking that their vote matters. Why should they turn out when the only choices they get between Republicon and Republicon-lite?
Heitkamp, Donnelly and Manchin need to be primaried in order to measure how many of those voters would turn out if given a candidate they could get excited about.
This is what finally put me over the fence with respect to the need to primary H-M-D.
A progressive primary challenger can accomplish a lot.
We identify progressive Democratic strength in their states, building on the Indivisible groups for organizing and contact lists.
Voters in that state get to hear someone make the progressive argument, which they may not have heard for decades or generations. Being a primary opponent means guaranteed local press, and is a way to break through the media bubble in places where people listen to hateradio and Fakes News all day long.
Incumbents HATE primaries. We cost them time, effort and money, which is what hurts them the most. If they win their primaries, we are no worse off in terms of the candidate than if we had done nothing. We put a scare into H-M-D and maybe they will think twice in the future about the price of bucking party discipline.
V.
Last but not least, either the Blue Wave is taking over even their red states, and the D has a chance to win, or we are going to lose the general anyway. There are advantages of losing with someone who has a stronger D message, because at least we got rid of someone unreliable in the process and will make others on the fence straighten up and fly right.
According to the New York Times, Neil Gorsuch will be sworn in on Monday: first an official private ceremony with Chief Justice Roberts, followed by a photo op ceremony at the White House with Justice Kennedy.
I believe that sooner rather than later Gorsuch will do something that will make people say oh THAT’S why you fought against him so hard! NOW we get it!
I know it is controversial to primary incumbents. But the revolution’s imminent. What do you stall for? We are in a position where we have nowhere to go but up and can only gain by letting go of what is safe and reaching out with bold tactics. If we lose, we are already the minority party, so we are no worse off. But if we win, are in a stronger position to build for the future than we were before, when our ability to fight was hampered by the need to beg and plead and make deals with reluctant Lieberdems.
PREVIOUS TRUE BLUE REPORT diaries
Apr 6: Take Me to Your Leader
Apr 5: DJT ran for POTUS to get back at Obama but the person he is discrediting is himself
Apr 4: Obama’s is bigger—Twitter following, inauguration crowd size, and approval rating
Apr 3: Filibuster a SCt nominee? Ds are changing the rules! This never happened before !1!
Apr 2: TBR SUNDAY: Put Your Lights On
Apr 1: Blue Ribbons for 4/1/17—Dick Cheney, Richard Burr, Rick Wilson
MARCH
Mar 31: The possible reasons Flynn was refused immunity are all good for the Blue Team
Mar 30: Special Assistant Ivanka—every word she says from now on is a DJT advertising ploy
Mar 29: “It’s just that valuable” — do you know the MAIN reasons Ryan wants to pass the AHCA?
Mar 28: Nipping at their heels
Mar 27: In cheering Republicon failures, think like a surgeon
Mar 26: TBR SUNDAY: Dare we hope the tide is turning? Or is that unrealistically optimistic?
Mar 25: Sheldon Whitehouse, Al Franken, Bobby Brooks, Betsy Anderson, ACA phone callers
Mar 24: HaHaHa-Ha-Ha You’re gonna need Congressional approval and you don’t have the votes
Mar 23: Rcons hate Obamacare for selfish, greedy, racist reasons, but not enough to fix it.
Mar 22: Neil Gorsuch’s attempt to seem wide-eyed and innocent makes him look even worse
Mar 21: Using Trump as a bad example—no Trump Sleep, Trump Food or other Trump habits
Mar 20: Is DJT a compulsive liar, or out of touch with reality? Five scenarios...
Mar 19: TBR SUNDAY: A budget is a moral document—a statement of public compassion
Mar 18: Ribbons: CBO scorers, Senate Intelligence Committee, Judge Derrick Watson
Mar 17: They know DJT is lying. Here’s one sad reason they follow him anyway.
Mar 16: Mick Mulvaney's ignorant, callous, evil, Republicon definition of compassion
Mar 15: Message Discipline 101—Pushback against Rcon talking points re DJT 2005 tax return
Mar 14: Message Discipline 101—Pushback against Rcon talking points about Obamacare repeal
Mar 13: Culture, Civilization, Rural America, Working Families—the missing word is a “tell”
Mar 12: TBR SUNDAY: The Rcon definition of Christians is as wrong as the Rcon definition of Democrats.
Mar 11: Ribbons: A Day Without a Woman, Native Nations Rise, Voting Rights Act still lives
Mar 10: How to talk to people who have trouble understanding actions have consequences
Mar 9: Where’s the fire? The real reason Rs are trying to rush TrumpCare through Congress
Mar 8: Message Discipline 101: TrumpCare, RyanCare, GOPCare, DonTCare—what’s in a name?
Mar 7: How very hard it is for a woman to go a day without paid (or unpaid) work
Mar 6: Can DJT really be stumbling into the exact investigation we want?
Mar 5: TBR SUNDAY: How is it even possible that deplorables see a man of faith when they look at DJT?
Mar 4: Blue Ribbon Winners—Chris Hayes, Malcolm Nance, Cierra Fields
Mar 3: I’m glad Bannon, Conway, Carson, Sessions, Miller, et al. are in the DJT Administration
Mar 2: “In every major fire it always starts with smoke. And smoke is what kills you.”
Mar 1: Am I the only one whose skin crawled at the Carryn Owens BIRGing moment?
FEBRUARY
Feb 28: Spinspotting 101: Special Prosecutor for what? It’s so easy to answer that question
Feb 27: Spinspotting 101: I’ve seen no evidence because I haven’t looked for any evidence!
Feb 26: TBR SUNDAY: If Neil Gorsuch were a man of integrity, he would decline the S.Ct. appointment
Feb 25: True Blue Ribbons: Russia Flag trolling, Dixie Swastika grabbing, District Days demonstrating
Feb 24: There is no such thing as a compassionate conservative
Feb 23: Chief of Staff, Nat’l Security Advisor, GOP Head, President Bannon—too many hats!
Feb 22: DJT has a few questions for you—SMURF THIS POLL!
Feb 21: The end of “access journalism” means it’s time to #sendtheinterns
Feb 20: KAC lying low for now… can we banish her (and all her ilk) from the airwaves completely?
Feb 19: TBR SUNDAY: DeVos cartoon, Ruby Bridges, unearned unhappiness and childlike faith
Feb 18: Blue Ribbon Winners—Vice Adm. Harward, Melissa McCarthy, and intel whistleblowers
Feb 17: And Ain’t I an American?
Feb 16: Please tell your family and friends—If you regret your DJT vote, speak up NOW
Feb 15: R-supported forced childbirth laws deny the autonomy of women
Feb 14: What did the president know? Everything. When did he know it? From the beginning.
Feb 13: Coping with The Madness of King Donald by hoping political comedy will save us
Feb 12: TBR SUNDAY: The Poverty and Justice Bible
Feb 11: Blue Ribbon Winners—Swastika removers, Ninth Circuit Panel, and the Persisterhood!
Feb 10: The first three words of the Constitution are “We, the People” not “I, the President”
Feb 9: Who first inspired your political activism? Who inspires you now?
Feb 8: We cannot and will not be silenced—Here’s what to do if they try to silence you
Feb 7: Plain Talk Tuesday: Tell people the Affordable Care Act is the same as OBAMACARE
Feb 6: Interview Skills 101—Internalized oppression and what Ryan Lizza did right. BRAVO!
Feb 5: TBR SUNDAY: These protest signs with Bible cites will confuse and befuddle RWNJs
Feb 4: Blue Ribbon Winners—Temple B’Nai Israel, Judge Robart, CNN, Senate Phone Callers
Feb 3: Not rich, not smart, not a good businessman, not a winner—DJT is NOTHING he claims to be
Feb 2: Thursday action—Encouragement, thanks, and apologies (pick one or more)
Feb 1: July 7, 2009 to August 25, 2009 and September 25, 2009 to February 4, 2010
JANUARY
Jan 31: If you’re on overload that’s part of their plan—there’s more than one way to #resist
Jan 30: Interview Skills 101 for reporters attempting to interview KAC and other Rcons
Jan 29: TBR SUNDAY: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness
Jan 28: Blue Ribbon Winners—Women's March participants and #NoMuslimBan demonstrators and...
Jan 27: I wish Steve Bannon would tell me to keep my mouth shut
Jan 26: Thursday Action—Have you ever written a letter to the editor? Here’s how to start
Jan 25: The Asch Conformity Study, inauguration crowds, and the importance of speaking out
Jan 24: #ResistTrumpTuesday—good news day or another paying dues day?
Jan 23: Spy the Lie 101: How to enjoy watching Rcon spokesbot interviews, even KAC!
Jan 22: TBR SUNDAY: Why I prayed for the President* today
Jan 21: The only silver lining in the midst of these clouds
Inaugural (!) diary: Stop expecting Republicons to make sense