A number of Senate Democrats have already said that they won’t support Trump’s Supreme Court pick, Scalia clone Neil Gorsuch, but that’s really not the approach that’s called for here—or that fired-up progressives are looking for. Republicans, led by radical obstructionist-in-chief Mitch McConnell, literally stole this seat by refusing to hold hearings and allow a vote for Merrick Garland, Barack Obama’s duly nominated choice for the court.
The only appropriate response is for Democrats to do everything they possibly can to keep Trump and the GOP from getting what they want. We have the absolute moral high ground here, and we need to act like it. A few “no” votes on the Senate floor won’t cut it.
Fortunately, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley understands exactly that. Merkley already said he’d lead a filibuster of any Trump nominee, and the statement he put out on Tuesday night after the Gorsuch announcement shows he’s fully committed to the cause:
The most fundamental thing that must be understood about tonight’s announcement is that this is a stolen seat. This is the first time in American history that one party has blockaded a nominee for almost a year in order to deliver a seat to a President of their own party. If this tactic is rewarded rather than resisted, it will set a dangerous new precedent in American governance.
This strategy of packing the court, if successful, could threaten fundamental rights in America, including workers’ right to organize, women’s reproductive rights, and the rights of ordinary citizens to have their voices heard in elections rather than being drowned out by the corrupting influence of dark money from the richest Americans.
If President Trump were serious about healing the divisions in America and undoing the damage wrought by Senate Republicans last year, he could have named Merrick Garland to fill this seat. Garland is a centrist jurist who is respected on both sides of the aisle. Instead, he doubled down on division by picking an ideological and extreme nominee to satisfy the far right.
This is a stolen seat being filled by an illegitimate and extreme nominee, and I will do everything in my power to stand up against this assault on the Court.
Like Merkley says, Trump can go right ahead and nominate Garland. Then we’ll be happy to talk. If not, he can get well and truly fucked.