GOP sees Supreme Court fight as a boost to vulnerable senators as McConnell presses for vote

[andym]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/19/politics/republican-majority-strategy-vulnerable-senators/index.html
By Manu Raju, Alex Rogers and Ted Barrett, CNN
Updated 5:16 PM ET, Sat September 19, 202

" (CNN)Top Senate Republicans are privately arguing that it would boost their chances of holding the majority in November if their party makes a full-throated effort at confirming President Donald Trump's pick for the Supreme Court, according to multiple GOP sources, despite their past posture that such nominees should not be confirmed in a presidential election year.

Behind the scenes, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is calculating whether he has the votes to quickly confirm Trump's eventual nominee to the Supreme Court, focusing in large part on the party's most vulnerable Republicans facing voters in less than two months. The Kentucky Republican could only lose three senators of his 53-47 majority and still confirm the pick with a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence.

The argument, according to Senate GOP sources, is that getting behind Trump's pick will energize the Republican base and woo conservative-leaning voters who are uncertain about backing Trump and the GOP this fall. Opposing the nominee, they argue, will only cause a backlash from their party's supporters and might not be enough to win over Democratic voters who are already inclined to back their opponents.

But moving ahead on a nomination now could anger some voters who may recoil at the GOP's heavy-handed tactics, including in Democratic-leaning states where Republicans face voters in the fall. On balance, though, Republicans say that moving ahead now would be far more beneficial to keeping control of the narrowly divided chamber."
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Could cut boith ways in my opinion. But if McConnell and friends really believe this, they will push ahead full steam.

[ananda]

1. Yeah, seriously?

This has energized Dems in a way that
gives me more hope than ever!!!!

[andym]

2. Could backfire big time on them

Let's see how it plays out. This is why I think they will choose the Cuban-American woman Lagoa-- it's pure politics.

[Blue_true]

11. I seriously doubt that picking a rightwing Cuban-American Justice would

help in Florida. In 2018, DeSantis chose a female Cuban-American running mate and if not for the Magabomber invalidating tens of thousands of deep blue district votes, DeSantis likely would have lost.

[PTWB]

7. We were already energized.

A small but important slice of Republicans were disillusioned with Trump’s bullshit. Now they have something to vote for.

This is a dangerous game that we should never have had to play with a little political pragmatism in 2012-2014.

[Thekaspervote]

9. Agree! With 30+ mil given to ActBlue since RBG passed & another 9 mil from "get Mitch" fund

Sure...all that money being given is because Dems aren’t fired up.

Haven’t seen any fund raising come out of their corner

[Proud Liberal Dem]

3. Boost? For them?

I'm skeptical. Hopefully, lots of people get disgusted if the GOP puts responding to the ongoing global pandemic on hold to bumrush a SCOTUS Justice through.

[andym]

4. They think they can pull back wavering conservatives in AZ, SC, IA etc

hopefully, it will actually have the opposite effect and cost them.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

5. Hopefully it will cost them

The Democrats in those races should (and probably will) question them as to why they're focused on *this* instead of more COVID relief.

[paleotn]

6. And fire up the left. And even worse,....

drive away even more suburban white women. He will nominate a wackaloon and soon. Prior to the election. After Kavanaugh and Gorsuch turned out to be unreliable when it counted, he'll feel he needs to nominate a real nut case to shore up his religo-nut flank. Someone really in bed with the fundigelicals.

[Thekaspervote]

8. David Gergen presidential historian said last night that if the pukes do this it will only further

Boost the Dems, and will end their chances of winning

[Blue_true]

10. I believe that they are seriously mis-calculating.

They already have voters that believe that pushing a rightwing Justice onto the Court is tantamount. They risk activating a part of the 43% of Americans who didn’t vote in 2016 against them.