Many pundits and Media talking heads say that President Trump will find it next to impossible to get his nominee for the Supreme Court confirmed in the Senate. The Republicans hold a 51-49 advantage and of course in the event of a tie, Mike Pence would be standing by.
But John McCain is unable to vote to make it a 50-49 advantage and with Susan Collins threatening to vote with the libs on any judge she thinks would overturn Roe v Wade, the chances for confirmation would seem to be slim.
But that is not the true narrative. There are a half a dozen Senators running for reelection in really tough battles and voting against Trump’s nominee could put the nail in the coffin for such luminaries as Heidi Heitkamp, Jon Tester, Joe Donnelly, Joe Manchin and Claire Mccaskill. Voting against Trump’s nominee can be fatal. Remember, in all likelihood, the most votes the Republicans would need is one. When forced to decide between party and survival, I’m sure at least one will choose to survive.
If the Republicans hold firm, the Senate is likely to vote on a Supreme Court nominee just as the midterm campaign season hits full stride, after Labor Day.
It also means vulnerable Democrats in states such as West Virginia and North Dakota will have to choose between a president who easily won their states in 2016 and a frenzied liberal base intent on blocking anyone he chooses.
“This will become the defining issue in all of the contested Senate races,” said Chris Pack, spokesman for the Senate Leadership Fund. “It is a litmus-test vote for all red-state Democrats on whether they have President Trump’s back or not. Nothing else comes close.”
Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. Red state Democrats could decide the fate of Trump’s SCOTUS nominee and their reelection bids in just one vote. Chuck Schumer will try to shut the vote down but he has no weapons to use. He can delay the vote by a week but can’t stop it.